Baseball season is here.\u00a0The Minnesota Twins opened their 2026 campaign with two series away before their return to Target Field on April 3 for their home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. Most Twins fans, however, are expecting the team to strike out this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a poll published by The Athletic,<\/a> Twins fans ranked dead last on the Hope-O-Meter, with only 4.3 percent\u00a0of fans expressing optimism for the 2026 season. That follows the franchise’s worst attendance<\/a> in decades last year.<\/p>\n Just a few years ago, the Twins were playing fall baseball, winning the 2023 Wild Card Series\u2014their first series win since 2002\u2014and going to the playoffs. The series\u00a0win broke the worst postseason losing streak in all major sports franchises (18 games), and the team seemed to be on the upswing. Today, though, whatever hope existed has been squashed by disappointment in ownership and management regarding downward trends in payroll, questionable trade decisions, and a lack of player signings.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the 2026 season, the $105 million payroll is almost $20 million down from 2025, and $55 million from 2023. Meanwhile, the roster stays inconsistent. In a massive \u201cfire sale\u201d<\/a> in 2025 during the trade deadline, the Twins traded away eight players, including key player Carlos Correa, and star closer Jhoan Duran, signaling a shift in philosophy and an eye on rebuilding the franchise. The trades mostly yielded back prospects, but a\u00a0few familiar faces remain: infielders Luke Keaschall and Brooks Lee; Byron Buxton and Matt Walner in the outfield; Joe Ryan and Simeon Woods Richardson on the mound, while a slew of players called up from the minors pepper the roster.\u00a0<\/p>\n There\u2019s a new manager for the Twins as well.\u00a0Derek Shelton leads the team, hired in October after a 70-92 season under Rocco Baldelli. Already, he\u2019s making history, becoming the first MLB manager ejected from a game for arguing an ABS (Automated Ball-Strike) system decision.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the higher levels of management, Twins president Derek Falvey and the organization mutually agreed to part ways in the off-season. General manager Jeremy Zoll is overseeing baseball operations following his departure. On the ownership front, Tom Pohlad<\/a> took over from his brother Joe as the controlling owner, looking to tidy up administration and give some hope back to the fans.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNow is the time to put new leadership in place and to have a renewed sense of energy, a renewed sense of focus, a different level of accountability, and ultimately a clear direction on where we\u2019re taking this organization,\u201d Tom Pohlad said in a news conference at Target Field.<\/p>\n Players reflect this sentiment of rejuvenation. Keaschall is back at full health after being plagued by injuries. In the preseason, he was hitting a\u00a0.377 batting average and a\u00a01.128 OPS with only two strikeouts in 53 at-bats (he\u2019s playing really well). Buxton looks to build on career-high HRs, RBIs, and runs last season, while proving his title of Twins Defensive Player of the Year. Pitchers Taj Bradley and Mick Abel are the new hope for the team, playing well in spring training and cementing themselves in the Twins starter rotation in their rookie seasons.<\/p>\n Another bright spot for the Twins is the farm system players they received\u00a0during last year’s\u00a0trades,\u00a0along with their star prospect Walker Jenkins. Commonly ranked in the top 100 prospects in the league, Jenkins batted .286 for the Triple-A Saints in 2025 and is likely to be called up later in the season.<\/p>\n