The Twins received an “F” grade from MLBTR readers during our Offseason in Review series. The fact that only 42% of voters considered the winter a complete failure may have been irritating. Minnesota’s biggest development of the offseason was the unexpected departure of baseball president Derek Falvey, Pablo Lopezelbow surgery, and… Josh Bell. With 39% of voters giving the twins a “D” grade, it is clear that the consensus is that the twins will not leave when they graduate.
Minnesota’s first five games went as expected. But after a 1-4 start, the club gained momentum. The Twins swept the rival Tigers in four games. They took the series from the Red Sox and Blue Jays. The team dropped a game to the Mets last night to get back to .500, but are still tied with Detroit for the 2nd-best run differential in the American League.
A 12-12 record isn’t anything to write home about, but the start of the campaign has gone as well as Minnesota could have hoped, given the club’s modest investment in the year. The Twins’ $107MM salary is down about $30MM from 2025. Here’s a look at some of the moves that have motivated Minnesota so far, and what it could mean as the trade deadline nears…
Taj Bradley, reliable starter
The Twins acquired Bradley as part of a mass bullpen selloff at the 2025 trade deadline. He came from Misebe in a direct exchange to relieve Griffin Jax. It’s been an obvious win for Minnesota so far, especially since Jax is coming off a high-profile mix in Tampa Bay. Bradley has a 1.63 ERA through five starts. He raised his strikeout rate to a career-high 28.8% in large part due to an improved variance. Bradley’s top swing-and-miss pitch has three more inches of vertical drop this year. The splitter produced an elite 43.8% whiff rate.
Bradley will not maintain an ERA below 2.00 for the rest of the season. The right-hander’s xFIP and SIERA are about two runs higher than his actual ERA. He’s catching ground balls at a career-low 34.7% clip, while allowing a significant amount of hard contact (93.6 mph average exit velocity – 2nd percentile). Given Bradley’s past struggles with the home run ball, that will be worth monitoring as the weather heats up and the ball starts moving. Even if Bradley is a starter with an ERA in the mid-3.00s with an above average batting average, that’s a huge advantage for a Minnesota rotation without many reliable options on the other side. Joe Ryan.
Mick Abel, starting backend (if healthy)
Speaking of the pitching staff, Abel was emerging as a player before the elbow inflammation. It is not expected to be a long absence, but it has been a disappointing illness following consecutive scoreless outings for the young right. Abel came as part of a package from Philadelphia to get closer John Duran. He pitched in his first two appearances (one in long relief), then shut out the Tigers and Red Sox over 13 frames.
Abel and Bradley both struggled when they played with the Twins last year. It seemed like a leap of faith to expect anyone to contribute well in 2026, and Minnesota was counting on both of them. The club did not add to the rotation after Lopez’s injury, leaving Ryan, Bailey Oberagain Simeon Woods Richardson as the top options, and two smaller options. Any cracks in the team would be a problem, but Minnesota’s starters rank ninth in ERA right now.
Taylor Rogers, an experienced setup man
Rogers’ return was Minnesota’s only major league signing on the pitching side. The Twins nabbed him for a cheap $2MM deal. He joined a bullpen with no proven arms after the team was completely eliminated in July, with five key pieces coming off various assignments. Rogers coughed up the go-ahead last night against New York, but was solid before exiting. The veteran lefty has scored three points and has generally been effective in high situations. On Wednesday, Rogers had just been hit in two games, both with Minnesota facing deficits.
Josh Bell, a rare hot streak
Bell will have a three-week stretch every season where he looks like an MVP candidate. It may have already happened in 2026. Bell had three hits in the last game sweep of the Tigers, pushing his OPS to 1.066 through 13 games. He’s cool there, but still a solid 116 wRC+ in 96 plate appearances. The Twins added Bell in one year, $7MM. He provided a nice boost to an offense that ranked in the top 10 in scoring. I Victor Caratini signing (two years, $14MM) didn’t work out either, but adding some old switch-hitters made the plan even easier.
Will it matter?
This is probably not a program headed for an AL pennant run. It’s probably not even the team equipped to end Minnesota’s three-year drought. The key will be whether the Twins are competitive enough not to be traded at the trade deadline. Ryan will be among the awards in July, assuming Minnesota reopens for business. Could a few more months of .500 ball be enough to convince ownership that this team can compete in the uninspiring AL Central? Early gains have been good despite a mild season.
Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images
