Midway through the 2026 season, it’s still hard to get a grasp on the Minnesota Twins. They entered Sunday 2.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot in the American League. Still, with a 39-45 record, it’s hard to tell if they’re contenders or just a team benefiting from an expanded postseason format.
In many ways, the Twins are running out of time to find out. The Aug. 3 trade deadline is approaching, and if Minnesota is a legitimate contender, adding a couple of players for the playoff push wouldn’t be a bad idea. It could also turn out to be a decision with long-term ramifications as the Twins own two of the top trade chips ahead of the deadline: Joe Ryan and Ryan Jeffers.
While the Twins took two of three from the Colorado Rockies this season, deciding which path to take is important. Still, they have five weeks to establish their identity, and it could go a long way to helping GM Jeremy Zoll make the correct choice.
The Twins have a strong offense, which entered Sunday seventh in MLB with 4.87 runs per game. But they also have moments where the lineup goes dark. Their starting pitching is strong enough to remain in contention in the American League, but constant injuries have prevented it from becoming their identity.
The bullpen is one of the worst in baseball. Therefore, while the Twins are in the hunt for a wild card berth, it’s a fair question to wonder if it’s worth investing in this year’s team to get back to the postseason.
In some ways, the answer is a resounding yes. Chairman Tom Pohlad has talked a big game since taking over last December. Still, the Twins haven’t made a big splash with him in charge outside of calling Framber Valdez during Spring Training and several bullpen moves for cash considerations. Making a move for a reliever or a shortstop would also be an olive branch for the fan base, who have repeatedly been thrown into the dirt since their last playoff appearance in 2023.
If the Twins remain in contention around the trade deadline, a modest move would be a good idea. But it also depends on what happens in July.
The Twins will begin this road trip with a three-game series against the Houston Astros in a battle of Wild Card contenders. Minnesota will then travel to face the New York Yankees, where trips to the Bronx have been about as enjoyable as going in for a root canal.
Seven games against the Cleveland Guardians, who are battling the Chicago White Sox at the top of the American League Central, could also be a litmus test, and a series against the Athletics and Seattle Mariners should create some separation in the wild card race.
By then, some of the questions should be answered.
- Byron Buxton is having a career year in center field, but his injury history is always a reminder that the Twins should be walking on eggshells.
- Brooks Lee is slugging .516 with nine homers in 34 games since moving to third base full-time on May 22. Still, it remains to be seen whether it’s a surge or a turning of the corner.
- Royce Lewis’s return is also something to monitor and could either lead to a shocking departure or cement his place in Minnesota’s long-term plans.
For as fickle as the offense might be, the pitching staff is a different kind of adventure. Ryan is a strong ace at the top of the rotation, and Taj Bradley has ace-like stuff when he’s on his game. But the rest of the rotation has big questions about the health of Mick Abel and Bailey Ober. With Connor Prielipp already approaching the largest workload of his professional career, it’s another reason why the Twins will need depth.
Even if the starting pitching comes around, the bullpen is a bigger challenge. The Twins seem to have found some gems in Yoendrys Gomez and Andrew Morris. Still, they could use another reliever with major league experience to tie things together – especially after Anthony Banda exited Sunday’s game with an injury.
In a lot of ways, the Twins are almost playing a slot machine. If they hit on all of these things and pick up some wins along the way, it could lead to a jackpot addition at the deadline. If a few things go wrong, it could lead to another sell that could complete the long-term vision that former president of baseball and business operations Derek Falvey took at last year’s trade deadline.
Whatever direction they take, they have five weeks to decide. It could play a massive role in the identity of this year’s team and the direction of the franchise going forward.
