Hired during the offseason to replace Rocco Baldelli as Minnesota Twins manager, Derek Shelton brought with him a new mantra: hunt the good. The idea is that, in a game where failure is relentless, players should make a concerted effort to focus on positives and growth rather than dwelling on negativity and frustration. 

It will be a valuable mindset for fans to adopt here in 2026. Despite proclamations from new ownership figurehead Tom Pohlad that the Twins hope and expect to be competitive this year, the reality is that projection systems forecast them as a sub-.500 team, and betting lines in Vegas have them pegged as one of the worst teams in all of baseball. 

Anything can happen, and there are certainly pathways to being a surprise contender in the lukewarm AL Central, but especially after losing their No. 1 starter at the beginning of camp, the odds of the 2026 Twins being a good team are slim. 

My personal expectation is that they will lose close to 100 games. But even if that comes to fruition, it doesn’t mean we as fans can’t have a lot of fun this season, or find meaning within the action. (I will remind you that the Twins lost 90+ games in four of the first five years in this website’s life. And we were having a ball!) But we’ll have to know where to look. 

With that in mind, this season preview special will spend less time focusing on the anticipated sub-par overall results for the 2026 Twins, and more time helping elevate the interesting narratives and stories worth of your attention — many of which will have major implications on the team’s ability to resurrect as a contender in 2027. Let’s hunt the good.

Expected Opening Day Roster

Catchers: Ryan Jeffers, Victor Caratini

Infielders: Josh Bell, Kody Clemens, Luke Keaschall, Brooks Lee, Royce Lewis, Tristan Gray

Outfielders: Trevor Larnach, Byron Buxton, Matt Wallner, Austin Martin, James Outman

Starting Pitchers: Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley, Bailey Ober, Simeon Woods Richardson, Mick Abel

Relief Pitchers: Cole Sands, Taylor Rogers, Justin Topa, Anthony Banda, Eric Orze, Kody Funderburk, Zak Kent, Cody Laweryson

Position by Position Roster Preview
Throughout spring training, I gradually rolled out breakdowns of the outlook and depth of each position on the Twins. Below you can find a quick summary of each, and click through for the full story.

Catcher: Entering his free agency walk year, a motivated Jeffers takes over as primary starter while newcomer Caratini joins the timeshare.

First Base: Expect a heavy rotation (with middling upside) that features Bell, Clemens, Caratini, and at some point Eric Wagaman.

Second Base: Keaschall’s presence makes it one of the most exciting, high-upside positions. He’ll look to evade sophomore regression and improve defensively.

Third Base: Twins need Lewis to at least stay on the field, because they are lacking for immediate contingencies behind him. But we know what he can do.

Shortstop: Searching for a new SS identity in the post-Carlos Correa era, Twins are putting all their eggs in the Lee basket for now.

Left Field: The old guard (Larnach, Martin) look to fend off newcomers (Outman, Alan Roden) and top prospects for playing time.

Center Field: Coming off his best season and a run with Team USA in the WBC, Buxton is locked in and hoping to keep building on his health and production.

Right Field: Wallner figures to play almost everyday, with an underrated track record of production and limited platooning possibilities in right.

Designated Hitter: At least three players on the roster are probably best suited for DH, which is not a great reflection of the club’s general defensive aptitude, but sets a stable floor here.

Starting Pitcher: Injuries and question marks plague the veteran rotation core, increasing the urgency for promising younger arms to turn the corner. Lots to like there.

Relief Pitcher: The journey to rebuild the bullpen after completely dismantling it at last year’s deadline begins, and it’s bound to a bumpy road.

Key Stories of Follow in 2026
Okay, I’ll admit that tour through the roster was perhaps not the cheeriest exercise, but we had to keep it real. As we turn our attention to the people and storylines worth following closely this year, we’ll shine a spotlight on some legitimately exciting and intriguing areas of focus.

Sorting through a deep and talented pitching group
The Twins are hopeful their wave of emerging arms — acquired largely through high draft picks and bold trades — will carry them back to the contention. There’s a lot of promise to be found here. Pitchers like Taj Bradley, Mick Abel, Zebby Matthews, Simeon Woods Richardson, and maybe even prospects like Connor Prielipp and Kendry Rojas should have no shortage of runway if healthy. 

In tough competitive times, a baseball season becomes much easier to follow when you’re looking forward to watching the starting pitcher almost every day.

The new young core arrives
Whether or not the Twins want to admit it, they’re rebuilding. But I can see why they’d bristle at the connotation of the term. 

Selling hope in a rebuild is difficult when the prospects meant to drive it are still many years away, and their impact remains entirely theoretical. Luckily, Minnesota’s pipeline is about to start paying off. Three of their top five prospects (Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Prielipp) have already reached Triple-A and a fourth (Kaelen Culpepper) is likely to start there this year. 

It’s not always going to be pretty right away, but fans are going to get to start seeing these vaunted talents in 2026 rather than just hearing about them. And in cases like Rodriguez, who dazzled everyone in spring camp before being optioned, it’s not hard to envision immediate success and notoriety. 

Read more: Twins Daily 2026 Top 20 Prospects: Recap and Analysis 

Royce Lewis at a career crossroads
Lewis remains closely connected to the last truly great moment in Twins history — that 2023 postseason breakthrough where his home-run swing carried the offense. Lewis’ early emergence remains ingrained in our memories, and he’s fully focused on tapping back into that form. The stakes are extremely high for him, and for the team. 

Peak Royce elevates this team in a dramatic way. Even a rebound to solidly above-average would make a big difference over last year’s 83 OPS+. If we get more of the same, this lineup is going to struggle, and his days in Minnesota are likely numbered. But right now we can dream on much more, even in the wake of a quiet spring.

Meet the new bosses, same as the old bosses?
During the offseason, the Twins implemented new leadership at every level. Derek Shelton replaced Rocco Baldelli as manager. Jeremy Zoll replaced Derek Falvey as head of baseball ops. Tom Pohlad replaced his brother Joe as executive ownership chair.

It remains to be seen how much will actually change, especially since none of these none of these new titleholders seem to represent a remotely radical departure from the previous occupant. But any kind of shakeup is welcome in the aftermath of a total two-year collapse. Let’s embrace this opportunity for a fresh start and hope these newly appointed leaders can earn back the shattered confidence of fans.

Behold the greatness of Byron Buxton
This is what’s got me most invigorated. Buxton finally turning the corner on injuries and blossoming as a true superstar has been easily the most uplifting aspect of the last two years, and hopefully it will continue to be a resounding source of joy in the season ahead. 

Let’s hear from you as we count down the hours until first pitch of the 2026 season. Are you feeling more optimistic about the team’s outlook than me? If not, what’s going to be compelling you to tune in and follow along this year? It’s been a long and weird offseason, but baseball is finally back.