The bookending results of Minnesota’s matchups against the White Sox thus far in 2025 are almost poetic. Back in April, in their first meeting with the reigning worst team ever, the Twins lost 9-0, falling to 0-4 on the season as Chris Paddack was bashed into submission. On Sunday, in their most recent tilt against the Sox — once again destined to finish with the worst record in baseball — the Twins fell 8-0.
The product on display at “Rate Field” last weekend was simply a joke: one franchise that long ago stopped caring, and another that has freshly and emphatically joined its ranks. The White Sox are a perfect example of the fallacy of low-budget rebuilds — they’ve been in a perpetual state of non-competitiveness for 20 years, fueled by the false promise of a better future. Their sell-off of superstar assets in the 2010s — “nailing the art of the sale,” as Jayson Stark put it — resulted in one division title and two postseason appearances, which went nowhere. At least Chicago now has a future ownership transition in place that could spell real change to their pitiful status quo. For the Twins, not so much.
I’ve been writing about this team online for 20 years now. My first blog byline was back in 2005. In all that time, I’ve legitimately never felt this hopeless about the present state and future direction of the franchise. At least the dark days of 2011-16 were coated in the gloss of a still-fresh Target Field, which now sits emptier than it’s ever been.
Believe me, I don’t want to feel this way. I generally try to remain upbeat and positive about the team’s outlook, which is why I was (perhaps naively) attached to the idea they could turn things around. I believed in the guts of this roster, led by Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis, Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, and a deep bullpen. Maybe not this year, maybe not with this manager or leadership. But the foundation was solid. At least, that’s where I stand.
Derek Falvey and the front office ripped it to shreds. They sold off parts and dumped salary to an extreme that spiraled this current roster into unwatchable oblivion while offering no real promise of future improvement — other than to the balance sheet.
In return, they sell hope. I’m ready to buy! But I don’t even see much of an effort to market it from a leadership regime that increasingly reeks of apathy.
Falvey’s empty media quotes, often delivered in friendly and unchallenging environments, offer no more assurance than the sum result of his track record up to this point. The Twins are on their way to missing the playoffs for a fourth time in five years, despite spending as much as any team in the division. On a micro level I tend to understand, if not endorse, the decisions made by this front office (prior to this past deadline). Yet on a macro level, no one can deny that the results have been unacceptable.
Now, we are supposed to take it on faith that this same group of baseball decision-makers and development staffers are the right ones to spearhead the next generation of competitive baseball after the last one was deemed a complete failure and dismantled.
That’s a tough sell, and the toughest part is that they don’t even really seem to be trying to make a case. I’ve seen Falvey pop up for a few bland interviews offering his usual flavor of meaningless corporate babble. No sign of the general manager Jeremy Zoll. Joe Pohlad is better off keeping his mouth shut. Anyone else want to take a shot at explaining the thought process or vision for how this unprecedented talent purge will lead to a better future?
I guess not, so then we’ll let the results speak for themselves. Thus far, they’ve been almost laughably bad. Alan Roden, James Outman, Mick Abel and Taj Bradley have looked horrible in the MLB action they’ve seen with the Twins, to a man. Is that meaningful in such a small sample? Not really. But good lord man, with the way fan morale and confidence have been ravaged, it would be great if one of these guys would put forth a remotely competent effort.
There’s nothing here to inspire real hope other than a farm system that’s undeniably pretty good. But even that advantage offers faint solace, because the Twins have relentlessly failed to develop top prospects into quality major-league players. Former first-round draft picks and elite minor-league talents like Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee, Austin Martin, Alex Kirilloff, Edouard Julien and José Miranda have been instrumental in the collapse of this team over the past two years. Whether due to injury, stalled growth or both, the Twins’ internal talent pipeline has not paid off as desired in almost every single case. Why expect different?
The dream of new ownership and a true organizational reset was beaten to a pulp by the Pohlad family’s reassertion of control earlier this month. It was a moment that dampened the already fizzling aspirations of fans everywhere, who now find themselves grasping desperately for hope that’s nowhere to be found in an aimless franchise devoid of accountable, trustworthy leadership.
Good luck with selling those season tickets.