Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
A new baseball season normally allows hope to spring eternal across Major League Baseball. Unfortunately, hope is difficult to come by for Minnesota Twins fans these days, even during the season of optimism.
Over the offseason, a new Pohlad took over. Unfortunately, while Tom’s messaging and energy was noticeably different than his brother Joe from the start of his introductory press conference, the spending has been… even less under his leadership.
In fact, 2026 Twins payroll is currently projected to be $35 million lower ($115.4M), than it finished one year ago, when a previous round of budget cuts slashed 2025 player payroll to $150 million.
If Minnesota Twins payroll finishes below $115 million — which it will unless they miraculously win enough games to become buyers at the MLB trade deadline — it will be the lowest Twins player payroll in exactly a decade.
Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
To find one smaller, you have to go all the way back to 2016, when Derek Falvey gave Paul Molitor zero chance to win games a payroll of $110.2 million. Molitor was fired that offseason, and replaced by Rocco Baldelli, after the Twins finished with a franchise record 103 regular season losses and only 59 wins.
To try and keep fans engaged, the Minnesota Twins are pulling out all the stops this summer, even going as far as to pretty much give away pre-game beers, at $2 each. Unfortunately for the Pohlads, despite their best marketing efforts, fan sentiment remains the same.
Optimism in the tank for Minnesota Twins fans
For the fifth-straight year, The Athletic released what they have coined as their MLB Fan Hope-O-Meter poll. This season, more than 11,000 fans across their subscriber base participated. And to absolutely nobody’s surprise, the Minnesota Twins were one of the least hopeful fanbases in Major League Baseball.
However, it was a bit jarring to see them at the absolute bottom of baseball, with just 4.3% of those polled voting that they were optimistic about they upcoming 2026 season. There were only two voting options, meaning that 95.7% of participants voted that they were pessimistic about the new MN Twins season.
To add context for just how poorly the Twins’ 2026 Hope-O-Meter showing really is, just take a look at the AL Central rival Chicago White Sox, who landed a rather astonishing 67% of votes for “optimistic”.
Remember, the Sox are fresh off three-straight 100-loss seasons. Jus two years ago (2024), the Southsiders set a new Major League record for regular season losses, at an unbelievable 121-41.
It didn’t have to be this way…
While the beginning of a new Major League Baseball season indicates all teams starting on an equal playing field, that reality only exists in theory. If you ask the oddsmakers, this is the Los Angeles Dodgers’ season to lose. Shohei Ohtani & Co. are heavy favorites (+210) to three-peat as World Series champions.
It didn’t need to be this way. The Minnesota Twins won their first playoff series in two decades, just three seasons ago. While it may feel like 2023 is eons ago, it’s difficult to forget the hope we all felt after the team beat Toronto and advanced to the divisional round for the first time since 2002.
The final out of the 2023 Wild Card series – Minnesota Twins vs. Toronto Blue Jays. The first playoff series victory for the #MNTwins in two decades. The vibes at Target Field were absolutely electric. pic.twitter.com/MgUDYUE9h8
— Talkin’ Twins (@TalkinTwins) September 26, 2024
Back then, it felt like we were on the precipice of something great. Of course, shortly after they beat the Blue Jays, the Twins lost to the Houston Astros in the ALDS, which was followed by team president Derek Falvey telling the Star Tribune that the Twins were looking to “right-size payroll”.
What followed was multiple offseasons of $20-$40 million budget cuts that didn’t just dismantle a really good Minnesota Twins roster, but more importantly, the hope and optimism of entire MLB fanbase.
And now, the LA Angels — who haven’t sniffed the postseason since 2014 and barely even have a home city — has a fanbase with more hope than Twins fans do.
MN Twins fans voice the same refrains
It wasn’t just a vote that The Athletic put in place either. Written out responses by fans tell the same tale, but in a much better contextual picture that helps highlight just how down bad the Minnesota Twins really are with the humans who love the team most.
The Pohlads dismantled the only team that won a playoff series in I don’t know how long. They dangled a sale in front of us, but it turned out that they saddled the team with too much of their own debt to make it attractive to potential buyers. Then we traded beloved players for middling prospects. And now Pablo López is hurt.
This could prove to be the worst Twins team of all time. I’ve never been less optimistic. It feels like doom and gloom at every turn, from ownership on down. At least there’ll be $2 beers and Luke Keaschall!
I struggle to believe this team will be the worst in franchise history. They would need to come in under the 59-win mark, achieved only by the last team to have a payroll as low as the 2026 Twins.
While the 2026 team isn’t very good, as currently constructed, there is just too much talent waiting in St. Paul for them to lose 100+ games… or at least we HOPE. But hey, there’s #NoPlaceLikeHere, amirite?
It’s true… #NoPlaceLikeHERE @MLB please switch it to #SellTheTeam💰 https://t.co/tpLYLUPcKR pic.twitter.com/KK1xB3sWM4
— MSP Athletics (@MSPAthletics) March 26, 2026
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