God knows it’s been a tough time being a Minnesota Twins fan. Since they advanced to the American League (AL) Division Series in 2023, they have:

• Slashed their payroll
• Collapsed down the stretch in 2024
• Put the team up for sale
• Floundered through a lost 2025 season
• Dumped 11 players at the 2025 trade deadline
• Taken the team off the market
• Fired their manager
• Brought on two minority partners to pay off their debt

Fun list, eh?

Now, Twins management has announced at the 2025 Major League Baseball (MLB) Meetings in Orlando, Florida, that their purge of onfield talent is over and that they intend to retain their three top players, pitchers Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan, and outfielder Byron Buxton. Not only that, but they intend to field a competitive team in 2026 by adding additional quality players to the fold. Color me skeptical.

Twins Statement on 2026

Twins president Derek Falvey and general manager Jeremy Zoll confirmed on Monday that the team’s major-league roster is worthy of an upgrade rather than a further teardown. Falvey explained it this way.

“A month ago, I was direct and honest in meetings we had. I said, ‘I’m not sure I’m in a position right now to tell you exactly where we’re headed. I’m not in a position to move the ball forward much.’ Now, it’s a little more clear that we have been able to move the ball forward. … At this week’s meetings, there’s maybe a little more formal substance to some of those conversations.”

Good news for Twins fans, right? First sign of goodwill from team management in two years. They spoke further about restocking their depleted bullpen. Maybe add a couple of big bats to the middle of the order. Perhaps an upgrade at the shortstop position. What’s not to like? Then reality sets in.

Wake Up! You’re Dreaming

You remember that the team is owned by the Pohlad family. These are the same generous folks who put the team in this situation. There was joy in Twinsville last year when the family announced that the team was on the market and they were actively seeking new owners. Most people deduced that the family was selling the team after 40 years of ownership because they no longer had the stomach to finance an MLB franchise.

They even teased us with news about people and groups that had a genuine interest in purchasing the team. The first name to surface earlier this year was Justin Ishbia, a Phoenix Suns part-owner, who was rumored to be a strong candidate to become the franchise’s next owner. Then all of a sudden, Chicago White Sox boss Jerry Reinsdorf agreed to increase Ishbia’s minority ownership stake in the team. Honk! Thanks for playing.

Next, at the All-Star break, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the sale of the team was imminent. Apparently, a deep-pocketed investor, representing a mysterious purchasing group, had stepped forward to make a bid for the team. However, on August 14, Twins’ management released a statement saying the the Pohlad family, had a change of heart, and were declaring themselves the right people to move the franchise forward. The moans and groans emanating from the Twin Cities sports community were loud and clear.

Where Things Stand

Before the season ended, the family announced that they were bringing in two unknown investors to pay down the team’s $500 million deficit. And Charlie Walters from the Pioneer Press just revealed that Minneapolis-based credit investment firm Varde Partners is one of the Pohlads’ limited partners brought in to assist with that effort. You could ask Twins president Joe Pohlad about this, but since his family announced that they were not selling the team, he has been playing a game of “duck and cover.”

Despite the optimism of Twins brass, hope remains low among the club’s faithful fanbase. The total 2026 team salary figure being bandied about still appears to be in the $105- $110 million range. If this range is correct, it would put them near the bottom of MLB team salaries. And in case anyone was paying attention, the Twins were not one of the teams that made a bid for free-agent first baseman Pete Alonso. Today, he signed a five-year, $155 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles.

The Twins are purportedly interested in Rhys Hoskins, Josh Bell, or Ryan O’Hearn to solve their powerless hitting woes. See what I mean.