Ready or not, Twins fans, the team’s season opens up this afternoon against the Orioles in Baltimore. The Minnesota fan base is decidedly underwhelmed by the roster, and there’s a real fear about how low they could go. Owner Tom Pohlad continues to claim that the team will be much better than expected and will compete for a playoff spot.
Mr. Pohlad is, of course, dreaming because he and his family did not make adequate additions to the Twins after last season’s trade deadline sell-off. The best Minnesota fans could hope for this season is excitement and revivals from some of their younger players, and beating the Chicago White Sox out for fourth place in the American League Central Division. In Part 1, we reviewed the position players. In Part 2, we’ll take a deeper dive into their pitching staff.
2026 Minnesota Twins Opening Day Roster
Starting Pitchers
Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Simeon Wood Richardson, Taj Bradley, and Mick Abel: With Pablo Lopez out for the season, Ryan is unquestionably the ace of the Twins staff. As such, much will rest on his shoulders coming off his 2025 All-Star season. There is great concern over Ober’s effectiveness after struggling last season. His mechanics went awry, and his velocity was way down. He only tossed 8 2/3 innings this spring, so the jury is still out on whether he can return to form.
Wood Richardson has been sneaky good the past couple of seasons after almost flaming out as a top prospect. There will be increased pressure on him this season if Ober struggles. Of all the pitchers the Twins acquired at last season’s trade deadline, Bradley had the most Major League experience. And he promptly stunk up the place. But after a good spring and a notch up on his mid-90’s fastball, he could be primed to be a breakout candidate.
After a great spring, Mick Abel pitched his way into the Twins’ starting rotation. Expected to start the season at Triple-A St. Paul, the prospect from the Philadelphia Phillies simply outpitched Zebby Matthews throughout the exhibition season. Abel was the best pitcher in camp, striking out 27 batters in 22 innings, while only walking four.
Matthews heads to Triple-A St. Paul, and barring any setbacks, should be the first man up. David Festa, currently on the injured list with a shoulder impingement, is another possible starter. He could, however, get moved to the bullpen permanently, perhaps as a closer due to his mid-90s fastball.
Relievers
Cole Sands, Justin Topa, Taylor Rogers, Kody Funderburk, Anthony Banda, Eric Orze, Zak Kent, and Cody Laweryson: This will be a fluid situation all season. With the number of inexperienced arms on the roster and the close position battles in camp, you will see multiple changes to this unit. It will start as, and might remain for the entire season, a closer-by-committee staff.
Cole Sands, Justin Topa, and Taylor Rogers will form that early committee. Sands pitched well down the stretch in 2025, but is new to the role. Topa has to prove to the Twins that he can stay healthy for an entire season. And Rogers is a quality MLB reliever, but is not the caliber of player he was in his first go-around with the team.
Lefties Funderburk and Banda will handle some of the setup opportunities. Funderburk was lights out in the second half of 2025, and Banda had a nice season with the Dodgers but was the odd man out on a talented staff.
Orze, Kent, and Laweryson are the wild cards in the group. Orze throws a dandy splitter, but can he maintain his form on a consistent basis? Kent has put up monster numbers in Triple-A, but can he do it at the big-league level? The much-traveled Laweryson experienced an uptick in his fastball velocity and just beat Dan Altavilla out for the final roster spot. When someone falters, Altavilla and possible starter conversions Connor Prielipp, David Festa, and Marco Raya are one step away.
Outlook
First-year Twins manager Derek Shelton has his work cut out for him. With some brittle position players, inexperience throughout the roster, and a thrown-together bullpen, this team will face an uphill struggle all season.
