No fanbase in all of Major League Baseball has less hope than Minnesota right now, according to this poll.
It's quite clear from online comment sections, last year's attendance figures, and general word of mouth that there is very little local excitement about the 2026 Minnesota Twins. Fans are fed up with ownership's payroll cuts and the infamous trade deadline fire sale that went down last summer.
Expectations for this year's team are in the gutter. That sentiment is obvious to anyone paying even a little bit of attention. Still, to actually see it distilled into data is pretty remarkable., with responses from more than 11,000 total MLB fans. In total, 72 percent were optimistic about their favorite team heading into this season. 23 of the 30 teams have optimism percentages of at least 67 percent. There's one at 59 percent, and another four between 24-32 percent. And then, at the very bottom, just below the Angels, are Twins fans at 4.3 percent. Four point three. That means nearly 96 percent of Twins fans who responded to the survey feel pessimistic about the team's outlook in 2026. That's...kind of incredible.For some context, Twins fans' optimism levels in previous years of the survey were 52 percent last year, 86 percent in 2024, 91 percent in 2023, and 70 percent in 2022. This is a stunning fall. Some of the comments from pessimistic fans in The Athletic's article sum up the feelings around the franchise right now. "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 was sitting at the rehearsal dinner of my mother's wedding when the Twins' fire sale began. I sat in disbelief watching players be shipped out like Amazon packages. If her marriage fails, it's the Pohlads’ fault." On one hand, it is very hard to blame fans for feeling the way they do. The Pohlads slashing payroll multiple times since the 2023 postseason breakthrough is incredibly brutal and impossible to defend. The announcement that they were reversing course on selling the team was a gut punch. So was the trade deadline . On the other hand, it does feel like the pessimism has swung a bit too far, at least from a baseball perspective. "This could prove to be the worst Twins team of all time" is just not really connected to reality. The 2016 Twins lost 103 games with a -170 run differential. The 2011 and 2013 Twins had even worse run differentials. The 1982 Twins lost 102 games. This team has far more talent than any of those groups, led by All-Stars Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan. The 2013 Twins started Vance Worley, Pedro Florimon, and Chris Parmelee on Opening Day. I was there, watching those teams. I am quite confident that this 2026 squad is not nearly that bad. Nonetheless, this is how fans feel right now. Not even Buxton or Ryan or top prospects like Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper can make fans feel optimistic while the Pohlads are in charge. These survey results show just how much work has to be done to change that perception and get fans back on board.Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.
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