The Twins stink, but so does most of the American League. Will the Twins rise to the occasion?
May 17, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins second baseman Luke Keaschall runs after hitting a single against the Milwaukee Brewers during the fifth inning at Target Field.
Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images The door to the American League playoffs isn't just open for the Minnesota Twins; the hinges have been bent backwards, the screws have snapped, and it might be a while before it shuts again. The American League is so bad that even the uninspiring Twinkies are in the thick of the playoff race with a 21-26 record.
That's both pathetic and inspiring, although the only person whose inspiration matters is chief executive Tom Pohlad, who has yet to put his money where his mouth is after claiming three weeks ago that Two-time World Series-winning manager Tom Kelly used to say you can't really judge a team until they've played 50 games, and as we near that mark, we've got a pretty good idea that the Twins' roster has really strong starting pitching, an awful bullpen, and a lineup full of hitters who are a whiff or two away from a bus ticket to St. Paul.
Still, here we are, on May 18, nearly 30% of the 162-game schedule in the books, and the Twins are only 4.5 games out of first place in the Central Division, and just 1.5 games out of a wild-card spot. Only four teams in the American League have a winning record: Rays , Yankees , Guardians , and White Sox .
Only 6.5 games separate the rest of the losers, including the Rangers, who, at 22-24, currently control the third wild-card spot. If the Twins were in the National League, they'd be 6.5 games out of a wild-card spot. That's just the reality of the big leagues in 2026; the AL has stunk so much that Minnesota is in the mix despite having one of the nine worst records in the majors.
Just imagine where the Twins might be if Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner could hit, or if they had a functional bullpen. With six blown saves, the Twins sure do miss St. Paul native Louis Varland and the 0.38 ERA that he's showcasing for the Blue Jays. Varland, despite being under team control, was traded by Minnesota during last summer's fire sale.
Minnesota sent him and first baseman Ty France to Toronto for outfielder Alan Roden and left-handed pitcher Kendry Rojas. The Twins made Roden start the season at Triple-A even though he was way better than James Outman in spring training. Outman is hitting .178 with a .518 OPS, while Roden hit .275 with an .819 OPS in 19 games before landing on the injured list with a torn labrum in his shoulder.
Do you remember what former Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said about the Varland trade? He was excited about Roden and Rojas...
"That's a potential everyday position player and a really high upside starting pitcher,” Falvey said, “who, you know, in the event that he's not a starting pitcher somewhere down the line, it's not hard to envision a world where he's an elite, impact reliever, too. So that was hard for us to look at and pass up based on what we think the talent was.
" So, they traded a proven relief pitcher for a lefty who might be elite, and a player at a position where they were already super deep. You do you, Twins. Alas, the bullpen stinks and the bats are inconsistent, but the door is ajar in the AL, and Minnesota, just like everyone else, has an opportunity to walk right through it. Can they do it?
Probably not without Pohlad doing something to help him stop breaking remotes while he watches his team. Joe Nelson has more than 20 years of experience in Minnesota sports journalism. Nelson began his career in sports radio, working at smaller stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before moving to the highly-rated KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. While there, he produced the popular mid-morning show hosted by Minnesota Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen.
His time in radio laid the groundwork for his transition to sports writing in 2011. He covers the Vikings, Timberwolves, Gophers and Twins for On SI.
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