​In the weeks and months following Tom Pohlad’s installation as executive chairman of the Twins in December, he promised that the team would be competitive in 2026. With the payroll at its lowest point in years and a roster that had been torn apart at last year’s trade deadline, Pohlad dismissed external preseason forecasts that doubted Minnesota’s prospects. He insisted the team could surpass those expectations.
As the All-Star break arrived on Sunday, the Twins stood at 48-49 after a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels, on pace to exceed most of the early projections. They trailed the division-leading Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians by three games and sat squarely in a crowded American League race for a wild-card berth. Offensively, Minnesota has been among the league’s best, leading the American League in runs scored. The defense, meanwhile, has been a work in progress, showing instability early on as multiple position changes were made throughout the first half. The bullpen has been a noted liability, posting an ERA near the bottom of MLB, while the rotation—anchored by All-Star Joe Ryan—has hovered around the middle, despite a season disrupted by injuries that began in spring training with Pablo López, the club’s highest-paid player, suffering a season-ending injury. Taken together, these factors have produced a team facing a critical stretch with meaningful weeks ahead.
To address its bullpen, Minnesota made a move this week, trading a catching prospect to Toronto in exchange for reliever Tommy Nance. When they return from the All-Star break, five series will loom large and play a decisive role in charting the team’s course for the second half.
“The difference between where we’ve been and where we’re going is that, in the past, the barometer for success was simply to be competitive,” Pohlad said. “The barometer now is to win a championship. That will require us to make decisions—whether at the trade deadline or in the offseason—that probably look quite different from the kinds of decisions we would have made in the past.”
What those decisions look like at the trade deadline remains highly contingent on how the next couple of weeks unfold. If the Twins, who benefited from seven innings of two-run ball by Taj Bradley, a pivotal two-run double from Ryan Jeffers, and two RBIs from Trevor Larnach in a win over the Angels that gave them their eighth series win in the last nine, can remain in striking distance, they may lean toward buying at the deadline. If not, they could face a substantially altered roster next month.
Although Byron Buxton will not participate in the game, he will still relish the All-Star experience. Other notes from the weekend included majors, with Saint Louis dropping its fourth straight game at Iowa, Royce Lewis delivering a homer and a double to pace the Twins against the Angels, and Bremer’s induction into the Twins’ Hall of Fame. The organization also announced the drafting of catcher Vahn Lackey with the No. 3 overall pick, a move intended to bolster the future and improve the team’s long-term SEO narrative surrounding its prospects.