Twins

In 2020, Kenta Maeda ran the game and had the whole world talkin'. After a brilliant stretch of 11 starts, he was crowned the king of the Twins rotation. But Tommy John surgery has kept him out of action for nearly 18 months. What are reasonable expectations for King Kenta as he makes his triumphant return to his kingdom?

In approaching this offseason, the Twins have prioritized building one of the best outfields in the game, perfectly suited to their fly ball pitching staff. But what if Rob Manfred’s futzing tanks their approach?

Most of the key free agents have signed, but the Twins have finally started to add to the bullpen. With this being the only obvious roster battle raging this spring, it’s worth checking in on how the bullpen could be shaken up at the last minute.

FORT MYERS, FL—The 2022 first-round draft pick is seeing plenty of action in early spring training, and building upon the stellar impression he made during last year's pro debut. Rocco Baldelli and Carlos Correa are among those who've taken notice. 

FORT MYERS - It's spring training for everyone, even superstars.

Over the past handful of years, it has been either the Cleveland Guardians or Chicago White Sox to challenge the Minnesota Twins at the top of the AL Central. With the three locked in as the clear contenders again, which foe represents the biggest rival for 2023?

Many of baseball's all-time great relief pitchers started their careers as starting pitchers. The Twins' 40-man roster is littered with players searching for their long-term roles to find a permanent spot at the big-league level.

FORT MYERS - It's noticeable. It's exciting. It's worrisome. What is going on with the velocity Twins pitchers are seeing?

Can Jovani Moran keep his strikeout rate high enough and walk rate low enough to be a weapon for the Twins in 2023?

FORT MYERS, FL—Because the move to acquire Kyle Farmer came so early in the offseason, and was followed by a huge flurry of high-profile activity, it can be easy to overlook him in the Twins' plans.

But make no mistake: the versatile defender and lefty masher can play a big role in the team's success this year and next.

FORT MYERS - Tyler Mahle is back, Edouard Julien goes yard (twice), but some injuries affect the lineup.

As Opening Day approaches in 2023, there may be no larger player development storyline than how a few recent first round picks fare. We are getting to a critical juncture for guys taken between 2018-2020, and a couple of them need a breakout in a big way.