New podcast, with special guest Derek Shelton. One of my favorite shows we've ever done, thanks to Shelton being a *great* guest and extremely generous with his time. Get to know the new Twins manager with our hour-long conversation over beers in his office: www.patreon.com/posts/specia...

"There's no such thing as too much starting pitching depth." In the wake of the Pablo López and David Festa injuries, I wrote about the Twins' updated rotation depth chart, ranking starters one through nine, with thoughts on each pitcher's 2026 outlook: www.nytimes.com/athletic/707...

New (free) podcast! On the state of the Twins' rotation without Pablo López and David Festa, the buzz around Emmanuel Rodriguez, and a clip of our Derek Shelton interview. Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t... Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/5u3m... YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQTS...

"There's no such thing as too much starting pitching." It took all of two weeks for the Twins' rotation depth to vanish, leaving three spots up for grabs. Reassessing the Twins' starting pitching depth chart after injuries to Pablo López and David Festa: www.nytimes.com/athletic/707...

Really happy to see this. The Athletic is adding a bunch of great former Washington Post staffers to our roster and greatly expanding our coverage of the Nationals, Commanders, and D.C. sports as a whole. Their loss is our gain, and our readers' gain. www.nytco.com/press/the-at...

New podcast, with special guest Derek Shelton. One of my favorite shows we've ever done, thanks to Shelton being a *great* guest and extremely generous with his time. Get to know the new Twins manager with our hour-long conversation over beers in his office: www.patreon.com/posts/specia...

Andrew Chafin after topping out at 87 mph today: "If I cared about velo, I wouldn't have a job anymore." "It's just a matter of tricking the body into doing what I want it to do when I want it to do it. And it doesn't really have a choice, so it's like a mind-over-matter dance."

Special guest! We cracked a beer with new Twins manager Derek Shelton for an hour-long conversation about the inner workings of the job, the big keys to this season, the secret to growing a good beard, and so much more. Use the code SPRING2026 for 50% off a month. www.patreon.com/posts/specia...

Interesting analysis from @benclemens.bsky.social about how much teams are paying per WAR in free agency: blogs.fangraphs.com/what-are-tea...

Twins starter Taj Bradley leans into blending 'art with science' in crowded rotation competition: www.nytimes.com/athletic/706...

New podcast! We went on the road with the Twins and spent a rain delay talking about getting good news for Joe Ryan, the starting rotation hierarchy, positive signs from Royce Lewis, and battles for bench spots. 50% off with the code SPRING2026. Join us: www.patreon.com/posts/good-n...

Twins prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez rips a two-run homer off Braves reliever Anderson Pilar.

Alan Roden hammered a 93 mph fastball from Braves reliever Javy Guerra for a grand slam.

Good news for #MNTwins: Joe Ryan’s MRI showed only inflammation. Best case scenario.

Joe Ryan is undergoing an MRI exam. Twins will likely provide an update Sunday.

Royce Lewis with a no-doubter home run in his first spring training at-bat.

Twins announce Joe Ryan was removed from today's start with low back tightness on the right side.

Joe Ryan has been scratched from today's start vs. the Red Sox. No reason given by the Twins ... yet.

There's a strong argument that four of the Twins' top eight relievers are left-handed, but I'm not sure they can build a functional bullpen with that many southpaws of this caliber. How many lefties are too many? www.nytimes.com/athletic/705...

Twins' bullpen math problem: How many left-handed relievers are too many? www.nytimes.com/athletic/705...

New (free) podcast! Talking about a busy first week in Twins camp, including Pablo López's season-ending injury, Tom Pohlad making his presence felt, and 2026/2027 focus. Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p... Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/5SBo... YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ohs...

Derek Shelton, out of context, after his first win as Twins manager: "Monte Carlo has the best wings."

MLB announced Phil Cuzzi is retiring after 27 years as an umpire.

Baseball is back.

How will the Twins replace Pablo López? I wrote about the best remaining free-agent fits, the highest upside in-house options, and why the decision could come down to the present vs. the future: www.nytimes.com/athletic/705...

Pablo López will have season-ending Tommy John surgery Wednesday.

Zebby Matthews, talking about his last live BP session and echoing the thoughts on Twins fans when they watch videos of a Twins pitcher facing a Twins hitter: "Josh Bell put some good swings on balls. [Pause] I guess, as I hope he continues to do."

"It just sucks." On the Twins losing Pablo López to a season-ending injury on Day 1, how much of a dent it puts into their already iffy chances of having a competitive 2026, and how they could/should try to replace him in the rotation. Let's get into it: www.nytimes.com/athletic/705...

How will the Twins replace Pablo López? I wrote about the best remaining free-agent fits, the various in-house options, and why the decision could come down to the present vs. the future: www.nytimes.com/athletic/705...

Derek Shelton said Zebby Matthews will start the Twins’ spring training opener Friday vs. the Gophers.

🚨Emergency podcast🚨 Well, shit. Pablo López is injured and likely headed for season-ending elbow surgery. Let's talk about it, and what it means for the Twins and specifically their starting rotation. Join us for some group therapy: www.patreon.com/posts/pablos...

Pablo López has a torn elbow ligament and “surgery is very much on the table” according to Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll. If surgery is needed, López would miss the entire season.

Tom Pohlad, when told the Twins' over/under is 73.5 wins: "That's ridiculous." Pohlad doubled down on his expectation of a winning season and talked openly about the Twins' pursuit of Framber Valdez. But his actions still need to catch up to his words: www.nytimes.com/athletic/705...

My takeaways from talking to Tom Pohlad, including the Twins' pursuit of Framber Valdez, the owner doubling down on his expectations for 2026, and why his actions need to catch up to his words: www.nytimes.com/athletic/705...

We discussed that, at length, on today's podcast immediately after talking to Tom Pohlad about it. www.patreon.com/posts/talkin...

One thing I noticed today while watching live batting practice from the Twins' dugout: Tom Pohlad was also there for the entire session, and at one point he went over to Joe Ryan and had a long conversation. Early on, Pohlad is walking the walk about being present and hands-on.

New podcast: Talking With Tom Pohlad Use the code SPRING2026 for 50% off a month of the Patreon podcast, including episodes like this one live from spring training. www.patreon.com/posts/talkin...

Pablo López cut short his live batting practice session with elbow soreness. Twins say it was precautionary, especially this early in camp, but López will go for imaging on his elbow.

New podcast! We recorded this right after a media session with Tom Pohlad in which he answered lots of questions. Plus, we got into Byron Buxton’s news-making comments and yet another veteran lefty added. 50% off with the code SPRING2026. Join us. www.patreon.com/posts/talkin...

Fun sight in Twins camp: Pablo López throwing live batting practice and then coming back to the dugout to talk to his childhood hero Johan Santana, who will also be his pitching coach for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic.

Full-squad workouts start today in Fort Myers and there are 33 hitters in Twins camp. I wrote something about all 33 of them: www.nytimes.com/athletic/700...

Twins traded Jhonny Pereda for cash from the Mariners, who waived Jackson Kowar to make room on the roster. Twins then claimed Kowar off waivers from the Mariners and traded him for cash from the Orioles. They basically found a way to trade Pereda for cash twice.

Twins have received cash or cash considerations in trades for the following players within the past two months: Daniel Susac Edouard Julien Pierson Ohl Jhonny Pereda Vidal Bruján Jackson Kowar

FanGraphs projections for the Twins' offseason bullpen additions: Taylor Rogers — 4.13 ERA, 0.4 WAR Eric Orze — 4.08 ERA, 0.2 WAR Andrew Chafin — 4.15 ERA, 0.1 WAR Liam Hendriks — 4.29 ERA, 0.0 WAR Anthony Banda — 4.34 ERA, 0.0 WAR

Maybe the Twins are trying to build the first roster in MLB history made entirely out of left-handed relievers and left-handed corner bats.

Twins' payroll is currently $75 million below the MLB average. They haven't been more than $41 million below the MLB average at any point in the previous 25 years. This is basically uncharted territory for lack of spending, even by the Twins' standards.

MLB's combined 2026 payrolls by division: NL West — $1.135 billion NL East — $1.077 billion AL East — $1.044 billion AL West — $856 million NL Central — $691 million AL Central — $627 million Average team is $181 million. NL out-spending AL by $376 million. (Data: FanGraphs)

Zac Gallen coming off the board means just 5 of @theathletic.com's top 50 free agents are unsigned, including none of the top 25. 30. Lucas Giolito 37. Zack Littell 41. Max Scherzer 43. Rhys Hoskins 50. Michael Kopech Full big board, covering every deal: www.nytimes.com/athletic/677...