5 Bold Predictions for the Minnesota Twins in 2025: Everyone Contributes

1. David Festa solidifies himself as a big-league starter

Festa showed that he has the stuff to succeed at the major league level. He also showed that he was definitely just a rookie.

After his abysmal and forgettable spring training, many have their doubts. But Festa turns it around with the St. Paul Saints and gets the call shortly after the season starts. After going up and down a couple of times in the first months of the season, he sticks around after the All-Star break and earns his spot.

Start after start, Festa gets stronger and stronger and soon enough, could easily become irreplaceable. Not only does he earn and keep his spot in the rotation, but he gets the ball for the Twins as they look for their first trip to ACLS since 2002 (bonus bold take).

2. Reliever Griffin Jax forces Rocco Baldelli to hand over the closer role

Jhoan Duran has been electric as the closer for the Twins for the last couple of years. Duran has had consistency issues and we have seen a slight dip in the flamethrower's velocity this spring.

Sadly, this leads to Duran having a down year.

Jax starts the 2025 season lights out in the setup role and keeps it up as Duran's struggles continue. This forces Rocco to swap the two and causes a pretty major headache to the Target Field crew — do they still give Duran his electric entrance in the seventh and eighth innings of games?

The answer is yes, but Jax also gets an upgrade to pair with his upgraded role.

Why not, right?

3. Matt Wallner breaks Twins' record for leadoff home runs

Wallner has shown that he can absolutely smash baseballs and will be leading off for the Twins this year (at least occasionally). Wallner will take this opportunity and run with it.

Wallner will follow in the footsteps of some prolific leadoff men (and fan favorites) to accomplish this feat. Brian Dozier had plenty of pop but, like Wallner, found himself in the leadoff spot. He hit over 20 leadoff home runs during his time with the Twins. Wallner will look to break that record next year.

This year, though, he'll be gunning for and breaking Jacque Jones' single-season record of 11 leadoff homers.

Pitchers will want to start out the game with a first-pitch strike and Rocco will give Wallner the green light. Get home or get to the ballpark and get to your seat or you will miss some baseballs travel very far, like this one below.

4. Carlos Correa returns to form at shortstop, wins another Gold Glove

Correa has battled injuries and struggles throughout his time in Minnesota.

That changes this year.

Correa leaves these issues in the past as he is the everyday shortstop for the Minnesota Twins.

Correa has shown his glove and his arm time and time again but with a healthy year at short, he receives his second Gold Glove to pair with his All-Star selection and a trip to the playoffs.

5. Rocco Baldelli wins Manager of the Year

Rocco and the Twins make this an easy decision as they go from fourth in the AL Central in 2024 to first in 2025. With a healthy squad and a flurry of young contributors, the Twins cruise to a division title.

Detroit, Kansas City, and Cleveland all make their runs, but Minnesota holds them all off, even if the Twins fans are expecting a collapse. With a consistent rotation, one of the league's top bullpens, and a lineup that finally lives up to the hype, Rocco can manage the Twins back to the playoffs.