As the MLB season comes to a close, Minnesota Twins fans find themselves reflecting on a year filled with potential yet ultimately marred by disappointment.
Despite the team's promising start, an epic six week fall from grace has the Twins and their fans booking tee times instead of playoff tickets. It was a tremendous collapse, one that has already started to cost jobs and will surely lead to significant changes this winter.
Before we look ahead, though, we need to look back to see exactly how we got to this point.
4 key reasons the Twins missing the playoffs this season
Lack of spending
In today’s competitive baseball landscape, proper financial investment is often a crucial to success. The Twins have historically been perceived as a small-market team, and this season was no exception. While the front office made some late minor strategic moves, they largely refrained from pursuing impact free agents or making significant trades to bolster the roster.
This reluctance to spend, particularly on high-impact pitchers and position players, left the team with a roster that struggled to compete against the league's powerhouses.
The Twins had the potential to acquire talent that could have made a difference in close games at the trade deadline. However, the hesitation to open the checkbook left them with a roster that, while young and talented, lacked the depth necessary for a playoff push. In an era where teams are increasingly willing to invest in talent to secure postseason success, the Twins' cautious approach proved costly.
Ownership completely botched a TV deal that made the Twins hard to watch in more ways than one. Comcast dropping Bally Sports a month into the season meant the team was inaccessible to a large portion of the fan base. The lack of deal over the winter meant a reduced payroll and zero meaningful moves.
There's a lot of trust that needs to be earned back in 2025.
Pitching woes
Pitching is often the backbone of a successful baseball team, and the Twins’ struggles on the mound were glaring.
The starting rotation, which was supposed to be a strength, fell short of expectations. Several key pitchers failed to deliver consistent performances, leading to an increased reliance on a young starters and a shaky bullpen.
Pablo Lopez, who earned Cy Young votes last season, was a shell of himself for most of the year. Joe Ryan was a shining star but went down with an injury, and Bailey Ober's consistency flucuated throughout the season. Louie Varland was up-and-down between the minors, Simeon Woods-Richardson was a revelation but also had a knack for struggling, and youngsters David Festa and Zebby Matthews very much had Baby Deer Legs despite having some strong showing.
What makes things worse is the fact that fans were sold snake oil last winter about how the Twins were looking to trade for frontline starting pitching. Instead, Jorge Polanco was salary dumped and the bullpen saw low wattage additions than ultimately proved to be more harmful than anything else.
A more aggressive approach in bolstering the pitching staff during the offseason could have addressed these issues and provided the team with a fighting chance down the stretch.