Did you enjoy the Super Bowl? How about that halftime show, right?
All kidding aside.... IT'S BASEBALL SEASON and we at Puckett's Pond are here to let you know everything important as the team gets ready for the 2025 campaign. Can they bring the American League Central crown back to Minnesota?
Before they can answer any of that, they'll report to Fort Myers and get to work at the Lee Health Sports Complex, with their first game at Hammond Stadium coming on Saturday (my birthday!) against the Braves.
Twins Spring Training Report Date, Location & Other Important Dates to Know
Pitchers and catchers report: Thursday, Feb.13
Here's the day every fan has circled on their calendar. It isn't necessarily about the day itself, but what it represents. It's baseball's version of flowers blooming, birds singing and the sun peeking out for that first glorious spring day that's 68 degrees.
At least that what it means to me. This gives pitchers and catchers a leg up on preparations for the season, though most position players also report on this date — if not earlier. This is also where "best shape of his life" stories (shortened thereafter to BSOHL) spawn from.
First full-squad workout: Monday, Feb. 17
Guess who just got back today? Them wild-eyed boys that had been away.
The boys are, in fact, back in town. The hustle and bustle of spring training is in full force starting Monday, with preparations beginning in vain not only for the first spring training game later in the week, but ultimately with eyes geared toward St. Louis some six-and-a-half weeks later.
First spring training game: Saturday, Feb. 22 vs. Atlanta Braves (12:05 PM)
Don't expect Rocco Baldelli and friends to roll out the A1 lineup from Day 1, but this will be a chance to get to see some familiar faces intermingling with Twins of the future, like Walker Jenkins, Luke Keaschall, Emmanuel Rodriguez and others. Pitchers like Marco Raya, Cory Lewis and Andrew Morris will also mix in with returning studs like Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober.
And they'll do so against a pretty good Braves squad which has high hopes in an NL East that is now even more stacked with Juan Soto switching sides of NYC for the Mets.
Key additions (how acquired, last MLB org):
LHP Danny Coulombe - free agent (Orioles)
OF Harrison Bader - free agent (Mets)
C Diego Cartaya - trade (Dodgers)
RHP Eiberson Castellano - Rule 5 draft (Phillies)
C/IF Mickey Gasper - trade (Red Sox)
RHP Huascar Ynoa - free agent (Braves)
Key subtractions (with 2025 team):
OF Max Kepler - Phillies
1B Carlos Santana - Guardians
IF Kyle Farmer - Rockies
LHP Caleb Thielbar - Cubs
1B/DH Alex Kirilloff - Retired
LHP Jovani Moran - Red Sox (trade)
Minor league deals: LHP Steven Okert (HOU), RHP Diego Castillo (COL), Trevor Richards (CHC), Josh Winder (ARI), Matt Bowman (BAL), Caleb Boushley (TEX), Cole Irvin (Doosan-KBO)
Opening Day: Thursday, March 27 at St. Louis Cardinals (3:15 PM)
We already know it will be Pablo Lopez for the Twins in the season opener against the Cardinals, but who will it be for St. Louis? It seems likely, but not formally confirmed, that it'll be Sonny Gray, who was expected to start Opening Day last season but was not quite ready after dealing with a hamstring issue in spring training.
Gray had a 13-9 record with a 3.84 ERA in his first season with the Cardinals after spending two seasons with the Twins. If it's not Gray on Opening Day for some reason, the Cardinals would likely turn to Miles Mikolas, who replaced Gray last season and also started the lid-lifter for the Cards in 2023. Erick Fedde would also be an option.
What the Cardinals will look like on Opening Day is anyone's guess, as the team has been vocal about its desire to shed payroll, which could lead to a trade of Nolan Arenado and perhaps other players. There have been no real rumors around Gray being dealt, but at his salary (just under $25 million AAV), anything remains possible.
Home opener: Thursday, April 3 vs. Houston Astros (3:10 PM)
This will be the seventh game of the season, but with the built-in off-day in St. Louis for the opener, it's not entirely sure how the Twins will structure their rotation. If they stay on the five-man schedule as one might expect, that could mean Bailey Ober gets the final start in St. Louis as well as the first in Minnesota, which would be quite an honor for a player the Twins selected out of College of Charleston in 2017.
Lopez started not only the season opener last season — a 4-1 win at Kansas City on March 28 — but also had the home opener when the Twins fell 4-2 to the Tanner Bibee-led Guardians.
The Astros also carry a new look into 2025, as Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressley were traded to the Cubs (separate deals) and Alex Bregman remains unsigned but Yusei Kikuchi, Justin Verlander and Jason Heyward have all signed elsewhere. Their newest additions are starting pitcher Hayden Wesneski and first baseman Christian Walker