Franchise Timeline

2020

In a campaign shortened to 60 games by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Twins went 36-24 en route to winning consecutive American League Central division titles for the first time since 2009-10, only to be swept by the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Series.

Coming off their first American League Central title in nearly a decade, the magnitude of the Twins' expectations for their 2020 season became clear on January 22, when they announced the signing of third baseman Josh Donaldson to a four-year, $92 million deal, the largest free agent deal in franchise history at the time. Paired with acquisitions/signings of Kenta Maeda, Rich Hill and Tyler Clippard, the Twins hoped to bolster a roster that set the record for most homers in a season in 2019 and finally push them beyond the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

Though the Twins did repeat as division champions for the first time since 2009-10, none of it went as smoothly as they would have hoped. They dealt with near-constant bad luck and injuries throughout their starting rotation, with Hill, Jake Odorizzi, Michael Pineda and Homer Bailey all missing large periods of time. The offense of 2019 regressed into an underperforming unit fueled mostly by Silver Slugger Award winner Nelson Cruz, who again led the team with 16 homers and a .992 OPS at age 40. Donaldson struggled with calf injuries and was limited to only 28 games in the shortened 60-game season, and reigning Silver Slugger Award winner Mitch Garver never looked comfortable at the plate while also dealing with injury.

Maeda was a revelation after being acquired in an offseason trade, finishing 6-1 with a 2.70 ERA en route to a second-place finish in AL Cy Young Award voting. Rookie catcher Ryan Jeffers and right-hander Randy Dobnak both filled in with consistency amid all the injuries, and outfielders Brent Rooker and Alex Kirilloff both made short-lived but successful contributions, with Kirilloff becoming the first position player in MLB history to start his debut in the playoffs. Despite all the challenges, the Twins held off Cleveland and Chicago to clinch their second-straight division title on the final day of the season but again fell in the first round of the playoffs, this time in a two-game Wild Card Series sweep to Houston at Target Field.

2021

What looked to be a triumphant start to the Twins’ quest for a third-straight division title took a sharp downturn on Opening Day in Milwaukee, when newly-signed closer Alex Colomé allowed three runs in a blown save – and that proved an ominous sign of Minnesota’s unexpected fall en route to a 73-89 finish and last place in the American League Central division for the first time since 2016.

None of the Twins’ free agent additions – Colomé, Andrelton Simmons, Hansel Robles, J.A. Happ or Matt Shoemaker – performed as expected while LaMonte Wade Jr. earned a down-ballot MVP vote after being traded to San Francisco and Akil Baddoo emerged as one of the most pleasant surprises in the AL Central, albeit but for division rival Detroit after he was claimed in the Rule 5 Draft before the season. Meanwhile, Colomé’s April struggles and overall pitching issues dug Minnesota a deep hole in April from which the Twins never emerged, with simultaneous injuries to the club’s top five centerfield options and prolonged issues in the starting rotation tested the organizational depth like none could have expected.

After trading away team cornerstones Nelson Cruz and José Berríos at the Trade Deadline, the Twins used the second half to test out a young, unproven pitching staff that finished with a 4.83 ERA, second worst in the American League. Still, that opportunity allowed for the emergence of right-hander Bailey Ober, who wasn’t expected to contribute yet pitched himself into the future plans with a 4.19 ERA in 20 starts. The Twins also enjoyed a bounceback campaign from Jorge Polanco, who rebounded from two years of ankle surgeries with a .269/.323/.503 line and 33 homers, while Byron Buxton gave a tantalizing show of the fullest extent of his talent when healthy with 19 homers and a 1.005 OPS in 61 games, once again emphasizing the importance of his health.

2022

The Twins entered the 2022 season with mixed expectations, after a roster remake in the abbreviated offseason. However, despite leading the American League Central division for most of the season, Minnesota went 11-22 in September/October to finish the season 78-84 and in third place, 14.0 games behind division leader Cleveland.

The MLB work stoppage froze transactions related to major league rosters until the middle of March; after the lockout lifted, the Twins were one of the most active teams, with a flurry of moves that, per experts across the league, improved the club’s chances. On March 12, Minnesota acquired Ronny Henriquez and Isiah Kiner-Falefa from Texas; the next day, they got veteran Sonny Gray from Cincinnati, before flipping Kiner-Falefa and others to the New York Yankees in exchange for Gary Sánchez and Gio Urshela. The Twins' biggest move came on March 22, when they shocked the baseball world by signing shortstop Carlos Correa, the top free agent available on the market, to a record-breaking three-year contract. Minnesota’s final preseason deal came on the eve of Opening Day, April 7, acquiring pitchers Chris Paddack and Emilio Pagán from the San Diego Padres.

Minnesota went 50-44 prior to the All-Star Break, boosted by Byron Buxton, who had signed a seven-year contract extension on December 1, 2021, hours prior to the MLB work stoppage began. He hit 23 homers in 73 games prior to the All-Star Break, earning his first career All-Star selection as a reserve. When injuries put him into the starting lineup on July 19 at Dodger Stadium, he responded by hitting a go-ahead solo home run in the fourth inning gave the AL a 3-2 win.

The Twins acquired All-Star closer Jorge López, reliever Michael Fulmer, catcher Sandy León and starter Tyler Mahle at the Trade Deadline. However, injuries and inconsistency from the acquisitions – López posted a 4.37 ERA in 23 games, while Mahle made four starts between a pair of Injured List stints – and from players the Twins had relied on in the first half – Buxton didn’t play after August 22 due to season-ending surgery and Jorge Polanco didn’t play after August 27 for similar reasons – sent the Twins spiraling and they went just 28-40 after the break. To fill the gaps, the Twins used a cast of rotating rookies and had 13 different players debut for them during the season, second most in a single season in club history (since 1961).

Besides Buxton, several other players had standout years. Luis Arraez led the AL in batting average for most of the season and finished at .316, becoming the fifth player in club history to win a batting title, first since Joe Mauer in 2009; he also earned his first career All-Star selection. Starter Joe Ryan, acquired in the Nelson Cruz trade in 2021, had a strong rookie campaign, going 13-8 with a 3.55 ERA and setting a Twins single-season rookie record with 151 strikeouts, while 2021 minor league Player of the Year Jose Miranda debuted on May 6 and led the club with 66 RBI, the third rookie in club history to do so.