Twins believe the future is bright with a young lineup built around Culpepper, Jenkins and Rodriguez

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins made a modest seven-win improvement this season while missing the playoffs for the third straight year, failing to generate much excitement within the disengaged fan base as attendance at Target Field dipped again.

The top prospects they called up down the stretch just might be able to help spark some more interest.

Though results on the field were predictably mixed, the mere presence of shortstop Kaelen Culpepper and outfielders Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodríguez added to the energy generated during the summer by a high-scoring lineup already fueled by a couple of young on-the-rise players in Luke Keaschall and Brooks Lee.

As manager Derek Shelton said recently, trying to put himself in the mind of a Twins fan, “I’m buying a Jenkins jersey. I’m buying a Culpepper jersey. I’m buying a Rodriguez jersey. There’s things to build on there.”

For the first time since 2023, when the Twins ended a record 18-game postseason losing streak and won a series for the first time since 2002 only to have their payroll slashed, the front office appears poised to significantly increase spending on the roster. The more aggressive strategy under new controlling owner Tom Pohlad would pair well with the 25-and-under core the Twins have ready for their everyday lineup in 2027, assuming the season is not sidetracked by the brewing labor dispute.

“I have said over and over that a $100 million payroll or anything close to that is not sufficient to be consistently competitive and in the playoffs, and so we intend to take the offseason and meaningfully invest,” said Pohlad, who replaced his younger brother at the top of the organization less than a year ago.

Flanked by Shelton and general manager Jeremy Zoll at a season-ending news conference at Target Field on Tuesday, Pohlad said he’s confident in his top two leaders to continue in their roles after acknowledging his own uncertainty about them at the beginning of the year.

Turning to Zoll on his right, Pohlad said, “If he has conviction about a move that’s going to improve this roster and help us accomplish our goals, this ownership group is prepared to support him with the financial resources he needs.”

The Twins began the season with a $96 million payroll, more than only six other major league teams. They increased that during the summer by acquiring multiple relief pitchers for a bullpen stripped down for prospects during the week leading up to the 2025 trade deadline, but they were still in the bottom third of MLB spending.

The Twins sold 1.74 million tickets, their lowest attendance total in a non-pandemic season since Target Field opened in 2010 and their lowest since 2000.

“We didn’t know how the pieces of this roster would fit together, and we were relying on young talent with little major league experience. We made immense progress on all those fronts,” Pohlad said. “We are redefining Twins baseball. Our culture is different. The players in our locker room believe in what we are building, and Jeremy Zoll and Derek Shelton have my confidence they are the right people to lead this organization. Most importantly, we have a young, exciting core in place and now it’s ownership’s responsibility to support them.”

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here