Aaron Gleeman has been covering the Minnesota Twins for over 25 years. He co-hosts the Gleeman and The Geek podcast and was previously senior writer at The Athletic, editor-in-chief at Baseball Prospectus, and senior writer at NBC Sports.
Kaelen Culpepper's injury may end his season early, but it also means he'll retain rookie/prospect status for 2027, with Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez.
With the 23-year-old Rodriguez joining 21-year-old Walker Jenkins and 24-year-old Luke Keaschall, there's a changing of the guard in the Twins' outfield.
Aaron and John talk about the Twins collapsing in the second half for the third straight season, why the worse they play the bigger the upcoming offseason becomes, the top reasons behind their struggles, and Matt Wallner knowing he's done in Minnesota.
Slashing payroll yet again and ignoring glaring weaknesses during the offseason went every bit as badly as feared, but the Twins' problems didn't end there.
Aaron and John talk about the Twins' dwindling playoff chances with three weeks left, Byron Buxton admitting he'll eventually need hip surgery, Joe Ryan nearing a return, first impressions of Walker Jenkins, and takeaways from the Angels selling for $4 billion.
Buxton still hopes to play again this season, but it's clear his lingering hip injury is significant. Plus, two Triple-A players join the expanded September roster.
For the third straight season, the Twins have fallen apart after the All-Star break, despite a new manager, a new general manager, and a new Pohlad in charge.
Aaron and John talk about the Twins calling up top prospect Walker Jenkins, why Byron Buxton's hip injury was the biggest factor, what to expect from the 21-year-old consensus top-10 prospect, and the team's shrinking playoff window after a brutal road trip.
Jenkins, the Twins' best all-around prospect since Byron Buxton a decade ago, is finally coming up now, at age 21, in part because of Buxton's hip injury.