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The Minnesota Twins are currently half a game behind the Tampa Bay Rays with an 11-9 record. Their status as true contenders hinges on their performance by Memorial Day, May 25.
Minnesota Twins Must Hit 1 Key Benchmark to Show They're True Contenders
The Minnesota Twins are a half-game behind the Tampa Bay Rays atop the AL at 11-9 after losing 2-1 to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday, which is a better start than expected. However, it's not enough to anoint the squad as contenders.
Put simply, the Twins haven't played enough games to be considered a "win-now" team. That will change if they're still in the upper echelon of the AL by Memorial Day (May 25).
Minnesota has 33 games left before its matchup with the Chicago White Sox on May 25. By then, it will have played 53 contests, nearly a third of the regular season. That's a large enough sample size to take seriously, as it gives enough time to show which teams are contenders and pretenders early on.
Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25). © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Minnesota entered the season in no man's land, as it had one of the AL's worst rosters on paper but hadn't committed to a full rebuild. After starting pitcher Pablo Lopez (elbow) was ruled out for the year, the team's only above-average players were fellow starting pitcher and center fielder Byron Buxton.
The Minnesota Twins have an 11-9 record.
The key date for the Twins to prove their contender status is Memorial Day, May 25.
The Twins have 33 games left before their matchup on May 25.

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Luckily for the Twins, several less-established players have stepped up. For example, outfielder Austin Martin is slashing .325/.500/.450 over 18 games, while catcher/designated hitter Ryan Jeffers is slashing .286/.397/.449 across 14 contests. On the pitching side, right-hander Taj Bradley is 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA over four starts, while southpaw reliever Kody Funderburk has a 2.08 ERA over 11 outings.
None of those players had above-average track records entering 2026, but they're all off to hot starts. Whether they, among others, maintain that momentum could determine the organization's long-term direction.
If Minnesota stays above .500 throughout the season, that likely means that several of its young players are playing well, and a full rebuild isn't necessary. In that case, it could look into contract extensions for Ryan and Buxton instead of trading them for prospects and/or young big-leaguers, which would be an organizational reset.
Ryan has a mutual option for 2027 and Buxton is signed through 2028, so the Twins must make decisions on both players over the next couple of years. If they retain both of them while their young players ascend, they could be one of the AL's better teams moving forward.
Up next for Minnesota is a home rematch against Cincinnati at 2:10 p.m. ET on Saturday. The series finale will be on Sunday at the same time.