That is, I would argue, the best fans can expect. It’s not what I’m expecting.

Based on everything I’ve seen and heard, in combination with my general lack of faith in ownership’s mettle (regardless of “new investors”), I believe the Twins are going to full-on tank next year.

They’ll dump more of their more even moderately expensive prime-aged players who have value — for the players’ sakes as much as theirs — and they’ll run out a very low payroll in 2026 under the messaging of a youth-driven rebuild. “Come see the kids play at Target Field!”

How might this actually play out in practice?

To convey an image of what the most extreme version of a conclusive teardown this offseason might look like, I theorized a few trade destinations for players who would be likely to depart. I’m not gonna get into guessing at what the returns might look like — that’s a matter for another day, or for the commenters to muse on — but I wanted to put a little more specificity by identifying some logical trade partners.

Who is the Twins’ best pitching prospect?

Here’s a rundown of some moves I could envision, followed by an overview of what would remain.

Trade Joe Ryan to the Red Sox and Pablo Lopez to the Mets.

Minnesota and Boston were in (potentially deep) talks over Ryan trade at the deadline.

The Red Sox could use a starter like him added to their rotation, which was underscored in a playoff exit against the Yankees. I have little doubt these discussions will pick up again in the offseason so it’s just a matter of getting across the finish line.

Lopez to the Mets is a bit more of a creative and unfounded guess but makes a lot of sense in my mind. New York just experienced a dramatic midseason collapse, and you just know owner Steve Cohen is looking to make an ambitious statement this winter. Lopez would give them the durable, veteran, front-end starter they need, and they won’t blink at adding his salary.

Trade Byron Buxton to the Braves.

This pains me to write. It’s true that Buxton has declared his intention to remain in a Twins uniform for life, but sometimes people reconsider things. If the front office is up-front with Buxton about what the next two years have in store, it’s entirely possible Buxton changes his tune, knowing that Minnesota’s next contending window won’t likely overlap with his ability to contribute at a high level.

Trade Royce Lewis to the Angels.

Another boring “trade to hometown” concept that also has merits. I have a hard time envisioning a Lewis trade that makes much sense for the Twins, given how low his stock is at the moment, but maybe a downtrodden Angels team gambles on the change-of-scenery effect and pays a reasonable premium for the upside and three remaining years of service. They did watch Lewis launch a pair of homers in their ballpark near the end of the season.

It’s not really a matter of money, because Lewis’s projected salary ($3 million according to MLBTR) isn’t substantial. But, fair or not, it’s just hard to see any kind of true “reset” taking place on this team with Lewis still a part of it. And he hasn’t been talking like a guy who’s in lockstep with team leadership in quite a while.

Trade Ryan Jeffers to the Rays.

Tampa is known to be looking for catching help coming off a season where they ranked third-to-last in fWAR at the position. Jeffers is slated to make around $6.6 million in his final season before free agency, which is probably not enough to make even the low-budget Rays balk, but perhaps too much for a tanking Twins team — especially if they feel they can extract some real value before he becomes a free agent.

The Twins have traded with the Rays plenty of times before, including most recently at the deadline when they dealt Griffin Jax for Taj Bradley.

Where Does This Leave Us?

Okay, so in this most extreme vision for wiping the slate clean, the Twins part with roughly $50 million in salary, and basically every veteran player from the previous wave. I left out Bailey Ober, only because the value proposition of trading him is so unfavorable, but he could conceivably be shipped out too. I also left out Trevor Larnach, for similar reasons, and just to keep some small semblance of continuity on the offense.

Below I took a spin at concocting a 2026 roster in this aftermath. Spoiler alert: the payroll amounts to under $50 million, with a large portion of it going toward Carlos Correa in Houston. A few decisions I made to lend some realism:

• Had them re-sign Christian Vazquez for $3 million as a veteran stopgap as they figure out their post-Jeffers future at catcher.
• Also had the Twins reunite with Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a middling free agent, to fill in at shortstop with Lee shifting over to third in Lewis’s stead. The idea here is that Kiner-Falefa is competently keeping the seat warm until Kaelen Culpepper arrives.
• On that note, the upside of this generally grim scenario is that the Twins will be unimpeded in pushing their top prospects into the spotlight. In fact, to generate some shred of enthusiasm, they may feel compelled to do so. For that reason, I’ve got Walker Jenkins on the Opening Day roster, playing center field as Buxton’s successor.

I mean, yikes. I will say up-front that what I have laid out above is undoubtedly exaggerated. Though I do consider myself pretty pessimistic about the team’s intentions at this point, I’m not expecting a sub-$50 million payroll.

First of all, they’re not going to trade ALL of those guys. (But if they trade even one I wonder why they wouldn’t just trade most.) Moreover, they are going to get back talent in these trades. Significant talent in some cases. Probably major-league talent and maybe a few guys already making over the minimum. And yeah, the front office will make a few procedural signings beyond the ones I included, maybe spending a few mil on some relievers, but be assured: they’re not throwing any serious money at free agency.

The bottom line here is that what’s presented above is unfortunately not out of the question. If the Twins are serious about clearing the books and starting over as ownership reconfigures and a lockout looms, the exodus that is yet to come could be staggering for what fans remain. Brace yourselves.