After sweep in Atlanta, Twins' season is already on life support

Teams that start this poorly almost never rally to make the playoffs.

Apr 20, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa (4) reacts after being called out on strikes against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning at Truist Park. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

It's no longer an overreaction to say that the Minnesota Twins' 2025 season is already on life support.

The Twins were swept this weekend by the Braves, who came into the series with just five wins. Minnesota is now 7-15 on the season and 19-42 since their infamous 2024 collapse began last August 18. That's a 50-win pace over a full season.

The track record of teams that start a season this poorly is not pretty. It's just the fifth time the Twins have won seven or fewer of their first 22 games since the franchise moved to Minnesota in 1961:

2025: 7-15
2021: 7-15
2016: 7-15
2012: 6-16
1978: 7-15

Here's how the previous four teams finished:

2021: 73-89
2016: 59-103
2012: 66-96
1978: 73-89

None came close to making the playoffs. The worst 22-game start by a Twins team that went on to reach the postseason belongs to the 2006 Twins, who were 9-13 and then went 87-53 the rest of the way to finish with 96 wins. That team had the AL MVP, batting champion, and Cy Young winner.

Prior to this season, going back to the beginning of the wild-card era in 1995, there have been 89 MLB teams to start 7-15 or worse. Only two of them made the playoffs: the 2015 Rangers and the 2024 Astros. Only eight of the 89 even finished with a winning record. If the Twins turn their season around and reach the playoffs this year, they will be in rare air.

It's certainly not impossible. 22 games is less than 14 percent of a 162-game season. Last year's Astros were actually 7-19 before ending up with 88 wins. Aiding the Twins' slim hopes is that there don't appear to be any great teams in the AL Central. It also became easier to make the playoffs than ever before when MLB added a third wild card team in each league in 2022. Ostensibly, this is still a talented Minnesota roster that has the pieces — on paper — to play better.

But the odds are stacked against the Twins, given how poorly they've played so far. To get to the 90 wins that it often takes to win the division, Minnesota would have to go 83-57 the rest of the way. Basically, they'd have to snap out of this 50-win pace they've been playing at since mid-August and suddenly start playing at a 96-win pace. To even get to 84 wins — the fewest for a playoff team since the current postseason format went into effect in 2022 — the Twins would have to win 77 of their final 140. And that might not be enough.

The big thing that has to change quickly if the Twins are going to right the ship is their production at the plate. They've scored just 75 runs so far (3.4 per game). They're hitting .211 with a .620 OPS as a team. And after this weekend's sweep in Atlanta, they're now 0-13 when their opponent scores at least four runs. That's not going to get it done. The pitching hasn't been great — Griffin Jax has already blown several games — but the offense is the primary culprit.

If the Twins are going to dig out of this hole, it has to start this week. They're coming back to Target Field for a pair of three-game series against the White Sox and Angels. Going at least 5-1 in that stretch would give Minnesota some desperately-needed life.

If that doesn't happen, and the Twins' early struggles continue, it's fair to wonder how much longer Rocco Baldelli will keep his job as the team's manager. Something will have to change if the results on the field don't improve soon.