MLB Releases Twins Spring Training Schedule with Sides at Odds on Labor Deal

There are questions about whether the Minnesota Twins and the rest of baseball will start on time in 2027. But spring training schedules are set.

Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton. Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the Minnesota Twins, the trip to Fort Myers, Fla., every February marks the start of the baseball season.

Next February, who knows? But for now, the Twins know their spring training schedule.

Major League Baseball released the schedules for all 30 teams on Friday, with all 30 teams in action on Feb. 19. For Minnesota, that means the Twins will host the Tampa Bay Rays at Lee Health Sports Complex. Pitchers and catchers can report as early as Feb. 9, with position players to report soon after.

But that calendar could be for nothing.

Twins 2027 Spring Training Schedule at Risk

Minnesota Twins first baseman Royce Lewis shakes hands with center fielder Byron Buxton. Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Right now, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players’ Association are trying to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. If the two sides cannot reach an agreement by Dec. 1, then MLB owners are set to lock players out, which is what happened when the two sides failed to get a deal done in December of 2021.

Back then, the two sides got a deal done in enough time for the regular season to begin on time. This time there is far less optimism. Owners seen set on implementing a salary cap, something the players want no part of. So, the spring training schedules released on Friday may not hold for the Twins or anyone else.

For Minnesota, this schedule features a rarity — a matchup with the New York Mets. In fact, there are two. The Twins don’t normally make the trip to Port St. Lucie, which is on the east side of the state. But next spring the pair are expected to visit one another. The Twins will host the Mets on March 3. Then, New York will host the Twins on March 13. Both matchups are the first at each site in 13 years.

Minnesota will also play its annual Fort Myers “Chairman’s Cup” series against the Boston Red Sox, who also train in Fort Myers. The Twins will host on Feb. 26, and the Red Sox will host on March 18.

The Twins will play their final home game of spring training on March 20 against the Atlanta Braves. Boston and Minnesota meet again on March 21, but the location of the game is unclear.

Minnesota opens the regular season on March 25, its earliest opening day ever, when it travels to Kansas City to take on the Royals. The Twins play their home opener on April 2 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Again, all of that is subject to change due to labor negotiations. But the Twins, like all baseball fans, are hopeful for baseball to start on time in 2027.