From 2011-2019, the question going into the season regarding the Twins was essentially, "Are they good?" (For a few years, you probably had to dial that back to, "Are the Twins decent?")
What makes 2020 particularly interesting is that after a 101-win season and several notable offseason acquisitions, we know the Twins are good. The question instead is this: "How good are they?"
The baseline expectation is that the Twins will win the AL Central as prohibitive favorites — even factoring in Cleveland still being relevant and the White Sox theoretically being on the rise. Over-under wagering numbers have the Twins sitting at 92.5 wins — with Cleveland at seven fewer and the White Sox at eight fewer.
Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA projections tell a similar story: 93.3 wins for the Twins, 86.6 for Cleveland and 82.8 for the White Sox — a healthy 75% likelihood Minnesota repeats as division champion.
Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. michael.rand@startribune.com.
