The Twins, at 8-25, have the second- worst record in the major leagues. If that wasn't bad enough — and it is — the division rival White Sox, at 23-12, have the best record in the American League. Combined those two things and the Twins are a nearly unfathomable 14 games out of first place already on May 13.

FanGraphs, which gave the Twins a 15 percent chance of making the postseason when the year started, now pegs Minnesota's chances of reaching the playoffs at 0.4 percent.

This is the very definition of a lost season, even though there are 129 games left.

There is no upside in this, but there is an opportunity: The Twins quite possibly should treat the next 4.5 months as a full-scale audition for their best young prospects. They've tried this to a degree, but they still have a roster that doesn't really make sense.

Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. michael.rand@startribune.com.