RandBall: The Twins have given up on 2025. But what about 2026?

The Twins had four months of the 2025 season to prove the final six weeks of 2024 were an outlier.

When they couldn’t do that, they pivoted to a more distant future.

A trade of veteran starting pitcher Chris Paddack at the start of the week signaled the beginning of a sell-off. A more substantive and surprising trade of Jhoan Duran to the Phillies on Wednesday sent an even stronger message, one the Twins built upon Thursday by trading outfielder Harrison Bader (also to the Phillies) and reliever Brock Stewart to the Dodgers.

Then came the true stunner: Carlos Correa is being dealt to Houston.

The upshot: By a combination of underperformance and miscalculation — factors that led to a share of blame landing with the front office, the on-field staff and the players — the Twins were not a playoff contender this season.

We know they have reached that conclusion. What isn’t clear yet: Just how long-term of a reset do the Twins’ actions and remaining roster signal?

Phil Miller and I talked extensively on Thursday’s Daily Delivery podcast about the direction of the team and the Duran trade specifically.

Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober are all under contract or team control for two more seasons beyond this one and were thriving at the top of a rotation that had the Twins sitting at 34-27 before Lopez’s shoulder injury.

Ryan was an All-Star this season. Ober’s year was derailed by a hip problem, and he must use the final two months to regain his form. Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa, Zebby Matthews and Mick Abel (one of the top prospects from the Duran trade) are back-end candidates.

Griffin Jax is now the anchor of the bullpen, which is diminished without Duran and Stewart but still has potential.

However: If the Twins trade Jax or one of their top three starters, it would signal a more substantial rebuild.

They also need to decide where they stand with a lot of stalled position players. Royce Lewis, Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach, Ryan Jeffers and Brooks Lee have either stalled or regressed. They are a big reason the Twins are No. 22 in runs scored this season. How much longer do they have to prove themselves before the Twins try a new wave?

He was originally signed to a six-year, $200 million deal to anchor a young but contending team. Less than halfway into that contract, he’s been jettisoned to Houston in what sure feels mostly like a salary dump.

Giving up that soon is an admission that Correa was an even worse free agent signing, somehow, than Josh Donaldson.

And moving him signals that the Twins are focused more on 2027 and beyond than even next year.

Here are nine more things to know today: