The Twins defense was statistically poor in 2025, and solutions aren’t readily apparent

When the Twins evaluate their roster throughout the offseason, they recognize they must improve their defense, especially if they hold any illusions of drastically improving their win total.

There might not be a simple solution.

The Twins had one of the worst defenses in baseball this year, and it won’t be easily solved without changing the core of the roster. They were graded by Sports Info Solutions as the second-worst defense in the majors, worth negative-46 runs saved.

StatCast wasn’t quite as critical, but the Twins rated 11 outs below average, ranking 23rd among the 30 teams.

“It’s definitely an area where we can improve as a team, and I could probably have a note or three for every single one of our guys on the defensive side of the ball for the offseason to think about,” former manager Rocco Baldelli said at the end of the season when he was conducting exit interviews with players.

First base and left field were the only positions where the Twins graded in the upper half of the league, according to StatCast and Sports Info Solutions, and those two positions were aided by players who were dealt at the trade deadline (Ty France and Harrison Bader). France was the only Twins player who was a Gold Glove finalist at his position.

The Twins ranked a distant last in shortstop defense, per Sports Info Solutions. Carlos Correa didn’t look as agile in the first half of the season, and the Houston Astros promptly moved him to third base after acquiring him at the trade deadline. Brooks Lee, too, was knocked for his lack of range after he inherited the starting shortstop job.

“I’ve tried to make a little bit more of a concerted effort to be really transparent with guys on where they stand and how valuable defense is in the big leagues,” Twins farm director Drew MacPhail said. “We’ve always educated players on that. We’ll continue to do that, but if anything, I’ve tried to put a little bit more of an emphasis on how this translates to winning.”

Luke Keaschall had mixed results at second base, and the team could explore moving him to the outfield this winter. Statcast graded his range as below-average, and he was still building up arm strength after he underwent elbow surgery in 2024.

When Derek Falvey spoke at a year-end news conference, one day after Baldelli was fired as manager, the Twins president was asked a question about things he could have done differently this year. He immediately brought up defense as one of the things that was constantly on his mind.

“What could we have done better to be a better defensive team?” Falvey said. “What could we have done better to put ourselves in a position to even be deeper in some areas? What could we have done to ensure that some of the younger players who went through some of the struggles, could we have done something else to ensure that they were developmentally in a better spot?

“Trust me, that’s the type of stuff that keeps me going and keeps me up at night.”

Even in center, Byron Buxton didn’t rate like the elite defender he once was. StatCast had him 22nd among regular center fielders at three outs above average, while Sports Info Solutions had him 24th.

Royce Lewis provided solid defense at third base, making strides with his throws, and Kody Clemens looked good at first base. But the Twins are set to lose their best defensive catcher, Christian Vázquez, to free agency.

There were only three teams — Seattle, Cincinnati and Philadelphia — that made the postseason with a defense that rated in the bottom half of the league, according to Sports Info Solutions’ rankings. Cincinnati and Philadelphia tried to address it at the trade deadline, with the Reds adding Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and the Phillies picking up Bader to bolster their outfield defense.