By Jim Souhan

The best way to be a Twins fan, or observer, is to dream. 

The alternative is dealing with reality, which is that the Twins for the third straight summer stumbled down the stretch, finishing with a record well below .500, while hoping – dreaming – that a bunch of kids will eventually save the franchise.

That has happened before.

Will it happen again?

I think this group of young players and prospects has the goods. The 2026 Twins reminds me of the 2000 Twins – a losing team that began improving before it began winning, by promoting an athletic group of prospects.

Then, it was Torii Hunter, Cristian Guzman, Corey Koskie, Jacque Jones, A.J. Pierzynski and Doug Mientkiewicz. Suddenly grounders in the hole were outs, liners to the gaps were cut off, and Twins were taking the extra base.

That group set the Twins up to be the dominant team in the division for a decade.

This group of prospects is even more impressive. Walker Jenkins, Emma Rodriguez, Kaelen Culpepper, Luke Keaschall and Taj Bradley could all become all-stars, and a bunch of prospects (Mick Abel, Kendry Rojas, David Festa) might prove to be just as good.

So let’s dream, and if we’re going to dream, let’s dream big.

What if a supergroup of prospects is joined by a healthy Pablo Lopez, and a new financial system that requires that the Twins spend a minimum amount on payroll, while preventing the richest teams in the game from outspending the Twins exponentially?

This could be a long run of Twins success.

That doesn’t mean I love the way the Twins are operating.

They should have traded Ryan Jeffers when they had the chance this summer. If you read between the lines when he has talked about free agency, you’ll hear someone who wants to take this opportunity to sign a lucrative long-term deal, not accept the Twins’ one-year tender of $23 million.

I’m not in favor of the firing of pitching coach Pete Maki. I think he’s excellent, and this year the Twins handed him a nothing bullpen and he helped that group survive.

Finally, Tom Pohlad has promised to spend more, and it’s time (or will be time, after the work stoppage) to make good on that promise.

And, yes, a work stoppage is necessary. The Players Association will never agree to a salary cap or floor until their constituency feels financial pain. The owners need to win this one for the good of the sport.

-The hot listen: On the Vikings Update Show, Jon Krawczynski and I get into all the ways the Vikings erred during the J.J. McCarthy saga. (Please, media people, do not call it an era.)

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