The turning point in Twins' 2022 campaign

This story was excerpted from Do-Hyoung Park’s Twins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The Twins stunned the baseball world by signing Carlos Correa. They led the American League Central for the vast majority of the season. They were among the most aggressive teams in baseball at the Trade Deadline.

And still, an injury-decimated roster collapsed down the stretch and limped to the finish line, turning a Sept. 4 tie atop the division into a 14-game deficit by the time the curtain dropped on a second straight losing campaign.

“I'm frustrated. I'm disappointed,” president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. “You want to enter Labor Day and September playing meaningful games, and you've got a shot to get there so that the next three to four weeks are enjoyable, and you get there. We didn't do that.”

Defining moment: Losing four of five in Cleveland in September
The Twins still had one final chance to swing the narrative of their season in mid-September, when they carried a four-game deficit into a five-game series against the division-leading Guardians.

Instead, the bullpen collapsed again in the opener -- and the Twins’ fate was all but sealed in an ensuing doubleheader sweep that culminated in a heartbreaking loss on a walk-off error in the 15th inning. The competitive portion of the Twins’ season ended with a position player on the mound to cede a blowout loss in the finale.

What we learned: The front office can be quite active
Remember that flurry of activity during Spring Training when the front office went into overdrive in trades with the Rangers, Yankees, Reds and Padres to drastically change the makeup of the roster? Don’t forget that all that wheeling and dealing also encompassed -- oh, right -- an agreement with Correa, and that’s not to mention the four players the Twins brought in at the Trade Deadline.

It’s fair to criticize the quality of the deals, particularly on the injury front, but Minnesota certainly tried to take advantage of an opportunity instead of sitting idle.

Best development: Pitching depth
If there’s any silver lining to be gleaned from all the injuries, it’s that several young pitchers got valuable experience at the big league level, giving the Twins the kind of depth that they usually have to fill out on the free-agent market.

In addition to Kenta Maeda, Sonny Gray, Tyler Mahle, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober, the Twins will also have Josh Winder, Louie Varland, Simeon Woods Richardson, Ronny Henriquez and Cole Sands in the mix for rotation or length roles entering 2023.

Area for improvement: Injuries
Some of this was out of the Twins’ control, but still, the organization parted ways with head athletic trainer Michael Salazar following a season in which it was second in MLB with 2,363 player-days lost to the injured list. Put it this way: The Twins’ outfield on Opening Day consisted of Alex Kirilloff, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler. During that critical Cleveland series in September, that outfield was Jake Cave, Gilberto Celestino and Matt Wallner.

On the rise: Back end of the bullpen
Jhoan Duran surpassed all expectations in his first big league season (and first in the bullpen), contributing one of the greatest seasons from a rookie reliever in team history and setting him up to be one of the best relievers in baseball for years to come. The Twins hope that Griffin Jax, Caleb Thielbar, Jovani Moran, Jorge Alcala and Jorge López can also help form one of the better bullpen groups in the team’s recent history.

Team MVP: Correa
Correa proved every bit worth the $35.1 million he was paid for his services in what could be his only season in the Twin Cities, posting a team-leading 5.4 WAR, per Baseball Reference, with his best average (.291) and on-base percentage (.366) since 2017 to go with his incredible clubhouse presence that was the focal point of a young, developing group. Can the Twins bring him back on a long-term extension?