After sweeping the Guardians in a doubleheader on August 9 last summer, the Twins were just 1.5 games out of first with the fourth-best record in the American League, poised to make their fifth post-season appearance in eight years. Instead, they lost 30 of their final 47 games, including a September sweep at the hands of the Royals that dropped them below Kansas City in the standings. They dropped their final four games of the year and missed the playoffs with an 82-80 mark.
Despite that disappointment and the failure to win a five-game post-season series in over 20 years, the Twins largely sat on their hands this off-season, spending just $10 million on free agents.