Ranking Twins’ nine opponents in 2020 season

Following a 2019 season that featured 101 wins, a record 307 home runs and their first division title since 2010, the Minnesota Twins will navigate through the sprint that is the 60-game 2020 season with hopes of a deep postseason run. But first — the regular season. In an effort to limit travel, Minnesota will face exactly nine opponents this summer from the AL Central and NL Central divisions. FOX Sports North ranks these opponents from easiest to hardest:

9. Detroit Tigers

2019 RECORD: 47-114 (.292); 5th place AL Central

SKINNY: One of baseball’s worst teams returns for another year under former Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. Don’t expect much from the Tigers. Detroit’s top prospects are still at least one year or so away from the big leagues. Even former #BombaSquad members C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop won’t be enough to save the Tigers from the cellar. And yes, Miguel Cabrera is still on the Tigers’ roster. Thank you for asking.

8. Kansas City Royals

2019 RECORD: 59-103 (.364); 4th place AL Central

SKINNY: Another basement dweller in the AL Central, Kansas City is back for more of the same in 2020. Like Detroit, the Royals’ top prospects (Bobby Witt Jr., Brady Singer, Daniel Lynch and Jackson Kowar) are still a year or two away. It’ll be another rebuilding year under new manager Mike Matheny, who takes over for the retired Ned Yost.

7. Pittsburgh Pirates

2019 RECORD: 69-93 (.426); 5th place NL Central

SKINNY: Like the Tigers and Royals, Pittsburgh has a long way to go. The Pirates are still recovering from the lopsided Chris Archer trade from 2018 that sunk the Pirates and gave Tampa Bay top prospects Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow. They’ll undergo another rebuilding year in 2020, but this time under new manager Derek Shelton, who served as the Twins bench coach from 2018-19.

6. Chicago Cubs

2019 RECORD: 84-78 (.519); 3rd place NL Central

SKINNY: With new manager David Ross at the helm, the Cubs attempt once again to win with the same core that won them a World Series in 2016. Chicago’s starting rotation is a problem, however. Jose Quintana won’t be ready for the start of the season,  Jon Lester allowed a league-high 205 hits last year and closer Craig Kimbrel is coming off the worst season of his career. The biggest change to the Cubs’ lineup is longtime Indians slugger Jason Kipnis joining the roster in 2020.

5. Milwaukee Brewers

2019 RECORD: 89-73 (.549); 2nd place NL Central

SKINNY: Milwaukee enters 2020 with hopes of a third straight playoff appearance, something that’s never happened in franchise history. Christian Yelich, the 2018 NL MVP, returns to a star-studded lineup with promising prospect Keston Hiura and fellow former MVP Ryan Braun, who will benefit from the designated hitter position being added to the NL. Flamethrower Josh Hader will lead the bullpen as he has for the past three seasons. Big questions surround the Brewers’ starting staff, however. Milwaukee doesn’t have starting pitchers who exude excellence outside of Brandon Woodruff. A lot is riding on inconsistent youngsters Adrian Houser and Corbin Burnes to carry the load on the rubber. And the loss of Yasmani Grandal and Mike Moustakas in free agency won’t help, either.

4. St. Louis Cardinals

2019 RECORD: 91-71 (.562); 1st place NL Central

SKINNY: Death, taxes and the St. Louis Cardinals being in the postseason mix. The Cardinals haven’t had a losing season since 1999. Don’t expect that streak to end in 2020. Like its NL Central counterparts, St. Louis didn’t do a whole lot to improve its roster in the offseason. The Cardinals have a strong starting staff with Jake Flaherty, Dakota Hudson and Miles Mikolas – and that might just be enough to win the division. Unfortunately for St. Louis, flamethrower Jordan Hicks opted out of the 2020 season.

3. Chicago White Sox

2019 RECORD: 72-89 (.447); 3rd place AL Central

SKINNY: Chicago won the offseason. Is it enough to win the AL Central? Probably not. But the White Sox made it clear they’re here to contend, signing sluggers Yasmani Grandal and Edwin Encarnacion and boosting their staff with Dallas Keuchel, Gio Gonzalez and Steve Cishek in free agency. The newcomers will join an already promising team that includes 2019 batting champion Tim Anderson, promising youngster Eloy Jimenez and prized prospect Luis Robert. Chicago gets scarier and scarier the closer you look.

2. Cincinnati Reds

2019 RECORD: 75-87 (.463); 4th place NL Central

SKINNY: Similar to the White Sox in the AL Central, the Reds won the offseason against their division rivals. Cincinnati boosted their lineup by signing Nicholas Castellanos, Mike Moustakas and Japanese superstar Shogo Akiyama. The Reds added Wade Miley to their pitching staff, where he’ll join veterans Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo and Trevor Bauer. Cincinnati has as good of a chance as anyone to come away as winners in the NL Central.

1. Cleveland Indians

2019 RECORD: 93-69 (.574); 2nd place AL Central

SKINNY: There’s more than just a potential name change looming in the Cleveland air. The status of four-time All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor’s future with the Indians is unknown, as he’ll be a free agent after this season. Despite the uncertainty, Cleveland still boasts arguably the best rotation in the two divisions. It’ll never be an easy task scoring runs off of Mike Clevinger into Shane Bieber into Carlos Carrasco. The Indians will likely be nipping at the Twins’ heels all summer long, especially considering their success in the division of years past. Cleveland went 18-1 against Detroit in 2019. That’ll keep you in any playoff race.