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MLB Veteran outfielder Byron Buxton is riding one of the best seasons of his career into 2026. Stacy Revere / Getty Images The Minnesota Twins finished last season at 70-92. The year didn’t just end, either. It unraveled. By the deadline, the Twins had shifted from tinkering to selling, and the franchise’s short-term identity went with it. The headline from that teardown was the Carlos Correa trade that sent him back to the Houston Astros, a move that told everyone the plan. Minnesota also moved a pile of other big-league pieces that week, leaving the club angling more for a bridge year than a push year. Advertisement So 2026 is about stabilization and scouting the future in real time. The offseason adds were more practical than splashy: Victor Caratini behind the plate, Josh Bell for switch-hit thump and Taylor Rogers to patch bullpen innings. If the Twins climb, it’ll be because the remaining core, led by All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton, stays on the field and the next wave proves it’s real, not because a cavalry is arriving. Regardless of which way the Twins go, figuring out how to watch them is likely to cause a few headaches. The number of national broadcasters is at an all-time high, and regional games are undergoing a league-wide makeover. We’re here to make the transition as smooth as possible. Keep tabs on the Twins all season long by following the team on The Athletic, with coverage provided by beat writers Dan Hayes and Aaron Gleeman. You can watch MLB games live on Fubo (Stream Free Now! ) all season. Most regular-season Twins games will once again air live on Twins. TV, the MLB-produced local broadcast package that was introduced in 2025. Under blackout rules, a standard out-of-market MLB. TV plan won’t help you inside Twins Territory. The fix is Twins. TV, which is not subject to blackouts (except for national exclusives). You can watch with either a participating cable/satellite provider, or you can subscribe to the service directly. Minnesota also has an over-the-air lane again: 10 simulcasts will air for free via KMSP (Fox 9 in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area) and Gray Media partner stations across Twins Territory. That includes the April 3 home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. As for the broadcast booth, Cory Provus is back on play-by-play, 2006 AL MVP Justin Morneau is the lead analyst and Hall of Famer Paul Molitor joins the analyst rotation. Advertisement What you need to watch: A provider with Twins. TV, or a direct-to-consumer subscription through MLB. TV (starting at $19. 99/month). Fans looking for both the in-market Twins. TV pass and the rest of the league’s out-of-market games can bundle on MLB. TV for $199. 99. Whether you’re a Minnesota transplant or the kind of person who still says “Ope” when you bump a coffee table, out-of-market Twins loyalists need MLB. TV for the regional Twins broadcasts. MLB season ticket holders get an automatic MLB. TV login code, and T-Mobile customers get it for free through their cell service. Returning MLB. TV subscribers keep their plans through the league. But because ESPN is selling and running the package, all new sign-ups must come through ESPN Unlimited, with a one-month trial included for the newcomers. According to The Athletic’s Evan Drellich, fans don’t need to keep the ESPN Unlimited plan to access the MLB. TV one, at least not for 2026. What you need to watch: MLB. TV. It’s $134. 99 annually for ESPN Unlimited subscribers and $149. 99 for others. The national TV partners are sorted alphabetically below, with the main days for MLB action listed. Main days: Sunday for ABC, midweek for ESPN ESPN and MLB have been tied together since the 1990 season. The stalwart is no longer home to “Sunday Night Baseball, ” but its reworked agreement gives it 30 regular-season exclusives across the 2026 schedule. Over-the-air parent network ABC also has a trio of telecasts this year as part of the 30-game purchase. What you need to watch: ABC is free with an antenna. ABC and ESPN are included with most pay TV providers, and they’re also available with an ESPN Unlimited subscription (starting at $29. 99/month). Some pay TV providers, like Fubo and a few others, include ESPN Unlimited with their subscription.
Advertisement Main day: Friday This is home to “Friday Night Baseball, ” which started in 2022. That weekly window is usually a doubleheader, free from local blackouts but exclusive to Apple TV. The Twins’ first appearance on the streaming service will come on May 8, when they visit the Cleveland Guardians. What you need to watch: An Apple TV subscription (starting at $12. 99/month). Main days: Saturday for Fox, midweek or Saturday for FS1, All-Star Game There are 23 “Baseball Night in America” Saturday centerpieces lined up on Fox. The network airs two games at 7 p. m. ET and assigns markets by matchup relevance. Some Saturdays are doubleheaders with an FS1 game in the early afternoon. The Twins get the first FS1 game of the season, set for Saturday, March 28 against the Baltimore Orioles. FS1 has an additional weekly spot falling on Mondays, Wednesdays or Thursdays. Fox and FS1 total more than 85 regular-season games this year. Come October, Fox has the NLDS and NLCS playoff series, plus the Fall Classic itself. Joe Davis has been on the World Series call since 2022, when he took over for longtime play-by-play voice Joe Buck. John Smoltz has been the color commentator since 2016. Fox’s World Series hold dates back to 2000 and runs through at least 2028. What you need to watch: Fox is free with an antenna. Fox and FS1 are included with most pay TV providers, and they also stream with a Fox One subscription (starting at $19. 99/month). Main days: Throughout the week
Here’s our backstop, unassuming but reliable. The “MLB Network Showcase” has been around since 2009. The network usually airs a couple of games each week. What you need to watch: A pay TV provider with MLB Network, typically included in standard or sports plans. MLB Network also streams with an MLB. TV subscription (starting at $134. 99/year). Advertisement Main day: Sunday, Opening Day “Sunday Night Baseball” migrates from ESPN to NBC and Peacock, as the Universal network returns to live MLB coverage for the first time in 25 years. NBC, its streamer and the linear NBC Sports Network combine for 27 prime-time games and 34 afternoon ones in 2026. Some of the Sunday nighters are exclusive to Peacock. One Peacock game to circle falls on July 5. The Twins will hit the road to play the New York Yankees as part of a special “Star Spangled Sunday” lineup. NBC’s coverage launches with an Opening Day doubleheader on March 26 and concludes with the playoff wild-card series. To trumpet the return, the network has brought on some big names, including Bob Costas, Clayton Kershaw, Joey Votto and Anthony Rizzo. Peacock usually has a live game in its “MLB Sunday Leadoff” spot, most of them with noon local starts. What you need to watch: NBC is free with an antenna, but Peacock requires a subscription (starting at $10. 99/month for live sports). NBCSN is included in select pay TV providers. Main days: Opening Night, Home Run Derby, “Field of Dreams” Already venturing into live sports with NFL Christmas Day, Netflix has three MLB exclusives this season, starting with the 2026 opener on March 25. July 13 is the Home Run Derby, airing with All-Star festivities. Aug. 13 is the “MLB at Field of Dreams” game between your Twins and the Philadelphia Phillies. This isn’t a neutral-site gimmick so much as MLB leaning hard into its own mythology. The Twins are the designated home team in Dyersville, Iowa, played at the “Field of Dreams” complex next to the movie site. It’s the first MLB game there since 2022, and it’s coming back in a renovated, more permanent version of the previous setup. The 2026 edition is also part of a bigger Iowa week: There’s also a scheduled Triple-A game in the area earlier in the week. The Netflix arrangement runs through 2028. What you need to watch: A Netflix subscription (starting at $7. 99/month). Advertisement Main day: Tuesday TBS Tuesdays continue in 2026. The network’s play-by-play broadcasters are Brian Anderson and Alex Faust. The studio show features Pedro Martinez, Jimmy Rollins and Curtis Granderson. TBS also has this year’s ALDS and ALCS playoff rounds. What you need to watch: A pay TV provider with TBS, or an HBO Max subscription (starting at $10. 99/month). Watching in person? Get tickets on Stub Hub. Fun fact: Target Field’s signature bite is Tony O’s Cuban Sandwich, built around Tony Oliva’s name and ballpark legend status. Streaming and ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process, and do not review stories before publication. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Jenny Catlin is a contributor for The Athletic based in Colorado. A former track and ringside announcer, she covers a range of sports with an eye for the people and subcultures that surround them.