The Minnesota Twins have gone from deadline sellers to deadline buyers in a hurry, and that shift is now part of the AL Central story.
A year ago, Minnesota treated the trade deadline like a teardown. Veterans were moved, the roster was stripped down, and the message was clear: the focus was on the future. Now the Twins are sitting a half game behind the Guardians and two games out of first place, and according to a report from The Athletic’s Dan Hayes, they’re expected to buy at Monday’s deadline.
That’s a sharp turn in just 365 days. One season they were waving off the present; now they’re trying to strengthen it.
On the latest Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, Paul Hoynes and Joe Noga dug into what that means for Cleveland and for the division race. Hoynes said the change in approach stands out immediately.
“It’s an interesting philosophical switch though, isn’t it?” Hoynes said. “I mean, they go from burning the place down last year at the deadline to supposedly adding now, going for it.”
Hoynes pointed to a change at the ownership level as the reason for the new direction. In his telling, the previous front office had been leaning toward a rebuild, while the new voice in the family that owns the club pushed the Twins toward a more aggressive plan.
“Where the old front office was kind of aiming to, okay, we’re going to kind of pull in our horns. We’re going to rebuild. And the new owner... came in and said we’re going for it,” Hoynes explained.
That matters because it changes how Minnesota operates at the deadline. This isn’t a team simply checking the market. It’s a club with permission to push, and that makes the Twins a real player for the same right-handed bats and impact additions the Guardians are chasing.
Cleveland has already seen enough of Minnesota to know the Twins aren’t fading away. Hoynes noted that the Twins took two of three from the Guardians at Target Field and then won two of four in a series back home. Now they’re making a public move to get better while the race is still tight.
The White Sox are still in the mix too, which only adds to the squeeze in the division. Cleveland is chasing first place, but the Twins’ deadline posture makes the whole thing feel more crowded.
Noga offered the other angle: Minnesota’s quick rebound is also a reminder of how fast things can change in the expanded playoff era. A team can tear things down, spend one year resetting, and be right back in the fight.
“Doesn’t that just show the Guardians that, hey, if you do tear it down for one year, you can bring it right back up and be in the chase the very next year?” Noga asked.
For Cleveland, the timing is obvious. The Guardians are in the middle of the race, and they need offense before Monday’s 5 p.m. deadline. The Twins are buying, the White Sox are hanging around, and the division is getting more tangled by the day.
In Other News...
Guardians Suddenly Linked To The Kind Of Bat Fans Have Begged For
The Guardians have been searching for a right-handed bat that can deepen the lineup, and a familiar trade partner has surfaced in that conversation. Toronto outfielder George Springer has come up as a possible fit, with his ability to handle designated hitter duties or play the outfield giving Cleveland a flexible way to add offense without forcing a bigger roster shuffle.
Financially, the idea is not quite as simple as the fit on paper. Springer is still attached to a sizable 2026 salary, and even with Toronto having already covered most of it, Cleveland may need the Blue Jays to take on more money before anything gets serious. The two clubs have done business before, including recent deals involving Shane Bieber, Miles Straw and Andres Gimenez, but for now this is still one of those rumors that hints at a move without quite crossing the finish line. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians May Have Found A Deadline Bat Fans Would Actually Feel
The Guardians have spent much of the deadline season being linked to pitching, but the more interesting possibility might be a bat that could actually change how the lineup feels in a series. In that search, one name stands out as a fit because he brings real power, positional flexibility and enough control to make him more than a rental, which matters for a club that has to be careful about every move it makes.
There are still reasons to pause before getting too excited. He has been much less effective against left-handed pitching over the past two seasons, and the defensive profile is more useful than flashy, with value spread across the outfield and designated hitter spot. Even so, the price tag could be the kind of prospect package that forces Cleveland to decide whether adding a slugger now is worth parting with a piece from its deeper young core. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians May Finally Have A Marlins Bat Worth The Risk
The Guardians have spent much of the summer weighing whether to add a bat that can actually change the shape of their lineup, and the Marlins could offer a name that fits the search. Cleveland has been linked to the idea of chasing a left-handed hitter with some real thump, the kind of player who could step into the everyday mix and give the offense a different look as the trade deadline approaches.
What makes the conversation tricky is the price. Any deal for a bat with this kind of appeal would not come cheaply, and the Guardians would likely have to decide how much prospect capital they are willing to spend for a player who could help right away. For a front office that usually prefers to protect its long-term inventory, that is the real tension here, and it is why this remains more of a possibility than a finished move. [Read more 🡒]