The Twins looked like a club ready to add, not unload, just a week ago. Then the skid hit. Minnesota has dropped four straight after Friday night’s 5-2 win over the Chicago Cubs, and that slide has knocked the Twins to 49-53.
Two of those losses came against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians, which only made the stumble sting more. Now sitting four games under .500, Minnesota trails the red-hot Boston Red Sox by 3 1/2 games for the third American League Wild Card spot and is five games behind the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central.
There’s still time for the Twins to change the conversation before the Aug. 3 trade deadline. They still have two more games with Cleveland, then three-game sets against the Athletics and Kansas City Royals, both losing teams.
A run in that stretch could leave them in buy-or-stand-pat territory. But if the slide keeps going, the front office will almost certainly have to think about selling.
If that happens, two names jump out immediately.
C Ryan Jeffers is the cleanest trade piece on the roster. He’s in the final year of his contract, and Minnesota just used the third overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft on Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, a five-tool backstop who gives the organization another long-term option behind the plate.
Jeffers would draw real interest, too. The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, the top two teams in the American League, both have a clear need at catcher, and both reportedly had scouts watching him closely at Wrigley Field this past weekend, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
Even after missing a big chunk of the season with a broken hamate bone, Jeffers has come back swinging like a star. In 43 games, he’s hit .287/.398/.552 with nine home runs and 32 RBI.
LF Trevor Larnach is the other obvious name if Minnesota decides to pivot. He was a trade or non-tender candidate during the offseason because the Twins already had plenty of outfielders who looked ready for the majors or had already been there. Instead, Larnach stayed put and became a key part of the lineup, settling in as the leadoff hitter and giving the offense a steady left-handed bat.
His numbers back that up. In 84 games, Larnach is hitting .291/.380/.449 with seven home runs and 45 RBI.
He’s also under team control through 2027, which only adds to his value. With Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Alan Roden and other young outfielders in the system, the Twins would have every reason to cash in on Larnach while his stock is high if the spiral continues.
In Other News...
Twins May Have No Choice On Walker Jenkins Anymore
Walker Jenkins has kept making the case for a look in Minnesota, and his return from injury has only sharpened the conversation. In Triple-A, the young outfielder has looked advanced for his age and level, with the kind of offensive production and swing decisions that make evaluators take notice, especially for a club trying to stay in the American League Wild Card race.
The problem for the Twins is less about Jenkins readiness than about where he would fit. The roster does not appear to have an obvious opening, which means any move would likely have to come from an injury or a shuffle elsewhere, and that is where the pressure starts to build on the current bench mix. Austin Martin looks like the most vulnerable name in that picture, but Minnesota still has to decide whether it wants to create room now or keep waiting for the situation to solve itself. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Look More Right By The Day On Former Bullpen Arm
Justin Lawrences season has turned into a carousel, and the latest stop sent him right back onto the waiver wire. The Washington Nationals designated the right-handed reliever for assignment, making it the third time he has been DFAd this year after starting with the Pirates and later getting claimed by the Twins before landing in Washington.
For Minnesota, the move only reinforces how much better things have looked in the bullpen without him. The Twins have steadied that group in recent weeks, and Lawrences struggles have continued wherever he has gone, leaving the club with a cleaner late-inning picture than it had when it took its chance on him earlier in the summer. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Fans Wont Believe How Byron Buxton Just Got Framed
Byron Buxton is the kind of name Twins fans are used to seeing pop up in trade chatter, but a fresh deadline projection from ESPN put an unexpected twist on the conversation. Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel gave Francisco Lindor a 15% chance of being dealt by the Mets, while Buxton came in at 10%, a comparison that stands out because Minnesota has generally been viewed as the more competitive club in the picture.
Lindor is tied to a long-term contract and still not widely expected to move, which is part of what makes the projection interesting in the first place. The Mets are seen as likely sellers, so any realistic path to a Lindor deal would have to clear plenty of hurdles, and the fact that his odds landed above Buxton's adds another layer to a deadline market that already figures to keep Twins fans watching closely. [Read more 🡒]