The Twins have earned their way into the July conversation. After being stripped down at last year’s trade deadline, they enter Tuesday just one game behind the final American League Wild Card spot, which at least gives them a real case to consider buying.
That part is straightforward. The harder part is everything hanging over the decision.
Ownership has turned this into more than a baseball question, and that’s where the noise starts to drown out the actual move in front of the front office. The Pohlad Family has left plenty of damage in its wake, and even with current chairman Tom Pohlad talking confidently, the promised investment hasn’t shown up as the deadline nears.
That’s why the idea of adding a player or two can’t be treated like some grand peace offering. Yes, a move or two might feel like a gesture to the clubhouse and to fans who have drifted away over the last three years. But that shouldn’t be the reason to do it.
If the Twins buy, the case is easy to make on the field. They’re flawed, sure, but adding a couple of relievers and maybe a starter would support one of the best lineups in the American League. And in a race where most of the league is stuck behind the Tampa Bay Rays (62-43) and the New York Yankees (60-46), even a modest upgrade could matter.
Still, the bigger picture points in another direction, and selling would not be some shocking betrayal of the moment. Last year’s deadline showed exactly how fast the Twins can pivot when they choose to. They traded 11 players off the 40-man roster, angered fans who had attached themselves to a core that included Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax, and drew even more heat for salary-dumping Carlos Correa to the Houston Astros while the club was in the playoff race.
A few of those deals ended up helping the Twins. And not long after that fire sale, the Pohlads pulled the franchise off the market.
Since then, the cast has changed. Derek Falvey, the architect of that deadline, is gone after mutually parting ways last spring.
Joe Pohlad is no longer chairman, with Tom Pohlad stepping in last winter. Much of the return from last year’s sell-off still hasn’t reached the majors, and the promises from ownership have piled up faster than the results.
The distrust didn’t start there, either. Carl Pohlad once tried to move the team to North Carolina when a new stadium deal couldn’t be reached in the late 1990s. In 2002, he offered the club for contraction before a local judge stopped it with an injunction.
Then came Target Field, along with assurances to taxpayers and state legislators that the new revenue would help produce a competitive team. Payroll did rise through the 2010s and the first half of the 2020s, but after the Twins won their first playoff series since 2002 and their first playoff game since 2004, payroll was cut sharply.
So yes, some fans want the front office to buy as a sign that this ownership group cares more about winning a championship than “right-sizing their business.” But that’s not the standard this deadline should be judged by.
If the Twins buy, it should be because the baseball case is there. And if they sell, that should be because the return makes sense for the future. The most likely buy would be a reliever to patch a shaky bullpen, not some franchise-changing splash.
There are also baseball reasons to consider moving pieces the other way. Ryan Jeffers is entering his final year of team control and could leave for nothing. Joe Ryan is under control through 2027, but he could bring back more now than he might later, whether that’s this winter or at next year’s deadline.
That sort of move would infuriate plenty of fans who are already angry with ownership. Then again, those fans might be furious no matter what after last year’s teardown. A sharp turn back toward buying would not suddenly erase that anger, and it’s hard to imagine anyone still upset about the payroll cut becoming grateful because the latest Pohlad approved a reliever with a sub-4.00 ERA.
Whatever the Twins do, it has to be about baseball. The playoff race gives them a legitimate reason to buy. But if the front office starts using trades to rehab the Pohlads’ image, that’s a pretty good sign they should have gone the other way.
In Other News...
Twins Finally Made A Bullpen Move That Changes The Deadline Mood
The Twins finally made a bullpen move ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline, and it came with the kind of practical purpose this front office has been chasing for weeks. Minnesota landed left-handed reliever A.J. Minter from the Mets, giving the late-inning mix a needed arm from the left side while parting with prospects Billy Amick and Bruin Agbayani in a deal that says as much about urgency as it does about depth.
Minter has already made 20 appearances this season and is only recently back after surgery, which gives the Twins a useful reliever with some uncertainty still attached. The return package also reflects where the organization is in the calendar, moving two prospects whose recent playing time has been limited by injury and turning them into a bullpen piece that could matter right away as the deadline pressure keeps building. [Read more 🡒]
Two Former Twins Fan Favorites Are Suddenly Back In Deadline Rumors
With the trade deadline closing in, the Twins have already dipped into the market by adding A.J. Minter, but the bigger ripple for Minnesota fans may be the familiar names popping back up in rumor season. Two former Twins who once fit neatly into the clubs recent roster churn are now on the move radar again, a reminder of how quickly deadline conversations can circle back to players this fan base knows well.
Willi Castros situation is tied to a Rockies team buried in the standings and weighing what its future looks like, while Luis Arraez has kept producing for the Giants and remains one of the more intriguing pieces in play. For Twins followers, it is the kind of deadline subplot that mixes nostalgia with a little curiosity, especially when both players still feel connected to the recent past even as their next stop starts to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Bullpen Buzz Suddenly Comes With A Costly Family Twist
The Twins have been linked to a bullpen upgrade that would bring in one of the games more unusual relief arms, a pitcher whose low-slot delivery and knack for weak contact make him stand out in any trade discussion. For a club that can always use more late-inning stability, the appeal is obvious: this is the kind of arm that can change how a manager lines up the back end of a game, especially when the market starts thinning out.
The catch is the price tag, and it is not just about prospects. Minnesota would be taking on a contract that runs well beyond this season, with significant money attached in each of the next two years and a possible vesting option down the road. So the Twins are weighing more than bullpen help here, because a move that looks sensible on the mound could also shape how much flexibility they have to build the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]