With the first half officially in the books, the Minnesota Twins will look to continue the success they found heading into the All-Star Break.
Unfortunately for them, it may be too little too late, regardless of how things go in the second half.
So what can we expect for the rest of the season?
Well, with only a handful of players who really may be on the market, the Minnesota Twins may find themselves being cautious sellers at the deadline.
The likes of Kurt Suzuki, Eduardo Nunez and Trevor Plouffe are really the only offensive weapons that could find themselves being moved at the deadline.
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However, I personally would prefer to hold onto both Nunez and Suzuki as they fill needs
Nunez’ versatility is very valuable and he can play shortstop, a position the Twins are waiting on Nick Gordon or Jorge Polanco to be ready at.
And with Polanco’s defensive struggles and Gordon still being relatively young, it seems feasible to think the Twins may not want to rush either player.
Same goes with Suzuki who plays a position the Minnesota Twins don’t have a true top prospect for in the first place after John Ryan Murphy struggled to start the season.
Juan Centeno has performed admirably but it still remains to be seen whether he can be a full-time starter or not.
So in terms of offensive weapons to be moved, that really moves Plouffe who has been injured for most of the Twins’ run-scoring resurgence.
If the Twins can get a nice return for Plouffe in the form of a pitching prospect or another staring pitching, that may be good enough to move the veteran third basemen.
Likewise, if the Twins can move the likes of Ricky Nolasco, Fernando Abad or the much-rumored Ervin Santana for a strong batch or prospects, that might be worth look as well.
But really, it would be wise for the Minnesota Twins to be cautious at the deadline as this team is really starting to swing some hot bats and I’d be more inclined to see what they can do with the rest of the season.
It was a slow start to the season that ultimately doomed them but if they can finish strong it may be possible to see the Minnesota Twins end the season with a semi-respectable record.
And judging by the way they are swinging the bats, why not?
Going into next season, it’s going to be all about the offense as the Twins will need to explore other options for their rotation.
The bullpen has performed admirably this season, with the numbers really ballooning due to Kevin Jepsen and Casey Fien‘s struggles.
So this second half will be the time for the Minnesota Twins to take an inventory of who will be key pieces for the future.
In a way, the second half will be an extended Spring Training, as bad as that sounds, to give certain players like Kennys Vargas or Byung-ho Park a chance to prove their worth.