The Minnesota Twins are at a critical junction in which they need the front office to push the right buttons in order to sustain long term success.
A season after the Minnesota Twins lost over 100 games, many outsiders might think it would be curious to find a team capable of such losing to be in the position they are in. However, those that doubt the turn around simply haven’t been paying attention.
With a flash of mediocrity in 2015, the team showed the first round of prospects armed to take up the fight against the playoff drought. Sprinkle in some veteran presence in Brian Dozier and Ervin Santana, and you had a team ready and on the verge of making the playoffs before drifting back into void in 2016.
The big takeaway from the past two and a half seasons is, the Twins have the right pieces, Falvey and Levine just have to finish the puzzle.
It is not a stretch to think the Minnesota Twins have five All-Star caliber players on the current roster. Brian Dozier and Ervin Santana are the only two on that list over the age of 24. Miguel Sano looks like he will make is first All-Star game this year.
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Jose Berrios appears to be the pitcher we have been waiting for and it would be a disappointment if he doesn’t make one in his career. The fifth? Well that could be Max Kepler if he ever figures out how to hit lefties like he did in the minors, or possibly Byron Buxton if the 23 year old finds himself at the plate.
These are the pieces that Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have been given day one when they walked in the door. These pieces have shown they are ready to win now, despite any additions to starting pitching or the bullpen in the off season. It is clear they are trying to play in 2017 without the rest of the pieces of the puzzle.
The Front Office needs to acquire talent by all means possible.
There are three key ways for a baseball team to build a team; through the draft, through free agency, and through trades. Each baseball season comes along and passes like the changing of the calendar.
The leaves change colors, as we sit at home to watch the Cubs break the curse or the Red Sox win another title. After that, the snow falls as general managers fly to the winter meetings. Trade talks and free agency rumors swirl like the flurries in Minnesota. Yet one thing is consistent: those rumors don’t include our team.
To be clear free agency is the least effective way of the three mentioned previously to help build your team. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t help supplement your team with talent. The Minnesota Twins did add players this year, most notably Jason Castro, Matt Belisle, and Craig Breslow.
It’s possible the front office didn’t realize how close the Twins were to being competitive. However, adding talent is never bad. The Twins need to do this part better next off season in order to patch the large holes they have in their pitching staff, waiting is not an option.
Derek Falvey and Thad Levine need to start winning trades again.
At the end of Terry Ryan’s run, we saw an Aaron Hicks for John Ryan Murphy trade and a swap of Ricky Nolasco and Alex Meyer for Hector Santiago and Alan Busenitz. We all know how Hicks is playing for the Yankees and Meyer has been great for the last month for the Angels. The minor league system is starting to be restocked from the draft. This time the front office needs to use it for trading wisely and to help the team win.
Next: Dozier Should be Traded if Twins Fall Behind
The front office duo have been impressive in the early turn around of the team. They have been getting great reviews on their draft. It also appears that they have their eye out on adding talent in the international free agency coming up. These two need to help make the decisions to help the team win, not just for now, but to shape the future of the franchise.