What’s next for the Minnesota Twins after missing out on Craig Kimbrel?

The Minnesota Twins were reportedly in the running to sign former Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel, after striking out, what comes next for the Twinkies?

With a 9.5 game lead and sitting atop the AL central, the Minnesota Twins are looking for some  upgrades to bolster one of the best line-ups in the game. Craig Kimbrel recently decided to take his talents to the north side of Chicago to join Joe Maddon and the Chicago Cubs. Who are some guys the Twins could target after losing out on the big right handed flamethrower?

Ken Giles

Currently being used as the Toronto Blue Jays closer, Ken Giles is back on track after experiencing a relatively down year in 2018. Though he still had the swing-and-miss stuff typically seen from a closer, Giles posted an ERA of 4.65 splitting time between the Astros and Blue Jays. Off to a much better start to the 2019 campaign, Giles has 40 strikeouts through 24 innings and an ERA of 1.13.

With the Blue Jays facing an uphill battle against the Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox, trading the expiring contract of Giles and netting some prospects in return could be the right move. Though it’s relatively early in the season to call it quits, they happen to be in one of the toughest divisions in baseball.

With a fastball sitting mid to upper nineties, Giles is the exact kind of closer the Twins should be looking for in the search to strengthen their bullpen. Blake Parker has been the impromptu closer for the Twins while they’ve also employed a bit of a closer by committee approach. Parker has been struggling lately and could be asked to take a smaller role in the near future. Landing Giles would be an excellent addition to a bullpen looking for a guy to consistently lock down the end of close baseball games.