Minnesota Twins rumors: The Twins seem to be gearing up for something

The fanbase of the Minnesota Twins is getting nervous as the trade deadline approaches, but their recent moves seem to indicate that something is on the horizon.

As the Minnesota Twins fell into their first three-game losing streak of the season earlier this week, widespread panic reached to all corners of Twins Territory. Never mind that the Twins’ skid is the shortest among current division leaders this season, the sky is falling at Target Field and if something isn’t done about the pitching staff, there may be riots at 1 Twins Way.

In all seriousness, the Twins probably do need to do something about that bullpen. After a pair of hanging sliders by Trevor May and a train wreck performance by Matt Magill, the Twins once-comfy lead over the Cleveland Indians has condensed to four games and with 12 days until the MLB trade deadline, everyone is starting to get a little antsy.

With pessimism setting in, it might feel like the Twins are sitting on their hands and not planning on upgrading a roster that has the chance to make a deep October run for the first time in nearly two decades. However, a deeper dive into the Twins’ recent decisions suggest that something is coming either internally or externally.

Those moves began earlier this week as the Twins began taking the trash out of their bullpen. On July 13, the Twins made the decision to designate Adalberto Mejia for assignment. Three days later, Mike Morin was designated for assignment as part of the activation of Eddie Rosario and C.J. Cron. Then, after allowing a 474-foot bomb to Pete Alonso on Wednesday afternoon, the Twins sent Magill packing.

While these all seem like obvious decisions, none of the call-ups required the Twins to add someone to the 40-man roster. With the Twins also releasing Chase De Jong last week, they have now opened up four spots on that list, which means Minnesota could reach for someone in the deeper levels of their organization or add someone from outside the organization.

It’s unlikely the Twins will call up some hurler from Double-A or add from free agency at this point of the season, so it would make more sense that the Twins are getting further along in trade negotiations than has been reported.

If you’re looking for more smoke, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported that the Twins sent some of their top scouts to the game between the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants last night. While Oracle Park is a gorgeous place to catch a game, the Twins were likely more interested in the two starters for that game: Madison Bumgarner of the Giants and Noah Syndergaard of the Mets.

In addition, the Twins could have been looking at a slew of relievers in that game as the Giants featured potential trade targets Will Smith, Tony Watson and Sam Dyson and the Mets could be willing to give up on talented, but struggling hurler Edwin Diaz.

Sending some big-time scouts out to a game isn’t a sign that a deal could be imminent, but with the moves that the Twins have made recently, it seems like something is up. Again, the Twins have 12 days to make a decision and if these moves are any indication, it could be time to buckle up.