Following a month where the Minnesota Twins had an 18-8 record and entered the conversation of the American League Wild Card race, it would seem that June will be the determining month for the direction Minnesota takes at the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline in July.
Entering play on Tuesday, the American League Central has all but been chalked up to the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers have the best record in baseball with a 40-21 record. The Twins, meanwhile, sit in third place and are already seven games behind Detroit. The silver lining for the Twins is that, if the postseason started today, they would be the third Wild Card team in the American League.
As it stands, the biggest issues facing the Twins right now are a need to get healthy and a need to solve the slump Royce Lewis has been in since the end of the 2024 season. The good news is that Byron Buxton has picked up right where he left off since returning from the IL, and Matt Wallner is continuing to prove to be a legitimate threat in the middle of the Twins' lineup.
Jeff Passan throws cold water on the Twins' hot streak
In an early look at the deadline, ESPN's Jeff Passan isn't fully sold on the Twins. Passan has the Twins listed among the teams expected to stand pat at the deadline, suggesting that the focus for the team is that they stay healthy. As we've discussed before, with the Twins, that is easier said than done.
Passan doesn't expect any major additions for the Twins at the deadline, but does suggest that the team might be willing to deal away starting pitcher Chris Paddack. Paddack is a free agent this offseason, and if the Twins don't have a clear path to a Wild Card spot by this time next month, he would be a logical candidate to be moved.
Moving Paddack wouldn't exactly be a move that would indicate the Twins waving the white flag on the season. It could be a move where the Twins thread the needle between moving a player who can garner a decent return at the deadline, but still get back pieces who can help the major league team this season.