Twins Rumors: Ken Rosenthal updates potential trade deadline plans

With the MLB Trade Deadline just weeks away, the Minnesota Twins need to start figuring out which decisions the front office wants to make.

It's pretty clear at this point that the team won't be sellers, which was a bit of a stretch to imagine even when the season looked like it might be bottoming out. That doesn't automatically mean the Twins will be buyers at the deadline, either, as a few different things are working against that idea.

Perhaps most obvious is the hardcore failure the front office experienced at last year's deadline. Minnesota traded for Jorge Lopez and Tyler Mahle, giving up good prospects who have since started to flourish with their new teams. Meanwhile, Lopez is a liability in the bullpen and Mahle underwent Tommy John surgery in May which effectively ends his time with the team.

Those duds might scare the front office away from dipping back into the farm system to make a trade, and rightfully so.

That's not the only reason the Twins might end up punting on making any moves at the deadline.

MLB insider details potential Twins trade deadline plans

In a recent column looking at potential moves around the league, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal wrote a blurb about the Twins and what fans might expect as the deadline approaches.

Don't get your hopes up.

"The Twins still could seek a complementary bat at the deadline, and also will be in the market for bullpen help while awaiting the returns of Brock Stewart and Caleb Thielbar. But as has been the case all season, their stars need to be stars," Rosenthal writes.

This is in line with what we've been hearing in the weeks leading up to this point. It's almost exactly what Twins President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey said during the All-Star Break, shying away from trade speculation to point out how much talent the team already has if it plays the way it should.

The problem for the Twins is that hasn't happened. While Carlos Correa has seemingly started to find a groove after being moved to the leadoff spot, Byron Buxton continues to play some of the worst baseball of his career.

Buxton is now hitting below .200 on the season and has yet to play centerfield, begging the question of whether he should even be occupying a roster spot. He's very clearly battling through a lingering injury, and with the emergence of Edouard Julien and Jorge Polanco's return nearing, the Twins might be best off shutting Buxton down.

That goes against the idea that Rosenthal and Falvey proposed, but it fits the sentiment. While the Twins could go out and make some moves, the most impactful ones might be internal even if that isn't as sexy or fun as making a splash at the deadline.