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Twins trade deadline 2024: Winners and losers from AL Central

Let's see how the Twins fared compared to their divisional counterparts

By Ian Slate |
Winners and losers from the AL Central after this year’s trade deadline.
Winners and losers from the AL Central after this year’s trade deadline. / Michael Reaves/GettyImages
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Most Minnesota Twins fans have heard what happened at the trade deadline — or maybe they haven’t since it was so uneventful.

Just like the offseason, Minnesota had a quiet trade deadline and failed to make any meaningful moves. The Twins did make a trade, but it barely moved the needle and didn’t really do much to address two of the team’s biggest needs.

Carlos Correa rightfully pointed out that the roster is still talented and shouldn’t be written off. It’s still tough to get Charlie Brown’d twice in once season when it comes to hearing the team might make moves only to see them do the bare minimum.

That wasn’t the case for other teams in the AL Central, though.

As the dust settles on the deadline and everyone’s vision narrows on the home stretch of the season, let’s assess some winners and losers and see just where the Twins fall.

AL Central winners and losers from this year’s trade deadline

Winner: Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians annoyingly have the best record in baseball.

They aren’t one for a blockbuster deal, and although they easily could have added a couple arms to their rotation, they went out and got two legitimate MLB players to add to the fold. Lane Thomas is one of my favorite gets of the deadline. Thomas is a good hitter with good speed. He feels like the perfect Guardian. He's had four straight seasons of above average OPS+ and hit 28 home runs last season. His 28 steals and elite sprint speed make him a weapon on the base paths. With another year of control, Thomas is a great get for Cleveland.

Alex Cobb has battled injuries recently and hasn’t pitched yet this season. But he’s ready to get back, has thrown rehab outings, and is fresh. He has recent success, with an All-Star appearance in 2023 and three consecutive seasons with a sub-four ERA. Getting a fresh starter with legitimate big league success for a small package to add to the rotation for the best team in baseball… sign me up. 

Loser: White Sox

Aren’t they always?

Sure, they made some trades. It was time to move on from Eloy Jimenez. They had to cash in Paul DeJong for something. But is that all they got for Erick Fedde? A guy with a low three ERA and another year of control for just $7.5 million. I like Miguel Vargas, but I can’t help but look at the king’s ransom the Blue Jays got for a much worse Yusei Kikuchi when looking at this return for Fedde. 

It’s worth asking yourself, why do the White Sox still have the biggest two trade chips on the market?

Yes, Garrett Crochet had some questions on his innings management and Robert hasn’t been his best self this year, but it was a seller’s market and these two players should have brought it a monster return. With both of their injury risk, there’s no way of knowing if their value will be the same next deadline.

For a team with 27 wins mired in a 20-game losing streak, they should have done much more. 

Winner: Tigers

The closest on the list to a middle ground, I chose to make them a winner because they didn’t need to do much and have a good direction.

Detroit ultimately didn’t mess that direction up. They kept their future core intact while trading rentals like Jack Flaherty, Andrew Chafin, and Mark Cahna. The hauls weren’t crazy, but they didn’t need to be crazy.  Thayron Liranzo was the best get in the Flaherty deal, a young, switch-hitting catcher who slots into number five on their top prospects list.

Overall a solid deadline for Detroit. 

Loser: Twins

WHAT WAS THAT?!? Getting Trevor Richards and his 4.50 ERA for minor leaguer Jay Harry as a PR move so you can say, “We did actually make a trade.” I know there isn’t much money to work with, and we understood there wasn’t going to be a blockbuster move.

The Twins had movable pieces and prospect depth to work with without gutting the system. But you couldn’t go get a lefty reliever? A mid-level starter? A backup center fielder? You cannot tell me that Jake Cave would be that expensive. The Twins have played really well this year and are a legitimate playoff contender. We weren’t asking them to do a lot, just do something. And they didn’t really do anything. 

Winner: Royals

The biggest winner in the division, hands down. A team that’s been mired in poor play in recent years, they now have direction and success. Last offseason, they went out and got solid free agents like Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Will Smith, and Hunter Renfroe. The aggression has paid off, as Kansas City has been the most pleasantly surprising team in baseball and is right in the thick of the wild card race. 

Instead of staying pat and chalking up the season as a success, their front office stayed aggressive. They went out and bolstered a questionable bullpen by grabbing Lucas Erceg and Hunter Harvey. Erceg is another one of my favorite moves of the deadline, as the reliever has blossomed into an elite arm with closer potential this season with Oakland.

They also picked up Paul DeJong and Michael Lorenzen to add depth to their rotation and offense.

Regardless of how their season ultimately turns out, simply showing the fans that the organization is invested and ready to go out and compete is a massive win for a smaller market team. 

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