After a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night, the Minnesota Twins are five games out of an American League Wild-Card spot, and with the MLB trade deadline one week from Thursday, reality is starting to set in that the team may be sellers. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli wasn't shy about the reality of the situation.
“Have there been occasions where I’ve grabbed guys on the side if I think it’s affecting them in any sort of way? Yeah. Do I make team speeches? No. I don’t do that. … I don’t tend to spend a lot of my energy on worrying about the trade deadline. If we play really good baseball from here until the trade deadline, we’re going to keep playing and probably not going to be trading anyone.”
Time hasn't been on the Twins' side since they were one of baseball's worst teams in June, and moving rental players at the deadline feels like a foregone conclusion. Due to no-trade clauses, Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton are the two players who are assured to be staying put at the deadline.
Rocco Baldelli opens up about deadline pressure weighing on the Twins
In many ways, the Twins need a dramatic reconstruction of their roster. Derek Falvey recently admitted that the Twins' front office will listen to offers for any player on their roster, but this is a Twins front office that has been dormant for much of the past year. That would be the reason why the expectation should be that the Twins will only move players who are free agents after the season.
Harrison Bader, Willi Castro, and Danny Coulombe are among the top rental trade chips the Twins have to offer at the deadline. Veteran starting pitcher Chris Paddack is likely to draw interest as well, despite his struggles this season.
Moving cost-controlled relief pitchers Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax could be the type of moves that provide an influx of young talent onto the Twins' roster. While the bare minimum has become the expectation for the Twins as they navigate a potential ownership change, the deadline could finally provide a sense of direction if the right moves are made.