Pitching has been the backbone of the Minnesota Twins' success this season, but it has suddenly become their biggest need ahead of the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline. The Twins are now down Pablo López and Zebby Mathews from their starting rotation, each landing on the IL following their respective starts against the Athletics in Sacramento last week.
López will miss the next 8-12 weeks with a Grade 2 shoulder strain, and a separateshoulder strain is what landed Matthews on the IL, too. The silver lining with Matthews' injury is that the Twins believe it is a less severe strain than the one López is recovering from, and he shouldn't be sidelined as long. In the interim, it seems that Simeon Woods Richardson will take Matthews' spot in the Twins' rotation.
Even though the Twins got relatively good news on the injury to Matthews, the decision they must make at the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline has become painfully obvious. If the Twins want to remain in postseason contention, they must acquire a starting pitcher.
The Twins' postseason hopes may hinge on the deadline pursuit of a starting pitcher
Entering play on Monday, the Twins are hanging onto the final Wild Card spot in the American League. Wild Card race conversations can be too early for June, but to highlight how quickly things can change for the Twins, three teams are within two games of them for the final Wild Card spot. Add in that the Twins are seven games behind the Detroit Tigers for first place in the American League Central, and it's possible that there is a different conversation being had next month with regard to what Minnesota has to do at the deadline.
The Twins have the pitching depth to withstand Matthews being sidelined, but to remain in contention, the decision they must make for the deadline is painfully obvious. The Twins need to jump the market and make a move for a starting pitcher. Pitching has been the reason why the Twins are among the surprise success stories for baseball during the first half. If they want that success to continue, they need to make a move for a pitcher soon instead of waiting until the deadline, when their postseason chances could look dramatically different.