The Anthony Banda injury is terrible for the Twins in many ways. Banda, who is expected to miss months with a left lat strain, has been one of the Twins' best relievers lately, sporting a 1.93 ERA over 9 1/3 innings this month. Losing the left-hander is a major blow to the Twins' struggling bullpen, which ranks last among all 30 MLB teams in ERA (5.50).
Banda's injury not only increases the odds of the Twins selling at the Aug. 3 deadline but also leaves the team down a potential valuable trade piece. If Banda hadn't suffered his injury and instead continued playing a key role out of Minnesota's bullpen, he likely would've garnered much interest at the trade deadline. Contending teams are always looking for bullpen help, and Banda has plenty of postseason experience, playing a key role on the Los Angeles Dodgers teams that won back-to-back World Series. Of course, Minnesota could end up being one of those teams looking for bullpen help if the club stays in postseason contention for the next four to five weeks, but there's an even stronger chance the team ends up selling.
Controlling owner Tom Pohlad has suggested he still has hope for this season and may want to improve the 26-man roster at the trade deadline rather than subtract from it. While the Twins' record (41-45) isn't good, they're still just two games behind the Seattle Mariners for the third AL Wild Card spot and 4 1/2 games back of the Chicago White Sox for first place in the AL Central.
Banda's injury creates even worse bullpen situation for Twins
The problem is, the Twins' bullpen situation is a complete disaster. If the Twins actually want to make the playoffs by being aggressive at the deadline, they probably need to acquire two to three established relievers. However, it's likely not worth giving up any top prospects in a season where they don't appear to be legitimate World Series contenders. Sure, they may sneak into the postseason, where anything can happen, but odds are they won't even make the playoffs.
The Twins' top trade candidates are obviously Ryan Jeffers and Joe Ryan. However, since the Twins can receive a compensatory Draft pick by extending a qualifying offer to Jeffers at the end of the season, and Ryan is under team control through 2027, the team may be inclined to keep them for now and attempt to make the postseason. It's not like trade candidates such as Josh Bell and Taylor Rogers would get the Twins an absolute haul.
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