As Willi Castro popped out to shortstop Ezequiel Tovar to end the game between the Twins and Rockies on Saturday, Minnesota dropped its second straight matchup against Colorado, which is by far the worst team in Major League Baseball this season with a 24-74 win-loss record.
After losing the series against the Rockies, the Twins dropped four games below .500 with a 47-51 win-loss record. As it stands, Minnesota trails the Detroit Tigers by 11 ½ games for first place in the American League Central and sits five games back for the third and final American League Wild Card spot. Baseball Reference gives the Twins a 3.8% chance of making the postseason, and FanGraphs gives them a 15.4% chance.
Twins players cannot blame the front office for selling after embarrassing series loss to Colorado Rockies
While one could argue that the front office should have provided manager Rocco Baldelli with more pieces to compete, management and the players cannot blame the front office if they start selling after losing to the Rockies.
The Twins have four teams in between them and the third American League Wild Card spot, making a playoff berth extremely unlikely. Of course, there is still plenty of time left in the season, but the team has not shown that they are a playoff contender lately. Since a playoff appearance for the Twins is unlikely, it’s time for the front office to initiate a sell-off.
The Twins should deal players on expiring contracts, such as Harrison Bader, Willi Castro, Chris Paddack, Danny Coulombe and Ty France. There is no reason to keep them on the team if there is no hope of making the playoffs, and it is possible that the Twins could receive some high-upside prospects in exchange for them. There have been trade rumors regarding Joe Ryan circulating, but the Twins would have to be completely blown away by an offer to trade him. Someone who could get the Twins some noteworthy prospects is Jhoan Durán.
Durán makes the Twins a better team, but with him under control through 2027, Minnesota would be able to secure a substantial haul in a trade centered around him. Losing Durán would be a blow, but Minnesota’s bullpen is among the best in the league, and relievers are not nearly as difficult to come by as position players and starting pitchers. Trading away Durán would make a lot of sense for the Twins.