On Saturday morning, the Minnesota Twins held the third American League Wild Card spot. Now, the club is four games back of the Boston Red Sox for said spot and trails the Chicago White Sox by five games for first place in the American League Central after losing four straight games.
How Minnesota performs from now until the Aug. 3 trade deadline could ultimately decide its season. If the Twins play well enough to look like contenders again before the deadline, the team might buy or stand pat. But if their spiral continues, the club might sell.
As the trade deadline nears, one thing to keep in mind is the major leadership changes the Twins underwent in the offseason. Derek Shelton taking over as manager likely has had no impact on big front office decisions. But Tom Pohlad succeeding his younger brother Joe as the controlling owner, along with the departure of former president Derek Falvey, could make Minnesota approach the deadline differently than if the previous regime were still in charge.
At last year's trade deadline, the Twins famously, or infamously, dealt 10 players within a 24-hour span. Players whom the Twins traded included Carlos Correa, Jhoan Duran and Louis Varland. At the time, Minnesota was six games out of the final American League Wild Card spot with a 51-57 record.
Another example of Minnesota selling at the deadline with Falvey in charge despite not being completely out of the race is 2017. In July 2017, the Twins initially made some moves to improve the club, acquiring right-handed starter Jaime Garcia from the Atlanta Braves on July 24. When Minnesota acquired Garcia, the club was 49-49 and two games out of the final Wild Card spot.
Garcia won his first start with the Twins, but Minnesota proceeded to lose four straight, prompting Falvey to trade Garcia and $4 million to the New York Yankees for pitchers Zack Littell and Dietrich Enns on July 30. One day later, the Twins, who were five games out of the final Wild Card spot, dealt All-Star closer Brandon Kintzler to the Washington Nationals.
The Twins' approach at the 2025 and 2017 deadlines showed how Falvey operated when Minnesota wasn't completely out of playoff contention, but most signs pointed toward missing the playoffs. Both seasons had completely different conclusions: Minnesota ended 2025 with a 70-92 record but made the postseason in 2017 as the final Wild Card team with an 85-77 record.
Twins might not sell at trade deadline even if they're several games out of a playoff spot
If the Twins are in a similar position to 2025 or 2017 in the early days of August, there's no guarantee the team will sell. Maybe they should, but that doesn't mean they will.
If Falvey were in charge, it's hard to imagine Minnesota wouldn't sell if it were four or more games out of a postseason spot at the deadline. But with the new Pohlad and general manager Jeremy Zoll running the show, the team may actually buy or stand pat, even if they are still several games out of a playoff position.
In late June, Pohlad made it pretty clear he has no intention of selling at the deadline.
“We just want this to be a place where players, particularly homegrown talent, want to be Twins for life,” Pohlad told Mike Mazzeo of the Sports Business Journal . “And when we find ourselves in a competitive window, we’ve got to do something meaningful at the trade deadline to build on the potential of that team and build on momentum.”
Just because Pohlad made that statement in late June doesn't mean the Twins won't sell. But it at least indicates the team may be more reluctant to do so than in years past.
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