As the Minnesota Twins look to claw back into the American League Wild Card race, the club will have to take a hard look at its lineup and be realistic as to whether they have enough firepower. Through July 4, the club ranks 21st in the majors in runs scored with 359 and 22nd with a .698 OPS, making the clear answer "no."
While the recent return of the 2017 first overall pick, Royce Lewis, may help, that alone may not be enough. Not only has the 26-year-old played just a total of 185 games since making his big league debut in May of 2022, but he's been far from the offensive force the Twins were counting on this season, with just a .208/.288/.311 line.
Being oft-injured and generally unproductive this season, rumors are starting to swirl that the Twins will be looking to pick up a bat at the July 31 trade deadline.
Despite Royce Lewis's return from the IL the Minnesota Twins need to go bat shopping in July
It's not entirely clear what Derek Falvey and the front office have up their sleeve, but based on the current roster construction, the best pathway forward may be a combination of selling short-term assets while buying controllable pieces for the long term.
That would mean saying goodbye to free-agent-to-be Willi Castro and his .790 OPS, further opening holes in the Minnesota lineup, which could use upgrades anywhere other than center field, where Byron Buxton is putting together possibly the best season of his career.
This will be no easy task, given the Twins need to think long term, yet don't have the financial might to acquire a player on an expiring deal and then pony up to pay a market value extension to keep such a player in the Land of 10,000 Lakes beyond 2025.
That will severely limit their options, while also increasing the cost of prospect capital associated with making such an acquisition. Youth, control, and realized potential don't come cheap, and are especially scarce on the trade market.
The ideal target might be Boston's Jarren Duran, though with him being under control through 2028, he'll cost a lot, and with a 97 wRC+ on the season, it's questionable if he would actually satisfy Minnesota's need.
Other top options include Ryan McMahon, Nolan Arenado, Taylor Ward, and Adolis Garcia, all of whom are unattractive for different reasons. McMahon and Arenado are on pricing contracts and have not been net positives with the bat. Garcia is on the wrong side of 30 and has been on a steady decline over the past two seasons. Ward, too, is over 30, only has one more year of control after this season, and might not even be available as the Angels jockey for Wild Card positioning as well.
Simply put, Minnesota needs a bat or two, in order to claw back into the race, but given the parameters necessary to facilitate such a move, options are scarce, and Falvey will have to get creative if he's to scratch this massive itch.