3 Reasons Why the Twins Stood Pat at the Trade Deadline

[Matthew Taylor]

Twins fans might not have agreed with it, but the Minnesota Twins’ front office had reasons for their inaction at the trade deadline.

As a first-place team in the American League Central and favorites to win the division, many expected the Minnesota Twins to be active at the trade deadline and bring in help as they prepare for their first playoff run since 2020. To the surprise of many, though, the Twins didn’t make a single move on Tuesday afternoon and instead decided to compete for the American League Central with the same roster they had coming into the August 1 deadline.

Whether or not standing pat at the trade deadline is certainly fair to wonder, and is currently being discussed at Twins Daily here, here and here. But whether you agree with the front office’s inaction on Tuesday or you don’t, it’s worth exploring why the front office did what they did (or didn’t do).

Here are three potential reasons why the Minnesota Twins stood pat at the trade deadline:

1. The landscape of the trade market changed
In his statement following the passing of the trade deadline, Derek Falvey noted that the landscape of the trade market changed in the week leading up to the trade deadline, which impacted their ability to make trades. Teams like the Cubs, Angels and Padres seemed like sellers a week ago, but recently changed their tune to become buyers at the trade deadline. Whether it’s a valid excuse or not, the changing of the trade market hampered the Twins’ ability to get a trade done at the deadline.

2. The rest of the American League Central turned out to be sellers
While the Minnesota Twins weren’t active at the trade deadline, the rest of the American League Central was very active at the trade deadline, as all four teams outside of the Twins turned out to be sellers. Each of the Tigers, Royals, White Sox and even the Guardians sold off present-day assets at the trade deadline.

With the knowledge that the rest of the division, and most notably the Guardians not only weren’t going to be buying at the trade deadline, but would actively be selling, it left the Twins in a position that they didn’t necessarily need to be buyers in order to solidify their playoff chances. Whatever odds that the Twins had coming into the trade deadline went up just from the fact that all of their competition sold off assets that would have helped take down the Twins in their hunt for the American League Central.

It’s clear that because of the decreased competition in the division, the front office didn’t feel the same amount of pressure to load up their roster for an August and September run and that they feel confident in their ability to win the American League Central.

3. The Twins didn’t feel that this roster was worth investing in
While the front office might have felt that the Twins didn’t need to add to their roster in order to win the American League Central, there is still an argument to be made that the Twins should have bolstered their roster in an attempt to make a run in the playoffs. By their lack of action at the trade deadline, the front office made it pretty clear that they don’t think that the Minnesota Twins’ roster has much of any shot to make a run in the playoffs.

If the front office had confidence in the Twins’ roster as currently constructed, they would have done what they could to support that roster with additional pieces that would aid in a playoff run. With the roster that the Twins have, though, it’s not outlandish to have the mindset of “why would we add to a roster that is just going to lose anyways?”

The Twins added to a roster in 2022 that didn’t end up being strong enough to even make the playoffs. They didn’t want to double down and add to a roster that wouldn’t be making a run once again.

Do you agree with the reasons why the Twins didn’t make a move at the trade deadline? Leave a comment below and start the conversation.

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[JGilly7]

Thanks for this article... it can be hard to make sense of front office inaction, but these items do make sense. I felt like the third point was probably overstated... I don't know that it'd be easy to make a case that the FO believes our MLB is incapable of doing anything in the playoffs. My take is that they believe in what they built back in March; that when Royce Lewis returns in a couple of weeks, they'll have enough to be noisy. 

I think the team has proven they probably won't hit well enough to be dangerous, but great options were either not affordable, or not compelling enough to pull the trigger.

[Karbo]

Pretty much says it all. With their closest challenger selling, one of the easiest remaining schedule, and the fact that 1 or2 guys wouldn't be enough to make them serious playoff threats why give up any prospects? They should make the playoffs and get a couple of games at home so they will get some extra gate money at least. Now look forward to next year and hope the off season brings us some addition by subtraction!

[old nurse]

Pretty much reason 3 stands as the most logical. Even in rentals Lopez showed them to stay awa y from career year players.  Significantly better than average players would require significantly better than average prospects,, even for relievers. To fill the holes in the roster with these types of players would cost more capital than the Twins have, Adding only slightly better players has a low probability of changing  the outcome.for the season.. The players they have playing up to their capabilities is what is needed,. That there is that difference is the problem with the team. Is it then the player, managers and coaches or front office’s fault? Maybe all three. The team still leads the division. Winning the games against the division opponents will be the determinant of the outcome of the season. 

[kenneth frank]

No, I don't agree with # 3. This team reminds me of the 87 Twins. Going through that season experts wrote that team off many times (and so did I) yet when they got to the playoffs with a mixture of youth and experience, the team began believing in themselves (or maybe the coach got them believing in themselves) and did some damage. I don't believe this team can win it all but maybe they can end that 20 year old losing (0-18) streak and do some damage.

[Beast]

If the roster isn’t worth investing in, trade players for prospects.  Doing nothing with all of these expiring contracts (Gray, Maeda, Kepler, etc.) is so cowardly and such awful resource management.

[mikelink45]

The landscaped changed and the Twins were the only ones unable to adjust!  Not acceptable.  Maybe they could have moved earlier. 

This is what we have to do now that it is settled - DFA Gallo, Put Larnach and Wallner in the OF.  Get Buxton off the bench and into the field.  Bring in Thielbar, keep Duran fresh.  Try some new arms in the BP - there is room if we do my first suggestion.  Try Varland in the pen.

Rearrange the batting order, 

What happened to Keuchel?  

[Richie the Rally Goat]

21 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

The landscaped changed and the Twins were the only ones unable to adjust!  Not acceptable.  Maybe they could have moved earlier. 

This is what we have to do now that it is settled - DFA Gallo, Put Larnach and Wallner in the OF.  Get Buxton off the bench and into the field.  Bring in Thielbar, keep Duran fresh.  Try some new arms in the BP - there is room if we do my first suggestion.  Try Varland in the pen.

Rearrange the batting order, 

What happened to Keuchel?  

I think the point of the article is that standing pat, is an adjustment

[Trov]

Without knowing what the trade discussions were, it is hard to really say if the FO did the right thing or not.  I feel like the roster is at a bit of a crossroads.  Our vets have not been hitting like we need, and the young guys have shown flashes, but the team is not always willing to count on them.  Also, the young guys have had some injuries putting us in the, what will they be when they return.  

For the fans that wanted a huge splash it was going to cost big prospects, and I feel the FO did not want to give up any big names, hoping those names, at least on the offense will be up helping the team in the next year or two.  Larnach was being floated, and will most likely again in the off-season, but he has very little trade value in my opinion.  The likes of Lewis, Lee, and E-Rod were really the only names that were going to net a big return.  When you need to build a team for not just 1 year but years to come, it is hard to justify giving up on those guys for a 1 or 2 year rental that could or could not push us over the top. 

I think mainly is we should make the playoffs with no one else trying in our division, and actively selling.  As long as you make the playoffs you have a chance.  Then the question is, was there a trade out there that would make us feel that much better about winning in playoffs?  Most likely not, unless Buck and company start hitting better.  Our team is far from a top competitor, but sometimes it just takes the team being hot and having guys have great runs.  

We have the potential pitching to keep us in games, if we can get some timely hitting we could have a chance to win in the playoffs.  I am not expecting it, but if our pitching is hot, we just need a few timely hits. 

[Patzky]

38 minutes ago, Karbo said:

Pretty much says it all. With their closest challenger selling, one of the easiest remaining schedule, and the fact that 1 or2 guys wouldn't be enough to make them serious playoff threats why give up any prospects? They should make the playoffs and get a couple of games at home so they will get some extra gate money at least. Now look forward to next year and hope the off season brings us some addition by subtraction!

Truth. Now that the hand has been shown it's time to move on and go with what we have, and last night was exactly how this team will have to do it.. pitching, a few clutch hits and a few web gems. 

The Keuchel thing still disappoints me though..

[mikelink45]

21 minutes ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

I think the point of the article is that standing pat, is an adjustment

What are we adjusting to?  Other teams seemed to adjust.

[saviking]

I'm thrilled we didn't trade Larnach and that we DIDN'T pick up a right handed bat. Lewis will be and is that right handed bat ..

[specialiststeve]

The three "sounds" like it makes some sense but.... 

If your "competition" is selling and giving you an opportunity to take control of the division and you do nothing... not good. 

As far as the roster not good enough to invest in... self incriminating statement I would say. Seems like fixing the roster to make it worth investing in as a fan .... would be their job. 

Not saying making big deals were expected but making some "tweaks" made too much sense and not making moves looks terrible to the fans. 

[TwinsDr2021]

#3 makes little to no sense. We are to believe they put together a team that is in first place and 2/3 of the way though the season the don't think it is good enough so they do nothing? First if they believed that then they should be fired for putting this team on the field or they should be fired for not trading away FA to be, simple as that.

It is more likely they found they were no real upgrades at a cost they were willing to pay and believe the team they put together that is in first place 2/3 of the way though the season is good enough as is (or when healthy) to make a legit run.

To all of those people that don't think this as isn't good enough to make some sort of run (not saying they will) is very defeatist attitude. They have three maybe 4 pitchers that can on any day and any start shut down any lineup for 6/7 innings. They have Jax and Duran who can close out any lineup. They have Correa, Buxton, Julien, Lewis who if they get hot at the same time can carry a team for a week or so.

With that said I would have tried like heck to upgrade the pen, it would be nice to have 4 or 5 guys you feel comfortable throwing out there at anytime. (Duran, Jax, Theilbar, Stewart and another)

[TwinsDr2021]

14 minutes ago, saviking said:

I'm thrilled we didn't trade Larnach and that we DIDN'T pick up a right handed bat. Lewis will be and is that right handed bat ..

Totally makes sense not to trade a 26 year old AAA player that will be 27 when next season starts, I get that.

 

[tony&rodney]

Or .... there just were not any teams very interested in any of the players within the Twins system at least enough to have a full conversation about a fair exchange.

Some of the relievers changed teams without much going back in return, yet those teams must have felt it was ok.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

26 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

What are we adjusting to?  Other teams seemed to adjust.

I dunno, honestly. I don’t understand and don’t like that the team failed to improve the team at the trade deadline. 
the article seemed to say that the FO may have changed their goal as a response to Cleveland unexpectedly selling. I think it’s a failure to neither buy nor sell at the deadline. It’s not an adjustment to stand still, but that’s what the article seemed to say.

[USAFChief]

Not getting bullpen help is a failure to execute their job. Plain and simple. 

There's no excuse, no logic. Help was traded. At reasonable prices. We have obvious weakness in the pen. There are no realistic internal options.

Complete. Failure.

[MGM4706]

Your #2 is absurd!! Twins need to look beyond the division. They have the starting pitching to make some noise in the playoffs. But the Pen is certainly sub-par. That's where they needed to focus. Who cares about just winning the weakest division. That is nothing to pat yourself on the back for. Look to win a playoff series or two!! Again it looks to be a pocketbook thing!!

[Coach Wheels]

I think #3 is a weak argument. This is the time of year where, while the rest of your division sells, you buy. The goal can't be just "winning the division." It has to be winning in the playoffs, why did we sign Correa to a 6 year deal if all we want to do is win 87 games/year?

If you don't like this roster, and I don't, getting a RH bat or 2 had to happen. Buxton, .205, Vazquez, .224, Taylor, .220, and Correa, .224. That's not beating Houston, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, or Texas; they needed help.

Now, I understand that giving up Lewis, Kiriloff, or Bryce Lee were not options but, Holy cow, there had to be moves to make.

Kepler and Polanco options cannot be picked up for next year, Gallo should be DFA'd today, and 2024 is now my focus. This team is doing nothing for me, again. 

[NotAboutWinning]

#1 is BS. Did you not have any fallback plans? Sounds like the Twins hitters not getting the pitch they are looking for and watching strike 3 go by!

#2 is BS. Do you realize if you win the division you will not be playing an ALC team in the playoffs. What will you do then?

If #3 is true, the FO should be fired. They very purposefully built this mess.

[Whitey333]

I read someplace, I think mlb.com but not sure, that Keukel opted out of his contract when the Twins said they didn't have a spot on the 40 man roster.  If that's true it's outrageous.  There's plenty of candidates on the 40 man and even a couple on the 26 man.  Regarding the artcle:  well done!  Well thought out.  I agree with the comments but it just points to the inability of this FO to manage a roster.  If #3 is correct that there isn't enough talent on this team for a serious playoff run. That very well may be true but this FO is the one that pit this "team" together.  They only have themselves to blame for it.  We will back into the division title and this great FO that has brought some of the poorest baseball for Twins fans, will be strutting around like peacocks telling us what a great job they did.  Then when the playoffs start and we face mainly left handed starting pitching they will show their true colors.  I do understand to some extent not trading.  A trade for the sake of a trade is foolish.  But to stand there and tell us you have a great team is being disingenuous.  We should all be used to that by now. They brought us a mediocre team the past 3 years.  That must have been what they were hired for.  We are supposed to. As longtime twind fans, just sit back and be happy with it.  IMO this team, manager and front office are frauds.  If we somehow don't make the playoffs that the other central division teams don't want then our management team must go.

Rd

G.

[Blyleven2011]

1 hour ago, Beast said:

If the roster isn’t worth investing in, trade players for prospects.  Doing nothing with all of these expiring contracts (Gray, Maeda, Kepler, etc.) is so cowardly and such awful resource management.

I agree , my thought was since Cleveland and the rest of the central selling we could win the division with youth and trade away some veterans on expiring contracts ...

1 pitcher , an outfielder and reset for next year With the return  .,.

If the FO are pretenders  we will win in the playoffs with this constructed roster  , they are mistaken  unless our goid starting pitchering each throws a shutout , we will have a hard time scoring runs in the playoffs .

[Craig Arko]

I’m not that concerned about the ALC. But looking at the likely AL playoff teams, there wasn’t enough trades to be made now to catch up to them.

Best to look for maybe breaking the playoff losing streak and prepare for 2024.

[Otaknam]

The Twins decided they didn’t need to improve since the other teams decided to throw in the towel. That’s not exactly a vote of confidence on the current underperforming team. That said, I’m happy they didn’t do what they did last year, trading highly successful minor leaguers for damaged pitchers. That’s part of the reason the team is in its current position and why Cincinnati is playoff bound.  

[saviking]

1 hour ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

Totally makes sense not to trade a 26 year old AAA player that will be 27 when next season starts, I get that.

 

It's not Larnach's fault the Twins spent 11 million on a retread like Gallo preventing a 26 year old from being able to adjust to the majors this year. I'll pit Larnach up against Gallo all day and all night. 

[Parfigliano]

The FO treated the trade market like War Games.  The best move is not to play.

[Cris E]

1 hour ago, Beast said:

If the roster isn’t worth investing in, trade players for prospects.  Doing nothing with all of these expiring contracts (Gray, Maeda, Kepler, etc.) is so cowardly and such awful resource management.

If you're just playing in GM mode then that makes some sense, but here in real life there are other considerations, like actually playing the games.  In real life things like winning games, winning the division, reaching the playoffs, have monetary value, and the primary goal of a MLB team in real life is not winning the WS, it's making money. If you sell every year that you don't think you can make the LCS you'll diminish fan interest by telling everyone Don't Bother, This Isn't The Year. There are also real concerns about wrecking the lockerroom like the Brewers did last year when they dealt Josh Hader. You can and should be free to deal who you want, but making deals for deals' sake is not without consequence.

On The Other Hand if you think you want to win some games, win a division and try to make some waves in the playoffs then you have to do basic roster maintenance.  The money's not free, you have to do your part. In this case you have a weak pen and some empty uniforms running around not providing value. I'm going to be charitable and assume Gallo is only here because Kirrillof is out, but I have no idea why they didn't replace Stewart. That was not good work. 

[old nurse]

2 hours ago, kenneth frank said:

No, I don't agree with # 3. This team reminds me of the 87 Twins. Going through that season experts wrote that team off many times (and so did I) yet when they got to the playoffs with a mixture of youth and experience, the team began believing in themselves (or maybe the coach got them believing in themselves) and did some damage. I don't believe this team can win it all but maybe they can end that 20 year old losing (0-18) streak and do some damage.

The 87 Twins basically only added Shatzader by trade that helped the team win. Niekro was ineffective as a starter and pitched 1 inning in the WS. Carlton added nothing . Baylor was along for moral support.  Floro would be the similar relief addition. Citing the 87 Twins actually supports the article 

[TwinsDr2021]

3 minutes ago, saviking said:

It's not Larnach's fault the Twins spent 11 million on a retread like Gallo preventing a 26 year old from being able to adjust to the majors this year. I'll pit Larnach up against Gallo all day and all night. 

It isn't Larnach fault that the FO make a huge mistake and signed Gallo, that is 100% correct. I would take Larnach over Gallo as well. But Larnach has done nothing in 3 years and close to 600 at bats in the majors to earn the allocates people are giving him. It is a Ok major league player, he is not a foundation player.