Falvey: Minnesota Twins Are Not Focused On Selling

[Matthew Lenz]

As Twins fans have gotten used to in recent seasons, it's been a roller coaster ride of a season. With a peak that included a 13-game win streak and valleys for a majority of the games before and after that winning streak. Now, sitting below .500 and 4.5 games out of an AL Wild Card spot, many are wondering if the Twins would be sellers at the deadline.

In a recent article by Matthew Leach of MLB.com, he shares that Twins President of Baseball Operations, Derek Falvey, is not focused on selling at the deadline.

The Twins are 3-14 in their last 17 games and their starting rotation, who carried the team through the 13-game win streak, has been one of the worst in the league for the month of June. While it's clear the team needs a jump start, perhaps by adding at the trade deadline, it's not expected the Twins will be legitimate buyers.

It's well known that the Pohlad family is not only trying to sell the team, but also has pushed back on adding to the payroll. Any likely moves made at the deadline will be similar to those of previous seasons - low impact players on cheap deals.
 

Any meaningful reinforcements will need to come from the injured list (Pablo López, Zebby Matthews, Luke Keaschall, and/or Royce Lewis) or from their farm system. 

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[Brock Beauchamp]

It's intriguing to think what a sell looks like. Do you move Correa? He has value, albeit not much. Do you go bigger with a Ryan trade?

[Peter]

Instead of selling buy and get back into wild card race!!! Selling is stupid!!!

[Mike Sixel]

I mean, if they aren't any better than they have been the last year, and they don't trade expiring deals, I don't know what to say other than I can't wait for this FO to be gone. It's malpractice to stand pat with the way this team has played the last 12 months. 

[TheLeviathan]

This strikes me as "How can I help the clubhouse feel like we have their back?"

Which is an annoying tendency in the modern game.  I don't want you publicly lambasting anyone, but don't give me empty praise either.

[USAFChief]

Dear Mr Falvey

Could you can the nauseating corporate gobbledegook and just talk like normal?

500 words and nobody can actually point to a single concrete statement.

Sincerely 

Everyone, everywhere. 

[Vanimal46]

2 hours ago, USAFChief said:

Dear Mr Falvey

Could you can the nauseating corporate gobbledegook and just talk like normal?

500 words and nobody can actually point to a single concrete statement.

Sincerely 

Everyone, everywhere. 

Pretty sure it’s a requirement to speak like that if you go to an Ivy League school 

[JD-TWINS]

16 hours ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

It's intriguing to think what a sell looks like. Do you move Correa? He has value, albeit not much. Do you go bigger with a Ryan trade?

Does anyone really think they will trade Joe Ryan?

How many Clubs are going to trade for a guy (regardless of his performance in the current year) that makes $37M? Gotta be a list of maybe 2-3 Teams (no bigger) when looking at SS position specifically. Then add in this year’s performance………..,doesn’t seem possible.

Teams would be interested in Stewart - Jax - Duran - Coulombe & probably Castro at the deadline……….maybe even Vazquez as a veteran depth piece behind an every day catcher for a Playoff bound team. Jax or Duran could fetch some value return but the others are just brining back hopeful prospects.

[JD-TWINS]

14 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

I mean, if they aren't any better than they have been the last year, and they don't trade expiring deals, I don't know what to say other than I can't wait for this FO to be gone. It's malpractice to stand pat with the way this team has played the last 12 months. 

Who are the “expiring deals” to be traded that bring back players of value? Coulombe & Castro & who else? ………….. maybe keep them and work on re-signing? The vast majority of the Roster’s good players are arbitration guys.

Just don’t see Correa nor Buxton going anywhere.

I guess one could try to trade Paddack but with what kind of return? ………,I think the moves probably are with younger talent and more than likely after the season & hopefully with new ownership driving the bus.

[Doctor Gast]

We had postseason success in '23 to build off of. But instead of building on that core, they have been chipping away from it. That core swept the hot SF Giants this year w/o some of the offense absent, others not hitting on all their cylinders & Baldelli not micromanaging. If Falvey changes his ways, we have a shot, but that isn't going to happen, so we've been doomed from the start. We could start selling right now. But that's a bad look, so Falvey is saying we aren't selling, But inwardly waiting to blame the players & open up his fire sale & have everybody love him (except for some Twins fans).

[tony&rodney]

No idea if any team would make star players available but I would suggest that anyone in the organization can be traded. The A's need pitching. How fast would they run at a thought of Ryan, France, Julien, Charlee Soto, and Joe Ryan for Nick Kurtz idea? 

The Twins are almost certain to maintain the status quo. When the architect likes the roster, it is unlikely to change. 

From a standpoint of looking forward it does make sense to revisit all expiring contracts in late July. If the Twins are not above .500 and there is some interest from other teams there should be a willingness to move Paddack, Coulombe, Vazquez, France, Clemens, Bader, and Castro.

My idea is that the Twins should offer up anyone and see what type of return is possible. No harm in discussions.

 

[AKTwinsFan]

We've been the WORST team in baseball as of late. Selling or trading expiring contracts makes sense if we aint spending. 

[The Great Hambino]

I'm not sure what some are expecting him to say here at this point in time. (If your answer to that is "nothing", I'm not going to argue that)

Regardless of the choppiness of the Falvey Word Salad, there is no advantage to be gained by declaring yourself to be sellers in June.  Most of the league is in a holding pattern where they sit somewhere on the spectrum of potential contention for a playoff spot.  As time goes on, some of those teams will have that potential contention become actual contention, which will increase the pool of buyers, which will be more attractive to sellers.   On this date last year, the Tigers were 6 games under .500 and 6 out of a wild card spot.  They're not trending great right now, but the Twins are only 4 under and 3.5 back.  I'm not putting all my money on a similar turnaround, but there's a lot of baseball left.  Too early to punt on the season.

Also, publicly announcing your buy/sell intentions might not meaningfully hurt your leverage in negotiations, but it certainly doesn't help it.

 

[Mike Sixel]

6 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

Who are the “expiring deals” to be traded that bring back players of value? Coulombe & Castro & who else? ………….. maybe keep them and work on re-signing? The vast majority of the Roster’s good players are arbitration guys.

Just don’t see Correa nor Buxton going anywhere.

I guess one could try to trade Paddack but with what kind of return? ………,I think the moves probably are with younger talent and more than likely after the season & hopefully with new ownership driving the bus.

They don't have to bring back certain value. But they aren't winning, and there is zero reason not to roll the dice on lottery picks. What is the point of keeping Castro, and getting nothing for him other than 81 wins?

[Riverbrian]

Ask a premature question. 

Get a premature answer. 

If the deadline was tomorrow. They are in buying distance from the playoffs. 

However, there will be another 28 games or so before the deadline. If they go 3-25 over that stretch. Not selling would be... what's the word I'm looking for... Bad... it would be BAD. 

If the Twins go 25-3 over that stretch... Not Buying would be... Insert your favorite adjective here. 

Ask a GM that question prematurely. You can't say I don't know because nobody will tolerate that answer. Can't say you will be selling because you just publicly told your players that you don't think they can do it. . 

[Major League Ready]

8 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

Ask a premature question. 

Get a premature answer. 

If the deadline was tomorrow. They are in buying distance from the playoffs. 

However, there will be another 28 games or so before the deadline. If they go 3-25 over that stretch. Not selling would be... what's the word I'm looking for... Bad... it would be BAD. 

If the Twins go 25-3 over that stretch... Not Buying would be... Insert your favorite adjective here. 

Ask a GM that question prematurely. You can't say I don't know because nobody will tolerate that answer. Can't say you will be selling because you just publicly told your players that you don't think they can do it. . 

Don't go throwing around this much common sense.  It ruins a perfectly good opportunity to be mad for no good reason.

[Mike Sixel]

17 minutes ago, Major League Ready said:

Don't go throwing around this much common sense.  It ruins a perfectly good opportunity to be mad for no good reason.

Agreed. 

[dxpavelka]

On 6/25/2025 at 2:28 PM, Brock Beauchamp said:

It's intriguing to think what a sell looks like. Do you move Correa? He has value, albeit not much. Do you go bigger with a Ryan trade?

Trading the one bonafide starter in not a good plan.

 

[TheLeviathan]

21 hours ago, The Great Hambino said:

I'm not sure what some are expecting him to say here at this point in time. (If your answer to that is "nothing", I'm not going to argue that)

Regardless of the choppiness of the Falvey Word Salad, there is no advantage to be gained by declaring yourself to be sellers in June.  Most of the league is in a holding pattern where they sit somewhere on the spectrum of potential contention for a playoff spot.  As time goes on, some of those teams will have that potential contention become actual contention, which will increase the pool of buyers, which will be more attractive to sellers.   On this date last year, the Tigers were 6 games under .500 and 6 out of a wild card spot.  They're not trending great right now, but the Twins are only 4 under and 3.5 back.  I'm not putting all my money on a similar turnaround, but there's a lot of baseball left.  Too early to punt on the season.

Also, publicly announcing your buy/sell intentions might not meaningfully hurt your leverage in negotiations, but it certainly doesn't help it.

 

I'll speak for myself: it isn't the lack of a declaration of selling that bugs me but the wishy-washy injury excuses that do.  This team isn't even close to having an injury epidemic relative to what other teams are experiencing.

How about this as a response?  "Teams don't make decisons on buying and selling in June and we're no different.  What decides our actions at the deadline is how we play right now.  We need to find a way to win games and I need to do what I can to help give Rocco the best roster to do that right now"

And that's if.....as you note....he makes the mistake to open his mouth at all.  

[tony&rodney]

10 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

Trading the one bonafide starter in not a good plan.

 

Easy to agree with that statement. However, a broad look at the organization and gaging interest in any player to fill holes, even while creating another, is still worth examining. Personally, I have zero idea what appetite any team has for trading a player for Joe Ryan. I'm a really huge fan of Joe Ryan as a starting pitcher. Would I trade Ryan plus other minor pieces to the Athletics for Nick Kurtz if they were interested? I don't know but probably yes because the gain is strong on defense and offense.  However I can also see the objection. Moot because the Athletics aren't listening in any event.

[dxpavelka]

Why would you create a hole to fill a hole?  Like running on a treadmill.  Run as much as you want but you end up in the same place you started.  But, just for kicks and giggles, tell us which holes you think you can fill by trading your best starting pitcher.    

[alexlegge]

Falvey: We're not focused on selling.

Translation: We're not focused on trading.

[P Meyer]

On 6/26/2025 at 1:07 PM, Mike Sixel said:

They don't have to bring back certain value. But they aren't winning, and there is zero reason not to roll the dice on lottery picks. What is the point of keeping Castro, and getting nothing for him other than 81 wins?

I agree with this. I don't expect to see a top end player traded from the Twins, but some of the fringier players have some value with more competitive teams. Foolish to not get what you can for that group.

[Twodogs]

On 6/26/2025 at 12:07 PM, Mike Sixel said:

They don't have to bring back certain value. But they aren't winning, and there is zero reason not to roll the dice on lottery picks. What is the point of keeping Castro, and getting nothing for him other than 81 wins?

100%, but I think the big thing here is that they probably need to wait until closer to the deadline to see exactly where they are at.  Still 4 games under .500 I think they have to sell.  Have a big turn around between now and then, look to add.  I don't think this administration has any problems selling when the time is right.  But I do think what will irritate the fan base is if the Twins are actually in contention when the deadline gets here.  Pretty sure these guys will basically do nothing, maybe they will find a lefty reliever no one has ever heard of but that is about it.  At least that's my gut feeling.  

[Mike Sixel]

2 hours ago, Twodogs said:

100%, but I think the big thing here is that they probably need to wait until closer to the deadline to see exactly where they are at.  Still 4 games under .500 I think they have to sell.  Have a big turn around between now and then, look to add.  I don't think this administration has any problems selling when the time is right.  But I do think what will irritate the fan base is if the Twins are actually in contention when the deadline gets here.  Pretty sure these guys will basically do nothing, maybe they will find a lefty reliever no one has ever heard of but that is about it.  At least that's my gut feeling.  

Agreed. 

[jkcarew]

Inspirational. How can the club NOT dominate the 2nd half after that speech!?