Twins Ignored the Human Side of Baseball in Louis Varland Trade

[tarheeltwinsfan]

3 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Why do we watch the Twins? Is it because they are the best team in baseball or full of superstars? No! We watch them because of the human MN connection. Otherwise, I'd be watching the Dodgers.

Well said Doc. However I live in North Carolina but have been a Senators/Twins fan since 1954 when I was 9 and discovered baseball when my grandparents lived in Washington, DC, where I was born.  If anyone here on TD has pulled for this same franchise longer than I have, I'd like to hear about it. Until I hear differently, I will self-proclaim myself the Senior Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins fan. I chose watch the Twins because I enjoy it. I have visited beautiful Minneapolis several times to see the Twins play baseball and to I go to the Twins spring training at Ft. Myers every year because I enjoy it. I do not have the philosophy of "Love it or leave it". I'm stuck with the Twins and the Twins are stuck with me. Yes, I fuss and criticize the Twins some, but that is part of the deal in being a sports fan.  So Doc, come on back into the fold and start watching the Twins again. And if I see you at spring training in 2026, I'll buy you a Killebrew Root Beer.  

[The Great Hambino]

42 minutes ago, raaschjt said:

If they hang on to Louie everyone will be crying about how they managed the team with their hearts instead of their heads.

I highly, highly doubt anyone would be saying that if he hadn't been traded.  I don't think that was even on the radar until he started showing up in trade rumors.  I think the consensus would've been, "At least they have Varland to rebuild the bullpen around"

[Doctor Gast]

6 hours ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

I'm fine with the returns of the trades for the soon to be FA's. One can argue we should have done better but those trades are what you expect. But the trades of Varland, Jax, Duran and to a lesser degree Stewart, should have blown us away as you say. None of them do. I agree, Falvey should not be the one dealing these guys. Fire him. The longer he stays running the Twins FO the more my optimism wanes.

 

Looking at that, they're expiring contracts as sellers, I'm ok with them too. But look at it as a buyer competing for division champ or wildcard. I'd be overjoyed to get a Bader, Castro, Coulume or Paddack; they would be valuable assets to any competing team for a redundant lotto ticket. When has Falvey ever done anything like that? Teams need these players, so use that little bit of leverage to get something more relevant. I was a little disappointed with the Paddack trade. But since we aren't going to be competitive for years to come, I'm ok with it now. But sad that we won't be competitive. 

[ashbury]

51 minutes ago, Wedman13 said:

I hope most of you, and the massive amount of fans that showed up at Target Field to see him pitch the 6th inning, fly safely to Toronto to watch him play.  I'll be here tuning into the Twins

Funny.  But Louis's usage had evolved even during the 2025 season.  In his 22 appearances during June and July, 16 of them began in the 7th inning or later, and 4 of those other ones bridged into the 7th.  The leverage index found on baseball-reference.com showed an uptick in the importance of his appearances, as well.

[old nurse]

Louis is having a breakout year. The alternative is that he is having a career year.  Last year Cole Sands had a breakout year. This year, regression.  The Twins sold high to a dream that was a little desperate to keep up with the  other teams.  If their assessment of Rojas is correct, ,a starter for a reliever is a  trade you have to make.

[Doctor Gast]

18 minutes ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Well said Doc. However I live in North Carolina but have been a Senators/Twins fan since 1954 when I was 9 and discovered baseball when my grandparents lived in Washington, DC, where I was born.  If anyone here on TD has pulled for this same franchise longer than I have, I'd like to hear about it. Until I hear differently, I will self-proclaim myself the Senior Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins fan. I chose watch the Twins because I enjoy it. I have visited beautiful Minneapolis several times to see the Twins play baseball and to I go to the Twins spring training at Ft. Myers every year because I enjoy it. I do not have the philosophy of "Love it or leave it". I'm stuck with the Twins and the Twins are stuck with me. Yes, I fuss and criticize the Twins some, but that is part of the deal in being a sports fan.  So Doc, come on back into the fold and start watching the Twins again. And if I see you at spring training in 2026, I'll buy you a Killebrew Root Beer.  

 "And if I see you at spring training in 2026, I'll buy you a Killebrew Root Beer." 

Thank you! That has always been my dream. I'm not planning on it but you never know.

You are an admirable Twins fan.

[Riverbrian]

My assumption is that they liked the return. 

 

[Doc Lenz]

As Varland started his walk to the HOF no wonder 10-15 thousand extra people came to every home game in case Rocco put him in.

[Rosterman]

Like Griffin Jax, Varland gave his all to the Twins. Sacrificing a dream of being a starter to wade into the world of bullpen relief. You still run the risk of overuse, people recognizing your pitches, injury...all for lesser salaries than a rotation arm. But being on a major league club is first and foremost the dream.

And Louie did develop. So much so like Jesse Crain and Ryan Pressly before (and the hopes of Jorge Alcala) - you were thinking coser material in the works. A couple more years as a setup guy, and then - bang. The real deal (J.D. Durbin he is not).

Add in the hometown angle. Maybe even a reunion with Gus, who was recently demoted by the White Sox.

Not to be.

The Twins traded their three top bullpen arms for three potential rotation arms, and I agree that the potential is there in Abel, Bradley and Rojas. On paper, it looks like a Twins win, esecially if Rojas can start as a lefty. The Twins also got rid of France (need to see if Sabato is a keeper, please) for Roden seems to be someone that wasn't needed on the Jays roster, and sadly might prove the same for the Twins as they might have up to 8 outfielders on their 40-man come the off-season. I expected the Twins to include Larnach in a deal somewhere, which would have justified the need to acquire, for even just one season, Outman or Roden.

Again, sad that a hometown kid showing such promise was traded. Especially when the hometown team is basically in the midst of a public relations nightmare.

 

[sweetmusicviola16]

3 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Looking at that, they're expiring contracts as sellers, I'm ok with them too. But look at it as a buyer competing for division champ or wildcard. I'd be overjoyed to get a Bader, Castro, Coulume or Paddack; they would be valuable assets to any competing team for a redundant lotto ticket. When has Falvey ever done anything like that. Teams need these players, so use that little bit of leverage to get something more relevant. I was a little disappointed with the Paddack trade. But since we aren't going to be competitive for years to come, I'm ok with it now. But sad that we won't be competitive. 

The Paddack trade is probably the one of those 4 deals that I most had a problem with. Nothing against Jimenez  himself, but when they attached Dobnak to Paddack that's where my issue comes in. By saving 2.3 mil they just decreased the value coming back to the Twins. If long-term was any concern to them they would attempt to bring back more and better talent. Not save present dollars. Very likely with any of the trades they made had they paid this seasons salary and covered for the other teams added overage on the salary cap they could have likely got a better return for the future. Isn't it Falvey himself that said they need to be creative? This entire regime is more concerned about short-term cash savings than they are about the long-term benefits.

[sweetmusicviola16]

6 minutes ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

The Paddack trade is probably the one of those 4 deals that I most had a problem with. Nothing against Jimenez  himself, but when they attached Dobnak to Paddack that's where my issue comes in. By saving 2.3 mil they just decreased the value coming back to the Twins. If long-term was any concern to them they would attempt to bring back more and better talent. Not save present dollars. Very likely with any of the trades they made had they paid this seasons salary and covered for the other teams added overage on the salary cap they could have likely got a better return for the future. Isn't it Falvey himself that said they need to be creative? This entire regime is more concerned about short-term cash savings than they are about the long-term benefits.

Doc, now that I look at it from the perspective of creativity, no they didn't get as much as they could for Castro, Bader and Coloumbe. By adding cash they would heave gotten more. But now out of the blue this team is 400mil in debt and losing 40mil this season. I cry foul to that. This is a bunch of hooey that the Pohlad family is putting forth so that they will have an excuse for letting players leave and not signing better players either. I think a new owner is only a rumor. Just like I think the publicized debt is a falsehood. I don't like being lied to. 400mil of debt doesn't accrue overnight. Why was this not known a year ago? Because now the owners want to play poorball. Yeah my optimism is waning very low.

[mikelink45]

8 hours ago, Wedman13 said:

You realize you just put Louis Varland, a set up man's set up man in the same context as Winfield, Morris, Molitor, Hrbek and Mauer?  I must be losing my mind...

No - Winfield, Morris and Molitor were short term good pickups.  Varland is showing potential to be a closer and has 5 years left of service time.  We just emptied the BP.  So you are welcome to lose your mind, but I think he is the biggest loss of the trade season.

[mikelink45]

7 hours ago, Patzky said:

If Wallner isn't among the top five outfielders next spring, he also could be sent packing.. not the same scenario as the Varland trade but it's a possibility.

True - I hope he becomes the Hrbek of the next iteration.  

 

[Squirrel]

5 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

My assumption is that they liked the return. 

 

I don’t care if they liked it. I need to like it for it to be legit 🙂

[Jacksson]

RELAX.

The Twins have entered negotiations with the Chicago White Sox to acquire Gus Varland who was DFA by the club 8/07/25. 

[mluebker]

8 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

My assumption is that they liked the return. 

That’s what’s alarming.

[Riverbrian]

40 minutes ago, mluebker said:

That’s what’s alarming.

Everyone has a different clock. 

[ashbury]

8 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

My assumption is that they liked the return. 

 

[Wedman13]

2 hours ago, Jacksson said:

RELAX.

The Twins have entered negotiations with the Chicago White Sox to acquire Gus Varland who was DFA by the club 8/07/25. 

Possibly!  the Varland, and Wallner's for that mater have cousins?  I'd bet Jerry Koosman, Dick Stigman and maybe Dave Goltz have grandsons?  Mike Restovich may give up his legal practice to come back.  I hear Mike Kingery  and Tom Burgmeier have family (born in MN) that  can rip.  And Paul Giels step daughter's neighbor  crushes it.  Heck, I have to believe moonlight Graham has family in Chisholm that can play some.  Let's go!  26 MN players on  the roster.  The way to win, I guess 

[yeahyabetcha]

5 hours ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

The Paddack trade is probably the one of those 4 deals that I most had a problem with. Nothing against Jimenez  himself, but when they attached Dobnak to Paddack that's where my issue comes in. By saving 2.3 mil they just decreased the value coming back to the Twins. If long-term was any concern to them they would attempt to bring back more and better talent. Not save present dollars. Very likely with any of the trades they made had they paid this seasons salary and covered for the other teams added overage on the salary cap they could have likely got a better return for the future. Isn't it Falvey himself that said they need to be creative? This entire regime is more concerned about short-term cash savings than they are about the long-term benefits.

Saving the 2.3 million by moving Dobnak might have been the main purpose of the trade!!  Try as you might, Paddack was not worth all that much on the trade market.  

[Doc Lenz]

39 minutes ago, Wedman13 said:

Possibly!  the Varland, and Wallner's for that mater have cousins?  I'd bet Jerry Koosman, Dick Stigman and maybe Dave Goltz have grandsons?  Mike Restovich may give up his legal practice to come back.  I hear Mike Kingery  and Tom Burgmeier have family (born in MN) that  can rip.  And Paul Giels step daughter's neighbor  crushes it.  Heck, I have to believe moonlight Graham has family in Chisholm that can play some.  Let's go!  26 MN players on  the roster.  The way to win, I guess 

Jim Eisenrich can play all OF positions if needed.

[Doctor Wu]

23 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Roden does have the ability to be an everyday player, that’s true. And Rojas might be a good starter. That’d be fun.

I really did think Varland was set to be our closer for the next year or 2. Hard to not cheer for the hometown kid making the team.

All of this is to say, I’d much prefer a gm make baseball decisions that could be hard at times, even like this. If they were prioritizing an offer or a trade return just for people from Minnesota, that would very much handicap them longer term.

I liked Varland a lot and this trade was the one that bothered me the most. That said, two years from now we might look back and say it was the best trade we made at the deadline. No way to tell at this point, but the two players we got seem to have plenty of potential. In any case, I don't feel as angry now as I did last week. Sure, it's heartless to trade away a homegrown player like Varland, especially one that performed  well and also seemed very pleasant and fan-friendly. But baseball is a ruthless business. 

[Doctor Wu]

8 hours ago, Doc Lenz said:

Jim Eisenrich can play all OF positions if needed.

And I think Mickey Hatcher could still be a good DH. 

[USAFChief]

10 hours ago, yeahyabetcha said:

Saving the 2.3 million by moving Dobnak might have been the main purpose of the trade!!  

You say that like it's a good thing. 

[theBOMisthebomb]

On 8/7/2025 at 7:00 AM, Wedman13 said:

What in gods name is going on with these articles?  Just terrible clickbait the last week.  Cry me a river his parents need to now travel to watch him play Major League Baseball.  He's blessed, and so are they.  And specifically, which players were 'seething'?

I get it, cool down home name from St. Paul so let's look past that he was me first and didn't even want to go to the pen.  and that before this year he was terrible.  And that he wasn't even a setup man on a bad team.  My god....

This by all measures was a good trade, and it's getting very tiring reading about how amazing the talent was that we traded away, while the team has dramatically underperformed.

i truly don't understand where TD is going with articles like this.  

This was obviously a column with opinion, not an article. 

[jjswol]

On 8/7/2025 at 10:39 AM, Wedman13 said:

I'm genuinely curious why you put Varland in this category?  He's almost 28, has a career ERA of 4.6.  I don't believe he's anything like Ryan.  And why wasn't Duran in this category?  

not being sarcastic, I'm truly not quite understanding.

Duran has been a good closer but he walks too many. He fastball isn't what it used to be. You knew he would bring good value back and the Twins had Jax and Varland as possible closers. I didn't plan on them trading both Jax and Duran. But then Jax requested a trade probably because he didn't want to play for a team that gave up and a manager that is not qualified to be one. Varland is a local kid that is just learning how to be a relief pitcher and he is very good at that. He wants to pitch every day. I see a future closing role for him. ERA's for relief pitchers mean nothing as a bad game or two kills their ERA for the season. If I had to rank these pitchers in the order I see them piching that last inning to win a World Series I would go with Jax, then Varland and finally Duran. Hope that explains my thinking.

[yeahyabetcha]

4 hours ago, USAFChief said:

You say that like it's a good thing. 

I agree.  It was a good trade.

[jkcarew]

Of all the legitimate reasons to dislike this administration and their recent actions, which could include reasons like “Varland is pretty good and might get better”….the “they traded one of us” is the stupidest and least legitimate.