Twins Video
The Twins' inaction at the trade deadline was inexcusable. It’s impossible to ignore that, as we watch a severely understaffed roster find new ways to lose on a daily basis. There will be plenty of raw emotion directed at their fateful decision in July, and rightfully so. Still, it’s important to try to follow the circumstances that led to the decisions they made.
We can’t talk about the 2024 trade deadline without acknowledging that it felt much different than previous ones. The expanded playoffs limited the pool of clear sellers, driving up the acquisition prices for even short-term, medium-impact players. The front office echoed this point following the quiet passing of the deadline.
We saw several starters and relievers traded for strong returns, and even got word that acquiring a mid-rotation arm like Erick Fedde would have cost the Twins one of their top prospects, perhaps because of an intradivisional trade tax. Some rental relievers were traded for MLB-ready high-end prospects, something we haven't seen happen in a long time. The Twins decided to hold onto their highly regarded farm system, and live or die with what they had--aside from Trevor Richards, that is, who likely wound up being responsible for a loss or two all by himself before being designated for assignment a few weeks after being acquired.
Unfortunately, financial restraints are also a consideration. While the exact details will never be public, the Twins certainly had very little space to add salary. There was some suggestion that doing so would have required trading away someone like Max Kepler to offset the cost. While the front office could have gotten creative, they had a tough needle to thread.
The Twins' history at the trade deadline is also worth considering in tandem with both points. This front office's history of acquiring players via trade during competitive seasons is flat-out putrid. Sergio Romo is one of the only deadline acquisitions under this regime to come in and increase the team's odds of winning anything. Sam Dyson, Tyler Mahle, and Jorge López are a few examples of players acquired to bolster competitive rosters down the stretch, but who instead imploded spectacularly. After watching this play out so many times before, it’s possible that the Twins preferred to mirror their low-wattage but successful 2023 trade deadline, rather than pay up to make a huge, risky splash.
This is where the devil’s advocate act ends, however. The Twins are in a death spiral, and a lack of meaningful additions to the team is directly to blame. Slashing payroll resulted in lower-tier additions this last offseason, and aside from Carlos Santana (who has been a glowing success), the team hasn’t added an external player to the roster who has contributed in a meaningful way in almost two years.
Some may praise the front office for their frugalness in keeping all of their prospects this deadline, deeming the prices too expensive. The problem is that every other competitive team in baseball disagreed, because they felt that improving their current roster was priority number one. At a certain point, “too expensive” is simply the market price everyone else is paying. It can be argued that the Twins are set up better for 2025, but there are no guarantees with prospects. The history of baseball is riddled with trades involving exciting prospects who never even make it to the majors.
The Royals overhauled their bullpen at the deadline, not only by acquiring Lucas Erceg but by adding Michael Lorenzen to their rotation, deepening their pen through salutary demotion. They then reinforced their outfield in August with waiver claims, paying the remaining salaries of Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman to add them to their mix and snapping up Yuli Gurriel to replace the injured Vinnie Pasquantino. The Guardians only added Alex Cobb to their rotation, and his injury issues have persisted, but they also bolstered their outfield with Lane Thomas, who was atrocious in August but is hitting .294/.324/.603 for them in September. Those teams got better heading into the late summer, because they committed themselves to doing so.
Competitive windows are unpredictable, even when an MLB roster looks so primed for future success with a robust farm system propping them up. Look no further than the Chicago White Sox, across the division, who were supposed to be in the middle of one right now. The Twins' season may look completely different if they had even one more decent reliever. Instead, they’re watching their playoff hopes come crashing down in September for the second time in three years, which would be an embarrassing outcome for a contending team in the era of expanded playoffs.
We can’t say this was their last big chance to go on a run, as much of the team will be returning in 2025, but given how this season has unfolded, there are no guarantees. President of baseball operations Derek Falvey is not currently under contract beyond this season, as far as we or anyone else outside the organization knows. One must wonder if the payroll situation may affect his decision about whether to return.
Speaking of the payroll, another reduction could be coming this winter, after attendance projections were not even close to being met in 2024. The team cut $30 million this last offseason, even after they received most of the payout they were accustomed to from their deal with Bally Sports. This will almost certainly not be the case in 2025. If the club misses out on the financial boost of making the playoffs, it will only increase ownership's urgency to save money. In addition to that lost revenue, attendance projections will see a sharp decline, as many fans will have likely been lost due to their inability to watch games on television and the overall state of the team.
Competitive seasons are precious in baseball. Sometimes, magical things happen, and sometimes, they flame out. A team’s goal should be to improve its odds in this unpredictable game as much as possible. The Twins did not see the need to do so after their first playoff win in two decades, and it’s cost them dearly. The only question is whether the organization realizes to what degree yet.
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now