The Hitters Who've Gotten the Twins Here Are, Paradoxically, the Ones Getting in the Way

Alan Roden started five games last week after joining the Minnesota Twins roster in place of Byron Buxton. That might be all the time he gets, for now — Buxton is eligible to return from the injured list on Friday. Nearly a year after they acquired him as an ostensibly MLB-ready outfielder, the 26-year-old Roden has made a total of 56 plate appearances with the Twins, spending a vast majority of his time in Triple-A or on the IL.

If we get to the end of this year and that remains the case, it'll feel like a failure in follow-through for this rebuilding (?) team. Roden was a key part of the return for Louis Varland, now the AL's best closer. Not only will the Twins have gotten no value from Roden, but they won't have learned much of anything about him in the span of a season and a half.

Alas, as things stand, the path to regular playing time for a healthy Roden is basically non-existent. Buxton is an All-Star center fielder. Trevor Larnach is just behind Buxton in terms of productivity (.366 wOBA), thriving with a regular routine in left field. Meanwhile, Luke Keaschall has transitioned from infield to outfield and, so far, not looked back. His bat is coming on strong, with a .303/.418/.449 slash line in his past 30 games.

Buxton and Keaschall aren't going anywhere. Larnach could be a different story. There is merit to the idea of trading him, even in a buyer context: sell high, free up payroll (~$2 million), and fall back on ample depth that includes Roden, Matt Wallner, Walker Jenkins, Gabriel Gonzalez, Kody Clemens and eventually Emmanuel Rodriguez. It's a strategically sound concept for a creative front office.

But then you take a step back and say, really? The Twins are competing for a playoff spot and they're going to trade their leadoff hitter, who's been integral to a league-leading scoring offense, for a prospect or middle reliever? All to make room for a guy like Roden who was proven nothing as a big-leaguer? Seems kind of ludicrous when you put it that way.

The same dynamic takes shape elsewhere across the roster. One solution to the outfield logjam — one that I sort of favor, in theory — would be shifting Buxton primarily to DH for the second half in order to preserve his health and keep him in the lineup. In that scenario, you could use Keaschall in center and give Roden some real run in right field. 

The problem is that Josh Bell is now the everyday designated hitter. I guess it's hard to call that a "problem" because Bell has been a dream-come-true at the position, with a .971 OPS in the past month, but his inflexible usage does create certain blockages. 

The argument for shopping Bell at the deadline is similar to Larnach: depth to replace him, salary relief to reinvest, and a lack of future fit. But the contradictory logic is also the same: You're going to trade the cleanup hitter who's been driving your offense to this point? And that's supposed to make your team better?

Ryan Jeffers is another example, and maybe the most pressing. His return from the injured list last week has compelled the Twins to carry three catchers, including Alex Jackson who figures to rarely be used. The sticking point is that Jackson is out of options, and would likely be claimed off waivers if designated for assignment. Jackson has looked good enough to position himself as the team's backup catcher next year behind Victor Caratini. 

If the Twins are out of contention, the path forward is simple: trade the free-agency-bound Jeffers for what you can get, and spend the rest of the year working in your 2027 catching tandem. (You can afford to deal with the wasted roster spot in the meantime, because the games don't matter.)

If the Twins are firmly in contention, and a legit threat in the American League, the path forward is also simple: hold Jeffers past the deadline and don't worry so much about losing Jackson. When you're playing in the now, you can't overly worry about tomorrow.

Where the Twins are, a game below .500 at the All-Star break, is stuck weirdly in the middle. They are legitimately in postseason contention, primarily due to the overall shabbiness of the league, but still long shots to reach October and longer shots to advance. This puts their front office in a fascinating spot as the trade deadline approaches. In the likelihood the team misses the playoffs, you don't want to look back with regret at opportunities missed. At the same time, you also don't want to hinder your chances to capitalize on what's in front of you, especially with an edict seemingly coming down from ownership to push.

Personally, I'm interested in seeing this season through but I'm mainly setting my sights on 2027 as the opening of a true championship window: a rotation led by Joe Ryan, Pablo López and Taj Bradley along with a more fully-formed bullpen and an emerging lineup bolstered by newly arriving top prospects. That's a team you can really start believing in, especially if Tom Pohlad is prepared to invest as he claims.

Do the Twins want to take further steps now to maximize that window, or are they more inclined to stay focused on the present in pursuit of a postseason berth in this wide-open AL landscape? There are big trade-offs either way, setting up heavy implications for the front office's looming deadline decisions.