Twins Wrestle with Trade Deadline Consequences of a Spring Decision

As well documented, the Minnesota Twins trade deadline came with much noise but no action. That deadline could have looked much better if the front office hadn't made things tougher on themselves just before the season began. 

As the opening day roster was getting its final refinements, a decision about the once often-injured left-handed reliever, Danny Coulombe, was needed. Over the past three seasons, Coulombe pitched for the Twins in a somewhat limited fashion, with his 34 1/3 innings in 2021 being the most for a single season. Even though limited, when he was healthy, Coulombe proved to be a quality secondary setup man for the Twins over the past three seasons. 

As Coulombe was healthy and pitching well this spring, he appeared to have earned himself a spot in the Twins' pen. In the Twins' eyes, there was still a battle for the last spot. That battle for the final spot came down to Coulombe or Cole Sands. (Emilio Pagan's name should likely be here, but we know that story by now.) The Twins went with Sands and collected cash from Baltimore for Coulombe. 

That has made Coulombe an essential part of the Orioles bullpen, throwing 37 innings with a 2.92 ERA, 11.2 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, and a 144 ERA+. The lefty has pitched well against both sides of the plate, although with much more success getting strikeouts against right-handed batters. With the ongoing struggles with injuries and ineffectiveness in the Twins bullpen, Coulombe would have been a valuable piece in Minnesota. Coulombe would have helped Pagan pitch fewer innings, Jovani Moran pitch fewer innings, and more help during Caleb Thielbar and Brock Stewart's injury. 

Instead, the Twins went with Sands to begin the season. Sands has appeared in 10 games, throwing 14 innings. That comes with a 4.50 ERA, 9.0 K/9, 5.8 BB/9, and a 98 ERA+. It also includes about a week when Sands was in the bullpen, and the Twins seemed unwilling and unconfident to pitch him even though the rest was running on fumes. 

The handling of Coulombe is a further example of how the Twins need help to self-evaluate players within their system. Coulombe may not go on to become the next great setup man or closer for anyone, but he has found an impactful role on a very competitive team. A role he should have filled in Minnesota. 

The negative impact of the move is only that much more accented now that the Twins were unable or unwilling to swing a trade for a reliever at the deadline. The lack of movement might have been more tolerable if Coulombe was still in a Twins uniform. As it stands, this roster has a lot of question marks attached to it. If they aren't now answered internally in a way that leads to the playoffs, the questions might begin getting more heated for the front office. While it was a minor move, the Coulombe decision has significant ripple effects on the season for the Twins.