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It’s been about 10 days since the Twins left MLB’s trade kitchen without getting anything to eat. Yes, they made a deal earlier in the week when they swapped Jorge Lopez for Dylan Floro, but there was much more to be desired as the club approached the August 1st trade deadline. Whether it was due to a tricky market with few sellers, or a debatable lack of a major hole on their roster, the Twins decided to stand pat as they make their push toward the postseason.
But things change quickly over the course of a week - not just for the Twins, but league wide. Teams that were clinging to dwindling hopes of landing a spot in the playoff bracket are now regretting their passivity. And while the Twins liked their depth enough to hold out through the deadline, they now find themselves with a handful of injuries that are once again chipping away at the roster.
So it begs the question - how would the Twins’ trade deadline have played out if they had an extra week to make their determinations?
Take a look at a few of the teams that decided not to sell any significant pieces last Tuesday. The Los Angeles Angels know that it’s almost certain that their impending superstar free agent, Shohei Ohtani, will not return to Anaheim next season. Even so, they decided that the optics of trading away one of the most-talented players of all time would be too detrimental to their organization.
Not only did they hang onto the probable American League MVP, but they held off on trading other assets in the hopes of making their own playoff push. Players that could’ve fetched the Angels a solid return such as Hunter Renfroe and Matt Moore would’ve been of great interest to a team like the Twins, even before their most recent injury developments.
The cherry on top of the Angels’ mistake sundae was the fact they even turned themselves into buyers at the deadline, acquiring supplemental pieces like Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk. Each of those players would’ve been considered solid buys for the Twins had they decided to make a move. Instead, they find themselves on a sinking ship that has lost seven of their last 10 games.
The Boston Red Sox are another team that could have been a great trade match with the Twins if they had decided to lean into a seller’s mindset. Instead, they hung onto valuable assets such as outfielder Adam Duvall and star slugger Justin Turner. Each of those players are free agents at year’s end (Turner has a $10.5 million player option), and each would have represented a clear boost to the club’s corps of right-handed hitters. Instead, Boston held off on trading them away, and much like the Angels, all they have to show for it is seven losses in their last 10 games.
The Twins could certainly use any of the aforementioned players thanks to some injury developments that have sprung up in the past few weeks. Alex Kirilloff hit the injured list with a shoulder issue. Byron Buxton is on the shelf with a hamstring injury. Brock Stewart had yet another setback in his recovery from a sore elbow. To make matters worse, the club’s best right-handed hitter, Donovan Solano, left Tuesday night’s game against the Detroit Tigers with a knee injury. While it looks like he will likely avoid a stay on the injured list, the Twins will surely be cautious with his usage in the near-term.
Of course, just because the Twins would’ve had more time to swing a deal had the deadline been this week instead of last, doesn’t mean they would have certainly pushed something through. Even knowing how some sellers such as the Angels and Red Sox have fared in the last week, it’s very possible that the club could have wound up with the same outcome regardless.
As Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic stated on the latest mailbag episode of the Gleeman and the Geek podcast (Patreon subscription required, and highly recommended), any criticism toward the club’s inaction at the deadline should be directed at the Twins’ passivity, not the lack of options to upgrade the roster. There were moves to be made even without the inclusion of the Angels or Red Sox.
“Would it make it more likely that John and I would go get lunch after the show today if there were five great restaurants right across the street?” Gleeman said as he started another one of his world-famous terrible analogies. “Yes, but that shouldn’t really affect whether you eat when you’re hungry. You can make yourself a sandwich.”
But the Twins skipped their lunch, and now we’re starting to hear their growling belly that was desperate for something to tide themselves over until dinner.
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