Nick Nelson

I don't think he'll ever be a regular starting SS in the majors but it could definitely be a tool in his utility kit.

Those accolades were ... based on ... performance?

Seems like an odd take given the impact that guys like Julien and Wallner have had on this offense. The way to play better baseball is to use better baseball players, and not to have someone like Willi Castro batting leadoff or Jordan Luplow batting second.

The dude is a 24-year-old top 5 draft pick from 3 years ago who was the org's #1 prospect before last season and a consensus top-50 global prospect at the time, but I like how we're treating him as if he's Kyle Sloter. Also - since you mentioned it, you should definitely go and take a look at what Lewis did in his second full pro season.

After a tumultuous run, the centerpiece of the José Berríos trade is re-emerging as a potential difference-maker for the Twins down the stretch. One thing is for sure: Minnesota could sorely use the skills Austin Martin offers when at his best. Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports It is clear to me that certain people – including possibly the Twins manager – have become overly enamored with Willi Castro. He's gone from folk hero to focal point of the offense, drawing a start in the leadoff spot in Friday night's series opener against the Phillies. Look, I'm not here to knock Castro. He's a valuable piece in the right capacity. But a guy with a career .299 OBP and 89 OPS+ is not exactly the prototype for an effective leadoff hitter. (He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.) Then again, I get why Rocco Baldelli and much of the fan base would be drawn to Castro. He's an exciting athlete and he brings qualities to the field that are otherwise lacking on this roster. The 26-year-old hits from both sides, can field capably at a variety of positions, and he's a weapon on the basepaths with 29 steals on 33 attempts. The problem is that all these qualities are packaged up in a player who is, overall, not very good. Castro deserves credit for playing to the maximum of his ability, but even at that he's not a starting-caliber player – or he wouldn't be, outside of the circumstances that have put him on a 450-PA pace for the Twins this year. Castro was cut loose during the offseason by the lowly Tigers, and he's not a wholly different player for Minnesota than he was for Detroit. Imagine if the Twins could access a player who brings many of the desirable qualities boasted by Castro, but with greater talent and far more viable upside? As luck would have it, that player might be just a phone call away at Triple-A. Austin Martin was the No. 5 pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, and No. 1 prospect in the Twins system heading into last year, based on traits similar to those that endeared fans to Castro: he's scrappy, he's aggressive, he's versatile. "He's electric," I wrote of Martin and his rep at the time. "He's confident. He's a gamer and a playmaker. You want to see him in big spots." Seventeen months later, the 24-year-old has since traveled a rough and bumpy road – including a brutal 2022 campaign that he attributes to betraying the strengths that made him effective, and an injury-ruined first half here in 2023. But those traits are still within him, and finally it looks like Martin is feeling good again. He missed several months after spraining his elbow in spring training, and then had his rehab disrupted by another injury, but Martin finally made it to Triple-A last month. He was slow to get going, batting just .154 in his first 10 games, but since then he has looked very much like the electric on-base machine that made his name as a prospect. In his past 16 games, Martin is slashing .347/.460/.469 with 11 walks and 10 strikeouts in 64 plate appearances. Here in August he's got eight hits, eight walks and five steals through seven games. Like Castro, Martin can play a variety of positions including second and all three outfield spots. (Third and short could be in play, though his elbow issues may discourage the Twins from using him there this year.) Like Castro, Martin is a prolific and effective base-stealer, 11-for-13 this year and 35-for-41 last year. The big difference lies in their specific offensive profiles, which are polar opposite. Whereas Castro is a free-swinger who whiffs a lot and occasionally gets a hold of one, Martin is a highly-patient contact machine. He led all of Double-A in OBP in 2021, his first pro season, and currently has a .374 OBP at St. Paul. Now THAT is the kind of profile you want in the leadoff spot. Obviously, it is too soon to officially pronounce Martin fully "back" to his best form after a few good weeks. Even at his best, when the Twins acquired him as headliner in the José Berríos trade, Martin had limitations in his game that kept his projections in check – namely, a lack of power or a clear defensive home. Those question marks remain, even as he gets back to excelling on his strengths. Martin has only seven extra-base hits (one homer) in 108 Triple-A plate appearances, and hasn't settled into any specific defensive position there, although he's played a good amount in left and that's somewhere the Twins could use a righty bat ... other than Willi Castro. Obviously, eyes are on Royce Lewis as a short-term reinforcement from St. Paul, and rightfully so. But don't sleep on the impact Martin – who's actually a couple months older than Lewis – could yet make in this campaign if his game continues to lock in. He still needs to be added to the 40-man roster, but even so, Martin seems like a good candidate to be called up in September when rosters expand. It'll be interesting to see if they try to get him up before then to make him available for the playoffs. With his skill set and makeup, Martin is the kind of player you want on the postseason roster. When on his game, you want to see him in big spots. View full article

That's not exactly what I was getting at. Just that having your offense be more power-driven -- and the Twins are power-driven, they rank 6th in the majors in ISO -- can be more beneficial in the playoffs. Strikeouts tend to be associated with being power-driven but obviously they are not good at this team's extreme.

In what way is this "assuming best case"? It is laying out the things that would need to happen to put the Twins in a favorable position, and I'm not sure how one could say any of them are remotely implausible.

Even after playing dead at the deadline, the Minnesota Twins remain heavy favorites to win the AL Central and reach the postseason for the first time since 2020. Despite their clear flaws, the Twins are actually built for playoff success at a core level. As uninspiring as their play has often been, it's not hard to envision this team making a push come October, given the right breaks. Image courtesy of Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports The MLB postseason gets underway in a little under two months. That's a long time in baseball terms. There are still many games to be played, many moments to be experienced, and many twists of fortune to be unraveled. The Twins were riding a high note with five straight wins before falling flat on Tuesday night in Detroit, but before that, things were ugly. Throughout the year they've maintained a gravitational pull toward the .500 mark. They stood pat at the trade deadline while simultaneously receiving grim injury news regarding two critical pieces (Brock Stewart and Alex Kirilloff). Their high likelihood of making the playoffs owes much more to the division they play in than the quality of their play. I'm not here to tell you those are good things. But these factors do not negate Minnesota's chances of winning a playoff game, series, or more. Here are some narratives that fans should be tracking over the final third of the season to gauge this club's true postseason mettle. If all or most of these things are clicking come October, this team will be worth believing in. Offense finds a groove balancing aggressiveness and power. It is accurate to say that the Twins are far too strikeout-prone and power-dependent as an offense, and that's hurt them throughout this regular season. It's also accurate to say that, generally speaking, these traits are more favorable in the postseason. When you're facing high-end power pitchers almost exclusively, a run-scoring model focused on ambushing and striking with the long ball becomes more valuable, because that's how pretty much all teams have to score against these guys. Striking out a bunch ain't so out of the ordinary. You're likely not stringing together singles against Max Scherzer. Mixing deep threats like Byron Buxton, Matt Wallner and Ryan Jeffers with dynamic offensive weapons like Edouard Julien and Royce Lewis would give the Twins a potentially potent attack for a short series. Meanwhile, Willi Castro would make for a fascinating postseason bench weapon. If the Twins can get guys like Kirilloff and Jorge Polanco healthy and on track, all the better. Of course, there's one position player who supersedes all others in terms of pivotal playoff magnitude. Carlos Correa finds a semblance of his classic form. I'm not exactly optimistic about Correa's prospects of permanently shaking free from this season-long slump. But I've been known to be wrong before, and boy, would I love for that to be the case here. His first couple of games in Detroit have certainly been encouraging. The shortstop looms large as a factor for October, because postseason accolades were among his biggest selling points as a top-tier free agent. Correa is one of the great playoff performers in major-league history, ranking sixth all-time in RBIs and No. 1 among active players. Correa has made roughly three times as many career postseason plate appearances as all other Twins combined. The 28-year-old is well acquainted with the biggest spotlight and he has thrived under it. That was undoubtedly a compelling draw for a team that hasn't made it to the World Series since before he was born, and hasn't won a postseason game since he was 10. In the first year of his $200 million contract with the Twins, Correa should have an opportunity to deliver on his rep and make good after a perpetually disappointing regular-season campaign. Frontline starters keep pitching like frontline starters. Good starting pitching is an essential ingredient for postseason success. This Twins rotation ranks among the best in franchise history, with no fewer than four playoff-caliber starters. Leading the way are All-Stars Pablo López and Sonny Gray, who both rank among the top 10 in the majors in fWAR. Bailey Ober has a 3.21 ERA in 18 starts since joining the team from Triple-A. Kenta Maeda has a 2.47 ERA in eight starts since shaking off some residual elbow fatigue. Joe Ryan is currently on the injured list after tanking while playing through a groin strain, but prior to that he had a 2.98 ERA in 15 starts. The Twins will likely be at a match-up advantage in at least the second and third game of an ALDS series. If they make a deeper run, their depth of high-end starters only grows more valuable. But that depth needs to stay intact until then. Back end of the bullpen stays healthy and strong. Starters taking care of business only goes so far if the relievers can't hold up in the late innings. We saw this issue rise to the forefront in the Twins' most recent postseason appearance, in 2020. The current Minnesota bullpen is blessed with two of the best high-leverage relievers in the game, Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax. If they keep pitching the way they have, that's a massive advantage in October. This points to a key challenge that manager Rocco Baldelli has been grappling with all year. Phil Miller wrote in the Star Tribune all the way back in early June that the Twins were being careful about not overusing Duran, knowing the risks posed by his injury history and ferocious delivery. Which is why Duran's post-break usage has been a bit alarming. He pitched back-to-backs only three times in the entire first half, but has already done so three times since the All-Star break, including pitching three straight days in mid-July. Meanwhile, the righty's performance on the mound has sagged, with a 6.39 ERA and .321 opponents' batting average since the beginning of July. On the bright side, Duran has received a bit of a break lately, as he hasn't been needed since last Friday. Baldelli will need to emphasize getting him more of these breaks in the final weeks, putting the manager in a tough position, given that he also needs to secure the AL Central while lacking additional late-inning bullpen depth thanks to the front office's deadline dud. Slumps are only slumps, and Duran's still hurling the ball in triple digits with a filthy breaking ball. Hopefully a bit of a respite helps him get back on track and the Twins can keep him strong into October, because he has the potential to be a massive postseason weapon. Same goes for Jax. The big question then becomes whether the supporting cast – Caleb Thielbar, Emilio Pagan, Dylan Floro, etc. – has enough quality to fill the gaps and seal the deal. View full article

Last week's trade deadline came and went without a move from the Minnesota Twins front office, who decided they're comfortable with the group they have, even as their on-field product continued to lag. To their credit, the team responded with a 5-1 week, extending their lead in the Central to 4 ½ games as the division crumbles beneath them. Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 7/31 through Sun, 8/6 *** Record Last Week: 5-1 (Overall: 59-54) Run Differential Last Week: +13 (Overall: +47) Standing: 1st Place in AL Central (4.5 GA) Last Week's Game Results: Game 108 | MIN 3, STL 2: Solano's Big Hit Leads to Slim Victory Game 109 | STL 7, MIN 3: Cards Crush Ryan for Four Homers Game 110 | MIN 5, STL 3: Gray Excels, Earns First Win Since April Game 111 | MIN 3, ARI 2: Three Solo Shots Enough to Sink D-backs Game 112 | MIN 12, ARI 1: Jeffers Homers Twice in Blowout Win Game 113 | MIN 5, ARI 3: Kepler Ties It, Wallner Walks It Off NEWS & NOTES The Twins headed into the trade deadline looking like a team in dire need of help, riding a five-game losing streak and coming off an embarrassing sweep to the Royals. They got none. The front office strangely stood pat at the deadline, passing up the opportunity to make even minor additions for a flawed team being struck by continuous attrition. The gravity of their inaction was felt even more heavily as we learned that Brock Stewart and Alex Kirilloff, two players who were in line for key roles down the stretch and beyond, had troubling injury setbacks. Kirilloff is now on the injured list with a right shoulder strain that's been bothering him for some time and worsened. Stewart was moved to the 60-day IL last week, unable to shake his forearm soreness. It would not be surprising if neither makes it back this year. The Twins also lost Byron Buxton to the IL with a strained hamstring, and Joe Ryan with a strained groin. The circumstances of Ryan's injury were especially frustrating – he evidently had been bothered by it for several starts but failed to notify the team, pitching horrifically in the meantime. Speaking of pitching horrifically, the Twins had seen enough of that from Jovani Moran. Shortly after the left-hander issued three walks in one inning during Saturday's blowout, he was optioned to St. Paul. He just can't stay in the strike zone and unless that changes Moran has no future in the big leagues. The roster did get some reinforcements amid all of these subtractions. Brent Headrick was swapped in for Moran, joining newly-activated Caleb Thielbar as a second lefty in the pen. Jordan Luplow was claimed off waivers from Toronto, adding a much-needed right-handed bat to the mix – albeit a lesser alternative to what was available via trade. And on Sunday, Dallas Keuchel made his Twins debut against Arizona. Keuchel wasn't very impressive, recording zero strikeouts with two walks and eight hits allowed, but lucked his way into holding AZ to one run. He figures to get at least a couple more looks while Ryan is sidelined. HIGHLIGHTS From a big-picture view, the most impactful developments of the week – in terms of the Twins and their outlook – took place elsewhere. While Minnesota did nothing at the deadline, Cleveland one-upped them by selling off key veteran pieces in Aaron Civale and Josh Bell. Later in the week, their biggest star sparked an on-field fistfight with White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson. A perfect summary of the "drunken bar fight" (as GATG coined) that is this year's AL Central. Jose Ramirez might've taken down Anderson in the scrum, but his Guardians were the ones taking haymakers and dropping in the standings. They lost five of six games to fall four and a half back of the Twins, who more than took care of business against a pair of struggling National League opponents. Ryan Jeffers was the emergent star of the offense, leading the charge in Saturday's 12-run flurry with a pair of home runs after doubling and homering in the St. Louis series. He finally appears to be realizing his potential as a power-hitting force at catcher, and became the first Twins position player to reach 2.0 fWAR. As a part-time catcher, that's an extremely impressive number for early August. The success of Jeffers is almost entirely counterbalancing the total offensive void that has been Christian Vazquez. Michael A. Taylor joined the fun on Saturday by homering in his third straight game. Much like Jeffers, albeit to a lesser extent, Taylor's combination of power and defense at a premium position make him more valuable than meets the eye. Max Kepler has gotten back to offering those qualities too, minus the premium position part. He went deep three times over the weekend at Target Field, including a game-tying blast in the bottom of the ninth on Sunday, and suddenly his OPS his healthily above-average. The glovework in right field remains sterling. Shortly after Kepler tied Sunday's game in the ninth, Matt Wallner stepped in with a runner on first base and nobody out. Paul Sewald, who'd been victimized by the Twins in a loss two weeks earlier (as a member of the Mariners), left a 92-MPH fastball out over the plate and Wallner said "buh-bye" for his first career walk-off in the majors. At last, Wallner has found his way into everyday playing time in the majors and he is thriving. The Twins cannot look back at this point. He went 6-for-20 with two homers, two doubles, and seven RBIs last week. Wallner has seemingly settled in as Rocco Baldelli's No. 5 hitter against right-handers and it's a good look. On the pitching side, it was a sorely needed stabilization for the Twins and their staff. The rotation's lagging performance after the All-Star break was setting off all kinds of alarms. But outside of Ryan's dud, the starters got it done. Sonny Gray notched his first win since April on Wednesday, hurling seven innings of two-run ball before handing it to Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran for a smooth 3-2 victory. He struck out eight and walked none, peppering the zone with confidence all night. It's the kind of emphatic and decisive performance that's been oddly rare for Gray during this undeniably stellar season. Kenta Maeda was lights-out once again on Saturday. Pablo López and Bailey Ober also threw well. Dylan Floro made a welcome impact with two shutout innings from the bullpen. Jax threw three scoreless eighth innings, all in tight situations, to lower his ERA to 2.85 on the season. There are a lot of parts to like on this team, which makes it all the more befuddling that the front office failed to supplement or add depth in anyway at the deadline. Alas, that's in the past now, and doesn't take away from the teeming potential of this ballclub when enough pieces are clicking. Especially if they could get one other piece in particular to click... LOWLIGHTS When Carlos Correa managed to drop a two-run single into left field in the sixth inning on Sunday, giving the Twins a (brief) lead, one can only imagine the level of relief he felt. To say Correa had been in a skid would be an understatement: He entered the game slashing .143/.204/.184 in his previous 12, and had already grounded into two double plays on the day, extending his league-leading total to 22. Despite his best efforts, Correa has been a constant drain on the lineup, failing to harness any burst of momentum or find a sustained rhythm at the plate. He's homered just once since June 24th (a span of 150 plate appearances). Sunday's game was his first with multiple RBIs in more than three weeks. I desperately want to believe that Correa's clutch moment against Arizona will finally be the breakthrough that sticks and sets up a late surge. But my faith has run dry. We've seen so many of these fleeting, false indicators of a turnaround that I've finally grown convinced Correa is what he is, for this year at least: a below-average hitter with frustratingly repetitive tendencies. Sure enough, in his next at-bat – with a runner on and the game tied in the eighth – Correa went down in familiar fashion, watching a fastball sail over the plate uncontested for strike three. All things considered, Minnesota is in a relatively favorable position: overwhelmingly likely to make the playoffs with a roster makeup conducive to October success. (Good starters and backend relievers, power-driven lineup.) The Guardians fortunately seem intent on maximizing Minnesota's margin or error, but the runway is never going to be infinite. The Twins need better from guys like Correa and Ryan, who are viewed as leaders on this team. They need to stop feeding at-bats to Joey Gallo. They need to catch a few dang breaks on the health front. (The return of Royce Lewis, hopefully later this month, looms large.) The past seven days may have moved the needle strongly in Minnesota's direction for the AL Central race, but did little to quell the nagging concerns that this group – left intact, as such – is equipped to end the franchise's postseason curse narrative. TRENDING STORYLINE With all the big news surrounding the trade deadline and shifting AL Central dynamics, it was also a very eventful week on the Twins farm. Top draft pick Walker Jenkins debuted in the Florida Complex League, doubling in his first professional plate appearance. We'll be waiting a long time for the arrival of the 18-year-old stud outfielder, but it's going to be fun to follow him. Twins fans won't have to wait nearly as long to see to see the organization's No. 1 prospect, and top draft pick from a year ago. Brooks Lee was promoted to Triple-A last week, putting him just one step away from the majors at age 22. It's not unthinkable Lee could find his way up to the big leagues this year, especially if Lewis can't rebound from his oblique injury, but one way or another he's not far off. The Saints return to CHS Field this coming week if you're interested in catching baseball's No. 17 prospect in action. LOOKING AHEAD These are what they call the dog days. The Twins are running through a bit of a summer gauntlet in the schedule right now: 16 games in 17 days, with 13 of them on the road. They're wrapping up this tough stretch in the coming week with trips to Detroit and Philly, with no break. The second half of August gets much more accommodating: after next weekend's Phillies series, they have four off days mixed into the following three weeks, and 12 of their remaining 14 August games are at home. They've just gotta get through this next week. Beware: lefty starters lurk ahead. MONDAY, 8/7: TWINS @ TIGERS – RHP Pablo Lopez v. LHP Joey Wentz TUESDAY, 8/8: TWINS @ TIGERS – RHP Sonny Gray v. LHP Eduardo Rodriguez WEDNESDAY, 8/9: TWINS @ TIGERS – RHP Bailey Ober v. TBD THURSDAY, 8/10: TWINS @ TIGERS – RHP Kenta Maeda v. RHP Reese Olson FRIDAY, 8/11: TWINS @ PHILLIES – LHP Dallas Keuchel v. LHP Cristopher Sanchez SATURDAY, 8/12: TWINS @ PHILLIES – RHP Pablo Lopez v. RHP Taijuan Walker SUNDAY, 8/13: TWINS @ PHILLIES – RHP Sonny Gray v. LHP Ranger Suarez View full article

Being frustrated when the team plays bad or makes weird decisions is part of the fan experience. Comes with the territory of being emotionally invested in a team you've followed for decades. I still have fun watching the games and enjoy talking about what's happening. I guess some people have a hard time separating those things, not me.

Gotcha. I would say the fact that he's not hitting fastballs sort of negates the idea that he's not getting anything to hit and that's the problem. You gotta hit fastballs.

Like, because he has better hitters around him? Correa ranks 9th among qualified Twins hitters in OPS+, the only ones worse are Vazquez and Taylor. You're seriously blaming other hitters for this?? He is THE problem with the lineup come on now.

Wouldn't it be great if they didn't consistently validate this chicken-little BS? Believe me, I'm right there with you friend. Unfortunately this team has yet to shut up any of the nay-sayers in the past two decades or so.

Fans have been anxiously awaiting a seemingly inevitable sustained breakout from the biggest signing in franchise history. It hasn't happened. Sadly, I've grown convinced it's not gonna happen. Carlos Correa is what he is, for this year at least. If this is his new permanent reality, then the outlook for the Twins going forward is very grim. Image courtesy of D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports As Carlos Correa stumbled out of the gates in Year 1 of his newly minted $200 million contract with the Minnesota Twins, most of us shrugged. Even as the troubles persisted into May and June, his eventual turnaround always felt like a matter of when, not if. There were many factors fueling this level of faith. First and foremost, you have his talent level and track record. Correa has been a blatantly amazing ballplayer throughout his career. He's been one of the biggest stars in the game over the past decade – a consistent standout performer and occasional MVP contender with off-the-charts baseball IQ. He's had slumps, as any player does, and he's always come out of them. Moreover, we witnessed his ability to overcome an early swoon just one year ago. Correa was unimpressive during his first few weeks as a Twin, posting a .243/.309/.324 slash line in April of 2022, but he busted out bigtime in the second half to finish with some of the better offensive numbers of his career. It always felt like a matter of time. So it has been very easy to buy into the teasing glimpses of self-actualization we've seen from Correa over the course of the season. He's had some moments, to be sure. There was the walk-off homer on June 14th against the Brewers, punctuated by a dramatic gesture toward an imaginary watch. "Finally," Correa seemed to signaling, "the wait is over." Turns out, it wasn't. He followed that epic highlight-reel moment by slashing .217/.254/.383 for the rest of June, with five RBIs in 15 games. “It's a constant grind every at-bat where I've got to fight for hits, and I've got to fight to just feel sexy at the plate,” Correa said as his momentum failed to sustain. “But, you know, I feel like I'm not that far off right now.” At the end of the month, the Twins held their infamous players-only meeting and it coincided with shifting Correa into the leadoff spot. Here, it looked for awhile like the shortstop was truly and finally starting to "feel sexy." He thrived during his first few weeks atop the order, slashing .339/.413/.482 in 14 games. The power was still alarmingly absent, but Correa was at least producing, and providing some value to the lineup. An article from Dan Hayes in The Athletic on July 19th, when his OPS had risen to a season-high .725, declared Correa "back on track thanks to a leadoff mentality." “I’m just swinging," said Correa. "If it’s in the zone, I want to hit it, whatever pitch it is. Rocco putting me in the leadoff spot gave me a new perspective. Instead of trying to go deep on every pitch, it was put the barrel on the ball and let something happen. That’s been allowing me to get on base and allowing me to have better results. Credit to Rocco for putting me in that spot. It changed my mentality.” As if right on cue, Correa went 0-for-5 in the very next game and is slashing .163/.236/.225 in 12 games since. All the positive progress built up during his modest hot streak was wiped away even more quickly. The 28-year-old returned to what now appears to be his gravitational norm. His limitations are outweighing his ability to adjust and excel. We're 109 games into this 2023 season – about two-thirds of the way home – and Correa has been worth less than one Win Above Replacement, while earning a $36 million salary. He's on pace to finish with 1.3 fWAR, which is roughly equivalent to the number he posted in 2020, a 60-game season where he posted a 93 OPS+. The ugly overall offensive numbers actually understate how damaging Correa has been at the plate because he also has grounded into an MLB-leading 20 double plays. Correa's running out of time to escape this dismal rut and there's increasingly little reason to think he will. Much like the team he's supposed to be leading, Correa has quickly erased every budding glimmer of momentum he's able to materialize by falling flat on his face. He can't turn to underlying indicators of better days ahead for comfort, and nor can we. Correa can't hit fastballs; his wOBA against them is down more than 100 points from a year ago. That's just a core aspect of having any kind of success at the plate. His expected-outcome numbers don't paint a much more optimistic outlook than what we see in his sub-par on-field production. Compare the xwOBA, xAVG, and xSLG in the two pictures below contrasting Correa's 2022 and 2023 seasons. Note the uptick in chasing and whiffing, the decrease in barrels. He's just not an effective hitter. The true breakout hasn't come, and I'm done pretending it's going to happen, or buying into these temporary deviations. The Twins probably need to give themselves a reality check as well. Their options are limited obviously but at the very least they can stop writing a guy with a sub-.300 OBP into the leadoff spot everyday. We can now safely say that experiment failed, just like every other half-measure this team has taken to address its dire deficiencies. I have no doubt that Correa is more frustrated and disappointed with his season than any fan, nor that he will fully commit himself to fixing his broken offensive game during the offseason. But that only goes so far. Attitude, effort and commitment have NEVER been the issue with Correa. The issue is that he frankly looks like a player being suddenly ravaged by the effects of physical aging at 28, in his first of a six-year guaranteed contract. If that's the case, there are no real silver linings to be found. View full article

Trades involve risk. People beg for them all the time and then act shocked when the downside plays out. That's part of playing the game – doesn't mean you shouldn't play it. Sitting on your hands and doing nothing might be easier, but entails risk of its own. (It's also much less interesting!)

The 5:00 PM deadline on Tuesday has come and gone, with the Minnesota Twins completing zero trades to improve their flawed, frustrating, flailing first-place team. The front office is setting itself up for massive criticism and angst by, once again, essentially shrugging its shoulders at chronically underwhelming product on the field. Image courtesy of Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports While they were surely plugging away behind the scenes, the Twins were never openly prominent players at this deadline, appearing in very few publicized trade rumors and none of particular ambition. Fans would have been satisfied with even a relatively low-wattage move or two on deadline day to improve upon the club's clear areas of weakness: most notably bullpen depth and right-handed hitting. They've been the worst team in baseball against lefties, having punctuated their pre-deadline schedule by getting shut down by Ryan Yarbrough for comedic effect. No reinforcements acquired. Their bullpen has shown increasingly concerning signs of wear. No reinforcements acquired, outside of swapping Jorge Lopez for Dylan Floro last week, which itself was an admission of failure on one of last year's big deadline swings. Making matters worse, it was announced minutes after the deadline passed that Brock Stewart had a setback with his elbow and is going for an MRI. Expect him to miss the rest of the year. With no Stewart, no Lopez, and no Jorge Alcala, the Twins are down three key right-handed arms they might've relied on in the late innings. Given the chance to offset these high-leverage losses and provide some desperately needed support for Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax, the front office passed on their chances. I haven't heard any quotes yet from Derek Falvey or Thad Levine but I don't need to. They'll say the asking prices were too high. They'll say they like the guys they have. They'll say a bunch of other BS that we're all incredibly tired of hearing. The bottom line is that this was an inexcusably passive and complacent way to handle a crucial moment for the franchise. There were plenty of players moved at this deadline, and plenty of bold or at least beneficial additions made by teams with much lower playoff odds, much less at stake. The Twins are content to watch this same old shoddy product sputter the rest of the way untouched. And content to force us all to do the same. View full article

Your friends at Twins Daily have been keeping a close eye on the rumor mill so you don't have to. With less than 24 hours remaining before Tuesday's 5:00 PM CT trade deadline, here's how the market is taking shape and where the Twins stand. Image courtesy of John Jones-USA TODAY Sports (Harrison Bader) Those who've followed the Twins for any length of time know that this front office operates in a shroud of secrecy. Rarely are their moves foreshadowed by media speculation, often coming seemingly out of nowhere. They tend to keep the lid tight, publicly anyway. Their lone move so far in deadline season – trading Jorge López to the Marlins for Dylan Floro last week – was a fine example. While it's no surprise that Miami was willing to deal Floro and his expiring contract, his name wasn't bouncing around in tons of rumors or anything. Nor was López. That said, the Twins have some pretty clear needs, and they've been open about receiving interest in certain players. While they stood pat on the day preceding the deadline, other moves around the league had implications for Minnesota's strategy. As we look ahead to deadline day (and potential late-night action preceding it), here's a rundown of what Twins fans should know right now. Twins are on the hunt for right-handed bats, relief help Even after acquiring Floro, the Twins should still be in the market for another reliever. Their bullpen has been wobbling lately along with the rotation. While getting Caleb Thielbar back is helpful, optimism is limited around Brock Stewart's uncertain return. This year's bullpen was designed with López as an integral late-inning linchpin, so the Twins are now scrambling to backfill in terms of depth. Meanwhile, in their final game ahead of the deadline, the Twins were shut down by another mediocre left-handed starter (Ryan Yarbrough), underscoring the need for an impact bat from the right side. One interesting potential match is the Yankees, who are known to be targeting corner outfielders. That's an area the Twins could help with. New York is reportedly receptive to dealing players with expiring contracts. "The Yankees continued to try to operate on two tracks — see if they could move out some veterans for prospects and perhaps salary relief while trying to acquire pieces that have control beyond the 2023 season," according to Joel Sherman in a new piece for the New York Post. Harrison Bader is one name Sherman specifies as a candidate. Bader is a good-glove center fielder who swings righty and has a 1.210 OPS against left-handed pitchers this year (.841 career). Swapping him for, say, Trevor Larnach would make some sense on both sides, although the Yankees would need to add in more on top of the rental. Seattle's Teoscar Hernandez, who would be a higher-upside RH bat than Bader (albeit not a center field option), reportedly has an active market, and is likely to move. Cleveland is ... selling? Despite being only a half-game out in the division, the Guardians are acting as sellers. It's not a white flag necessarily, given the quality of this division, but the trade of Aaron Civale to the Rays on Wednesday for a prospect hardly signals an intent to press the Twins for the Central crown. Civale ranked second among Guardians pitchers in fWAR with a 2.34 ERA in 13 starts. He's under team control for two more years. In return, Cleveland got back Kyle Manzardo, a 23-year-old lefty-swinging first baseman who is highly regarded as a prospect. Coming off a Miranda-esque breakout season in the minors (he posted a 1.043 OPS between Single-A and Double-A in 2022), Manzardo was on the back half of most Top 100 prospect lists this spring, and played in the Futures Game earlier this month. The move is not dissimilar in nature from four years ago when Cleveland traded Trevor Bauer for Franmil Reyes at the 2019 deadline, hoping to sell high on a good pitcher inching toward free agency while bringing a high-upside young bat into their system. They'll hope Manzardo works out better than Reyes did, while Twins fans hope he doesn't. This trade is unlikely to offer much positive impact for Cleveland in the second half. Quite the opposite. Barring a counterbalancing "buy" type move before the deadline strikes, the Guardians are lying down – no Civale, no Shane Bieber, no Triston McKenzie. The Twins have no excuse not to clamp down this division, and use this opportunity to position themselves for success in the postseason. Twins trade targets are falling off the table The Twins have a history of remaining patient in these situations, letting the market take shape and seizing opportunities in the late stages. Last year, most of their action came close to the deadline itself. But there's a cost to standing still. Monday saw several deals take place, including some desirable targets snatched up by other contenders. Here are a few trades consummated on Monday involving players who were connected to the Twins, or might have interested them for specific reasons: Diamondbacks acquired closer Paul Sewald from the Mariners. Brewers acquired utilityman Mark Canha from the Mets. Cubs acquired infielder Jeimer Candelario from the Nationals. Reds acquired left-handed reliever Sam Moll from the Athletics. Tomorrow could be a busy day. Make sure you stay plugged into Twins Daily (and our deadline news feed specifically) all day long. View full article