They needed to trade at least one of Correa, Lewis, or Lee.
Also, Luke Keaschall looks like a really nice player. Kudos to the scouts who originally put eyes on him, and kudos to the front office for accelerating him through the minors—Keaschall was clearly ready for the challenge. They did the same fast promotion track with Luis Arraez.
Reminds me of another rookie second baseman who came up in the 90s who looked really good. No, not Todd Walker, I am talking about Chuck Knoblauch…
I agree with tony&rodney that I would have liked to know if there was a plan going into the deadline, or if they just got caught up in the moment. Maybe packaging Duran with Bader with a very good minor leaguer or one of the back end MLB starters, can get you Painter. I don’t how good Painter is but the board seemed to like him. Instead, they traded Duran and Bader to the same team separately. Maybe the outfielder from the Bader trade is the skill corner outfielder they are lacking. I would have extended Bader with the Twins, understanding that his hitting will revert. Keaschall, Bader, plus a healthy Lewis and Buxton, and suddenly the 2026 team would look quicker up the middle in the field and on the bases.