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I was working and couldn't watch the game, so take some of my comments with a grain of salt. Matthews was, I believe, something like 6 of 8 starts as quality with 2 bad outings. And then he developed his cut/blister on his foot and hasn't been as good since. But the cupboard is basically bare now so he HAS to pitch. I'm guessing he was really gutting today's game out. Would anyone else agree to that? Really, really needed to take this series. The Twins are probably in the toughest part of their schedule right now. You don't get a W in your record for giving the Brewers all they could handle and probably giving that series away. The Phillies and Braves are no picnic. But something around .500 wouldn't be bad. CLOSE doesn't get you very far. But maybe they understand they have the ability to win some of those games if they just play clean ball? IIRC, the Twins actually have a winning record against AL teams. And once the Padres series is done, the rest of their schedule is all AL teams with the exception of a 3 game series against the Giants. And the vast majority of those games are against ALC teams. That means if they don't choke away the next couple of series, they really control their destiny for a WC, or even the ALC banner. Now, if they could just find a voodoo priest to remove whatever hold KC has over them this season....

I'm just going to post the stuff I'm going to track this season. I usually do this type of stuff for my benefit. This year... I might as well share it. Some won't be interested.... everybody should be... but I know some won't. Regardless. I'll update the LH/RH starting pitcher tracker every day and if there are a couple of you folks that would be interested in such stuff... it'll be worth it to share. For what it's worth. This first post will just be a start of the season marker of how many players under three years experience that made the 26 man rosters of all 30 teams. This can always be referenced when looking at what teams are having good years or not having good years. Under three years experience is a quick way to count players making the minimum. The more players making the minimum... the less spots remaining to fill and more money to spend on those less spots. All teams have a budget... this is an important head count. Disclaimer: Players with under three years experience who were offered multi-year contracts buying out some years... are not making the minimum and are still counted as players with less than 3 years experience. Nats: 20 - Payroll 97 Cards: 19 - Payroll 99 White Sox: 18 - Payroll 87 Marlins: 18 - Payroll 73 Guardians: 18 - Payroll 84 Rockies: 16 - Payroll 122 A's: 16 - Payroll 95 Giants: 15 - Payroll 204 Twins: 14 - Payroll 107 Brewers: 14 - Payroll 129 Rays: 14 - Payroll 88 Pirates: 14 - Payroll 105 Astros: 12 - Payroll 237 Dodgers: 12 - Payroll 397 Red Sox: 12 - Payroll 196 Orioles: 11 - Payroll 166 Jays: 11 - Payroll 289 Mariners: 11 - Payroll 162 Reds: 11 - Payroll 126 Padres: 10 - Payroll 208 Angels: 10 - Payroll 183 Tigers: 9 - Payroll 217 Cubs: 9 - Payroll 233 Royals: 8 - Payroll 149 Mets: 8 - Payroll 366 Rangers: 8 - Payroll 186 Yankees: 8 - Payroll 319 D-Backs: 6 - Payroll 196 Phillies: 6 - Payroll 285 Braves; 5 - Payroll 250

Very important win!!! With Phillies/braves/padres upcoming this was huge!!! All joking aside-if we can go 6-6 or 7-5 I’ll be happy!!! I really think twins can steal division but August is a gauntlet if we can survive this then September will be intense!!!

Phading Phillies. 6-4in last 10 games 7-4 in last 11 with today’s loss. Tanking? Twins 4-6 last 10. 4-7 last 11 with today’s win. Braves and Padres 7-3 in last 10. Going to need 6+ runs a game. Best just make it 8-10.

Might want to check with Braves Daily...

It's a new year, so time for a new ex-Twins thread. As posted by @mnfireman, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. signed a minor league deal with Atlanta. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/01/braves-sign-dashawn-keirsey-jr-to-minors-deal.html

Image courtesy of Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images The Weekly Nutshell: The Twins swung a big trade on Monday, capping an active deadline stretch that saw three newcomers join the pitching staff. Unfortunately, Minnesota's play on the field was far less inspired. They were six outs away from getting swept in Kansas City before rallying to take a late lead in the finale. They followed a series-opening win in Milwaukee with back-to-back one-run losses, falling back to three games under .500 and losing ground in the postseason race. Since very briefly holding a winning record at the end of July, the Twins have stumbled badly, dropping six of their last eight. The offense is sputtering and the biggest stars are MIA. With 43 games remaining, the pressure is on for this club to get on track and reverse its downward trend. They are hoping the promotion of one of their top prospects can provide a helpful jolt. Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 8/3 through Sun, 8/9 *** Record Last Week: 2-4 (Overall: 58-61) Run Differential Last Week: -6 (Overall: -35) Standing: T-3rd Place in AL Central (3.5 GB); 1.5 games out of WC Latest Game Results Game 114 | KC 8, MIN 2: Royals Take Control From Start to Finish, Ryan Struggles Ryan: 5.1 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 7 H, 2 BB, 3 K Game 115 | KC 2, MIN 1: Offense Smothered by Cameron Again in 4th Straight Loss Twins offense: 2-29, 0 XBH, 1 BB, 10 K Game 116 | MIN 4, KC 3: Another Late-Game Comeback Steers Twins Clear of Sweep Twins bullpen: 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K Game 117 | MIN 8, MIL 6: Twins Rally Back from Early Deficit, Bullpen Hangs On Bell: 4-5, HR, 3 RBI Game 118 | MIL 4, MIN 3: Early Lead Disappears in Middle Innings, Hoffman Takes Loss Lewis: 2-4, 2 RBI Game 119 | MIL 4, MIN 3 (10): Brewers Take Game, Series Behind Key Defensive Plays Clemens: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI NEWS & NOTES The Twins made only one move on deadline day but it was a significant one, sending a three-prospect package headlined by Dasan Hill to the Blue Jays in exchange for veteran reliever Jeff Hoffman. The righty Hoffman joins A.J. Minter and Dean Kremer as outside reinforcements for a pitching staff that Jeremy Zoll and the front office bolstered semi-aggressively, as the Twins look to make a run from within this unspectacular American League field. Kendry Rojas was optioned and Cody Laweryson designated for assignment to make room for Hoffman, who immediately becomes the team's best reliever. The added rotation depth provided by Kremer's acquisition came in handy quickly when Joe Ryan landed on the injured list following another sub-par start in Kansas City on Tuesday. Openly exasperated with his physical limitations, Ryan was sent home for an exam and diagnosed with a mild glute strain, helping explain why his performance has taken a sharp downward turn of late. Zebby Matthews, optioned the previous week to make room for Kremer, returned to the Twins rotation before even making a start at Triple-A. The Twins didn't make any offensive additions at the deadline, but they sought a boost internally by promoting one of their top prospects in Kaelen Culpepper. The infielder was called up from Triple-A ahead of Friday's series opener in Milwaukee, with Tristan Gray optioned to the minors to make room. Culpepper started at shortstop and batted seventh in his debut. HIGHLIGHTS Culpepper started his MLB career with a bang, launching a solo home run in his second at-bat on Friday night to draw the Twins within one run in an eventual victory. On an 0-2 pitch, Culpepper took Brewers starter Shane Drohan deep to left-center for a 390-feet blast. Welcome to the big leagues, kid. I'm eager to see a lot more. Royce Lewis kicked things off in Kansas City with a four-hit night, then went on to add a homer and two doubles over the remainder of the week, extending his hitting streak to 13 games before an 0-fer snapped it on Sunday. Lewis has notched six extra-base hits and driven in seven runs across eight games this month, providing a rare spark for a lineup that's otherwise struggling to find big hits. Josh Bell enjoyed a four-hit game of his own, on Friday night in Milwaukee, and homered twice during the week to break out of a prolonged power slump. Bell had gone a full month in between home runs before taking Royals reliever Steven Cruz deep on Tuesday. Hopefully he's about to get locked into another hot streak, because the team could really use it. The freshly reinforced bullpen continued to look like the strength of the roster, allowing six earned runs in 20 innings for a 2.70 ERA. Slim margins for error meant that Hoffman and Yoendrys Gómez were tagged with losses on Saturday and Sunday by allowing one run apiece, but they mostly looked good, as did the rest of the relief corps. Kody Funderburk threw 4 ⅔ scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and one walk; he's given up one run in his past 15 appearances. Tommy Nance made three shutout appearances and has a 1.74 ERA since being acquired. Andrew Morris didn't allow a run in his 2 ⅔ innings of work, lowering his ERA to 3.09 for the season. It makes sense that the Twins focused mainly on relief upgrades at the deadline, given their overall talent level there, but the bullpen has strongly outpaced the rotation and lineup over the past month-plus and that continued to be the case last week. The Twins are staying in a lot of close games thanks to this unit, which has consistently shown that if handed leads it can hold them. LOWLIGHTS Leads are tough to come by. The offense is struggling to get anything going, especially against opposing starters. Thursday's finale against the Royals marked the ninth consecutive time an opposing team held the Twins to two or fewer runs through the first six innings. They managed to score three in the eighth of that one to come back and avoid a sweep, but have become far too dependent on those types of dramatic late-game rallies to ever win a game. Kody Clemens has authored a few of those big game-changing knocks, and added another on Sunday with his game-tying two-run homer, but prior to that he was 2-for-22 on the week and his OBP has sunk to .287. Brooks Lee also homered on Sunday but was 1-for-14 coming into the game and his OPS is sagging back toward the 600s. Victor Caratini was 2-for-11 and hasn't homered since June. Alan Roden went 1-for-7 and is running a .527 OPS in his latest stint with the Twins. Minnesota's best hitters are either injured (Byron Buxton) or mildly slumping — Ryan Jeffers was 3-for-19 last week and Trevor Larnach 1-for-11. Save for the modest hot streaks from Lewis and Bell, no one's picking up the slack in a lineup that constantly shortcircuits. The timely-hitting magic that elevated the offense's results in the first half has predictably dried up, as demonstrated over the weekend (2-for-18 with RISP on Saturday and Sunday). It was profoundly frustrating to watch the Twins lineup get shut down by Randy Dobnak and Noah Cameron at Kauffman Stadium five days after they did the same at Target Field. These are not exceptional pitchers and you'd like to think Minnesota's hitters and coaches would come up with some sort of plan seeing them both in such short succession. Alas, the Twins had no answers, scoring just two runs in 13 innings against the Royals starters in a pair of losses to clinch the season series for KC. Four of six games in the past week were decided by one run, and six of the past eight. On the one hand, with margins being this tight, one could reasonably surmise the Twins were just a few missed swings or lucky breaks away from going 6-3 on this road trip instead of 3-6. On the other hand, they've been getting generally outplayed, and clutch late-game heroics have bailed them out several times. The Twins could have easily gone 0-6 against the Royals over the past two weeks on merit. That's tough stuff against a team pacing for 95 losses. Upgrades to the bullpen aren't going to be meaningful if the offense can't find some life and start building some leads here and there. TRENDING STORYLINE The Twins are a fringe playoff contender, tied with Cleveland for the eighth-best record in the AL. They are one of six teams within four games of a Wild Card spot. They've now fallen behind the Tigers in the Central standings. In order to have a shot at making the dance, they're going to win significantly more than they lose the rest of the way. Can they hang in there with their two best players sidelined indefinitely? Buxton received an injection in his ailing hip and there's no clear timeline in place for his return. Ryan's glute injury was deemed relatively minor but it was enough to land him on the IL so he'll miss a couple weeks at least, and who knows what kind of effectiveness level can be expected when he's back on the mound. The Twins are in a tough place, compelled to show patience and get both Buxton and Ryan as healthy as possible while also recognizing that the team's hopes for this season hang in the balance. Every game matters and the absence of Minnesota's two All-Stars is deeply felt. Culpepper's arrival will hopefully help awaken the Buxton-less lineup, but if the Twins really want to push their chips in, they need to find a way to get Walker Jenkins to the big leagues. Jenkins homered twice for the Saints on Thursday and is batting .357 this month. He's ready, and he's talented enough to make a real impact on Minnesota's fortunes. LOOKING AHEAD With their latest nine-game road trip in the books, the Twins return home with two three-game series slated for the coming week, although one of the "home games" (on Thursday) will actually take place in Iowa for the Field of Dreams Game. The Orioles should present a pretty even match-up for the Twins, with nearly identical records and run differentials. The difficulty level only goes up from there, with the Phillies (63-56) followed on the schedule by the Braves (71-47) and Padres (61-57). Can the Twins survive this gauntlet through some of the National League's finest teams? We'll find out. But first they need to take care of business against Baltimore. MONDAY, AUGUST 10: ORIOLES @ TWINS — LHP Trevor Rogers v. RHP Dean Kremer TUESDAY, AUGUST 11: ORIOLES @ TWINS — RHP Brandon Young v. RHP Bailey Ober WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12: ORIOLES @ TWINS — RHP Shane Baz v. RHP Zebby Matthews THURSDAY, AUGUST 13: PHILLIES @ TWINS — RHP Aaron Nola v. RHP Taj Bradley SATURDAY, AUGUST 15: PHILLIES @ TWINS — LHP Jesus Luzardo v. LHP Connor Prielipp SUNDAY, AUGUST 16: PHILLIES @ TWINS — RHP Andrew Painter v. RHP Dean Kremer View full article

Yes. Get Walker up here too. The Twins have lsot 6 of their last 8 games. They played entertaining but losing ball in Milwaukee. Not unexpected. After they play the Orioles they have the Phillies, Braves, and Padres before returning to central division play.

Another tough loss, but hey, we're fighting harder (and looking better) than we did at this point last season. Post-deadline: 2-4 Overall: 58-61 My armchair take: we need to go 5-4 during this homestead to stay in it. Not impossible, but still a tall task considering the opponents (which include the Phillies and Braves). Go Twins.

In NL vs AL Games. The current record is 276 - 238 in favor of the NL. That's a .537 winning percentage in interleague play. A .537 winning percentage would be the 2nd wild card or the 5 spot in both leagues. The Twins would be 3.5 back in the National League Wild Card. This means that Cleveland who is the Current American League 6th team is 2.5 games back of the Phillies and D-Backs who are both tied for the 6th spot and 5th spot. This means that the Phillies and D-Backs would be 1.5 games behind the Red Sox who are the current holders of the 5th spot in the American League. The Yankees and Cubs are the holders of the top wild card spot and 4th spot and they have identical records of 63-49. Now the American League doesn't have 3 clear division leaders like the National League has. The top 3 records in baseball are national league teams. The Rays are the top team in the American League with a 65-46. The Brewers, Dodgers and Braves all have better records than the Rays. Tampa would be 1.5 games behind the Braves, 3.5 behind the Dodges and 4 games behind the Brewers. The Brewers are 23-13 vs American League Teams. The Dodgers are 26-16 vs AL teams. The Braves are 21-14 vs the American League. The American League isn't as good as the National League. The Numbers clearly show a National League advantage but how steep is that difference between the leagues?

I understand your thoughts. I guess we will see if the AL central point is valid after the August matches against the NL playoff contenders Brewers, Phillies, Braves, and Padres. Those are tough matchups for any teams. They stripped it down, yes,. I was livid.(except Correa dumping)...but I love the Twins and watching the team in person supports the players on the field, also. I would much rather spend a reasonably priced ticket to a summer baseball game than an expensive packed house ticket for the Vikings. Concession/ticket discounts, concerts, promotional giveaways..are nice in my view. I do not see that in football. Does Tom Pollard seem just a bit of an upgrade. .yes..Do some of the trades THIS year seem as an improvement...yes...Do the players seem more unified as a group...yes..is Shelton an upgrade..Yes..Do i want to watch the Twins in person with a beer at a discount and peanuts..Yes... so...I need to focus on the present

Image courtesy of Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images As the trade deadline dust settled on Monday night, the Minnesota Twins couldn't be blamed for lack of trying in 2026. But more importantly, Tom Pohlad made good on his promise from this spring. Money went out of his pocket and into the team. In all, an estimated $8.5 million was added to the team's payroll, bringing the total up to $113 million. That might not seem like much in the long run, and given some of the names bandied about, it’s less than some fans might want. But this is still ultimately a .500 team in an evenly competitive fight among not just two other AL Central teams, but a handful of Wild Card hopefuls. With no reason to cash in all the chips, it did what a normal team with a normal payroll would do: quietly buy, but not by running straight to the bargain bin. During Joe Pohlad’s tenure (not to mention Jim's), the trade deadline became a nonsensical spectacle. Despite working with much higher payrolls then than they are right now (adjusted for baseball inflation, at least), the deadline always became an awkward moment where the team asked fans to look the other way. That resulted in two near-silent deadlines, despite the potential of the team, followed by an event that's still scarring much of the fanbase. Not for Tom’s pesky Twins. They got a big infusion of talent, via a big infusion of money. So how big was this trade deadline? I put the numbers together, looking at not just how much more money was taken on, but the actual percentage of payroll added during the season over the last decade. (Some numbers are rough estimates, but the results are largely in the same range.) Player Acquired Player Sent Out Money In Money Out 2017 Jaime Garcia Prospect $4,500,000 Anthony Recker Prospect $800,000 $100,000 (Provided by Braves) Zack Littel + Dietrich Enns Jaime Garcia $75,988 (Twins Covered Garcia's Salary) Prospect + $500,000 International Bonus Pool Money Brandon Kintzer $1,506,992 Total Payroll Added $3,768,996 Total Payroll $108,102,500 Percent Gain 3.49% 2019 Sergio Romo Prospects $873,665 Sam Dyson Prospects $1,639,802 Total Payroll Added $2,513,467 Total Payroll $119,651,933 Percent Gain 2.10% 2022 Tyler Mahle Prospects $1,828,544 Michael Fulmer Prospects $1,740,672 Jorge Lopez Prospects $527,488 Total Payroll Added $4,096,704 Total Payroll $134,408,190 Percent Gain 3.05% 2023 Dylan Floro Jorge Lopez $1,383,888 $1,999,168 Total Payroll Added -$615,280 Total Payroll $153,713,740 Percent Gain -0.40% 2024 Trevor Richards Prospect $693,540 Total Payroll Added $693,540 Total Payroll $129,080,051 Percent Gain 0.54% 2026 Dean Kremer Prospect $1,752,693 AJ Minter Prospect $3,411,792 Jeff Hoffman (Assuming 60 IP+) Prospects + Intl Bonus Pool Money $3,727,160 $250,000 Total Payroll Added $8,641,645 Total Payroll $113,000,000 Percent Gain 7.65% (For this calculation, I included Hoffman’s first pitching incentive, which begins at 60 IP. He currently sits at 48, and as long as the team remains competitive, he should reach it easily. If he goes 70 somehow, the team will kick in another $500,000.) As shown, the Twins have never before increased their payroll by over 5% of their current setup. (Obviously, we're not looking back at all of team history, but the previous clubs were even more skinflint than they've been lately, and these are the winning teams (therefore, the ones worth adding money to) since Derek Falvey took over.) Just as starkly, the raw dollars spent doubled even the biggest increase before this, in 2022. Of course, much of this began with payroll sitting so low in comparison, but neither Hoffman nor Minter came cheaply. They came at standard reliever prices that previous administrations would have likely balked at. Even with the $3 million and change covered by Toronto for 2027 (as reported), Hoffman is now the biggest acquisition by the Twins at the deadline. He actually ranks quite high compared to the biggest payroll splashes made by other teams, too. Just look at the money spent on big names over the years in comparison: Year Twins' "Big" Deal Money In MLB's Biggest Deal Money In 2017 Jaime Garcia $4.5 Million Justin Verlander to Astros $40 Million 2019 Sam Dyson $1.63 Million Zack Greinke to Astros $53 Million 2022 Tyler Mahle $1.83 Million Eric Hosmer to Red Sox $39 Million 2024 Trevor Richards $0.69 Million Jorge Soler to Braves $30 Million 2025 Jeff Hoffman $11 Million Luis Castillo to White Sox $30 Million In the past, the Twins have usually spent less than 10% of what was spent on the most expensive player league-wide. This year, they're on the high side of 30% of that figure; they took on a big bill for Hoffman. Another way to think about this: the Dodgers are spending about $9.58 million—the largest of any player's annual average value—to acquire Tarik Skubal at the deadline, along with some mostly waiver pick-ups. The Twins might be far behind in payroll, but they're not far away from having spent more at the deadline than the Dodgers did. As one of the long-tenured Pohlad skeptics, I've always questioned what Tom Pohlad might do. You might scoff at the Twins not getting Zack Neto or otherwise landing a bigger name, but the most important thing happened in Twins trade deadline history: money was not the impediment to the goal. Jeremy Zoll set out to buy relievers, and buy relievers he did. Now, the rest is up to the team. View full article

Brewers...Phillies...Braves ...upcoming...

Dozens of players are traded every deadline. Fans love some and hate others. Fans also beg for their favorite players to come back. Admit it, you want them to trade for Luis Arraez, Sonny Gray, Louis Varland, and, if you're a real sicko, Tyler Wells. But for Twins fans, what would be the funniest possible Welcome Home trade candidates? Here's my top five. 5. Randy Dobnak, SP (KC) Randy Dobnak went from beloved folk hero to unwitting villain faster than any player I have ever seen because he had the temerity to commit two unforgivable sins. First, he was the last man standing in 2019 as the club's third-best starter after injury, ineffectiveness, and a lack of reinforcements sapped the Twins of all their starting depth. Second, he had the gall to sign a very modest contract that paid him nine million dollars over five years before getting injured. Twins fans have never forgiven him for that. He's a great story, perhaps bordering on a sideshow, a husky sinkerballer with a horseshoe mustache and a winning smile who was signed out of independent baseball and drove Uber in the offseason. After years marred by injury and ineffectiveness, Dobnak left the Twins organization not as an MLB rotation piece but as perhaps the most beloved St. Paul Saint of the Triple-A era. Why would the Twins trade for Dobnak? They've shown a penchant for using bulk relievers this season, and they might need a little more rotation depth even after acquiring Dean Kremer. And Dobnak has thrown 26 innings to the tune of a 1.04 ERA for the Kansas City Royals, including seven shutout innings against the Twins last week. 4. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, UT (BOS) Isiah Kiner-Falefa had perhaps the shortest tenure as a Minnesota Twin in the modern era, as it didn't even last 24 hours. He was acquired in the 2022 offseason for Mitch Garver, alongside Ronny Henriquez. The following day, he was packaged with Josh Donaldson and Ben Rortvedt and sent to the Yankees for Gary Sánchez and Gio Urshela. The Twins have trotted out several utility infielders to play shortstop for them this season, so what's one more? It's not like Kaelen Culpepper is beating down the doors. It's still early, anyway. They still have time to trade for him and then hours later send him somewhere else. 3. Brent Headrick, RP & Luis Gil, SP (NYY) - Specifically in return for Ryan Jeffers There's a lot going on with this one, but hear me out. Brent Headrick was a DFA casualty in 2025 (when the Twins bullpen was good), snatched away by the Yankees in February of 2025. He's put up a 1.84 ERA across 78 innings out of New York's bullpen and would have been a very good addition for the Twins—if they didn't already have four lefties in their bullpen after trading for A.J. Minter. Luis Gil was traded to the Yankees ahead of the 2018 season for Jake Cave. Gil was 19 at the time (a year older than Jhomnardo Reyes, who was just traded for Kremer, much to the chagrin of many fans), but he was excellent for the Yankees between 2024 and 2025, starting 40 games with a 3.45 ERA and winning Rookie of the Year in 2024. He's a great example of why self-scouting is so important, though he's struggled this season and is currently on the injured list. Were the Twins to trade Jeffers for this package, not too dissimilar to the Anthony Volpe-Camilo Doval (two Yankees who have been spiraling lately) package that circulated the baseball world last week, basically everyone would be mad. The anti-Jeffers-trade crew would be upset he was traded. The pro-Jeffers-trade crew would be upset at the return. The people who have never forgiven the Twins for trading away Gil would say it's too little too late. 2. Tyler Mahle, SP (SF) Tyler Mahle was the headliner for the Twins' most significant trade deadline during the Derek Falvey era. The Twins sent Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Steve Hajjar to Cincinnati for his services at the 2022 deadline for the last year and a half of Mahle's contract. They received nine starts for this investment, as Mahle was lost for the season twice in two years. He was solid when healthy (and to hear him tell it, he always was), but he just wasn't healthy. And Steer had a great start in Cincinnati, further frustrating Twins fans. Mahle continued to struggle with injury since leaving the Twins, but he had a 2.82 ERA in 16 starts with Texas last season, and since returning from a hamstring injury this season, he's got a 3.06 ERA in six starts. The Twins already made a trade for a backend starter in Kremer, but if they decided to shift some more assets around or bolster their rotation a bit more, Mahle could be a solution. As long as they don't Google "Tyler Mahle hamstring injury," anyway. "Oh but Gregg, you buffoon, the Braves just made a trade for Mahle last night!" I hear you say. Well, starting pitchers can be traded twice during a single deadline. Maybe the Braves will get cold feet. Ever heard of Jaime García?? 1. Emilio Pagán , RP (CIN) Emilio Pagán's 2022 is up there with the worst seasons for a reliever in Twins history. Not necessarily because he was the worst reliever, but because he had a penchant for giving up bombs at the most inopportune times: in the bottom of the ninth, against Cleveland, and in a pennant race. His meltdowns did put the Twins in position to draft Walker Jenkins, and he was actually pretty good in middle relief for the division-winning 2023 Twins, but Minnesotans never forget a slight. Pagán signed a two-year deal with Cincinnati ahead of the 2024 season and was a pretty effective closer for them in 2025, netting him another contract worth $10 million in 2026 with a player option for another $10 million in 2027. He's struggled this season and missed some time due to injury, but he had a 1.93 ERA in July and pitched himself back into the closer role just in time for the Reds to shop him. If you removed the Twins history component, he'd probably be on some lists for good fits with the Twins, as a low-end overpaid closer is a nice slot for the Twins who want to improve the pen without giving up much in the way of prospects. And if you haven't heard, Dan Hayes and Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic threw out Pagán's name as an option for the Twins. Honorable Mentions: Spencer Steer. Steven Okert, Michael Tonkin (as a signing, only to be waived August 10th), Dallas Keuchel, Trevor Richards, Daniel Susac View full article

Image courtesy of IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect The Minnesota Twins entered last week's trade deadline with three obvious needs. They needed relief help, more starting pitching depth, and another right-handed bat to balance out a lineup that has struggled badly against left-handed pitching. General Manager Jeremy Zoll addressed the first two needs. The Twins added bullpen reinforcements in Tommy Nance, A.J. Minter and Jeff Hoffman while also acquiring Dean Kremer from the Baltimore Orioles to provide another quality starter for the rotation. The one need that went unaddressed was adding another right-handed hitter. There were rumors late in deadline day that Minnesota had interest in Angels shortstop Zach Neto, but that didn't come to fruition. That leaves the Twins with the same lineup that currently ranks 26th in baseball with a .676 OPS against left-handed pitching, an area that has been one of their biggest weaknesses all season. With the trade deadline now behind them, the waiver wire becomes the only avenue for Minnesota to make additions before the stretch run. Interestingly, three veteran right-handed hitters hit waivers the day after the deadline when Jorge Soler was designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Angels, while the Seattle Mariners DFA'd both Mitch Garver and Rob Refsnyder. Of those three names, Soler is the most intriguing. Twins fans know Soler well from his four-and-a-half seasons with the Kansas City Royals. Since leaving Kansas City, the veteran slugger has bounced around the league, most recently landing with the Angels after they acquired him following the 2024 season. At his best, Soler has been one of baseball's premier power hitters. He owns a career 110 OPS+, has multiple seasons with at least 35 home runs, won World Series MVP with the Atlanta Braves in 2021, earned an All-Star selection in 2023, and followed that up with another strong season in 2024 when he posted a 120 OPS+. The problem has been staying healthy. A back injury limited Soler to just 82 games in 2025. Hip and oblique injuries have continued to plague him throughout 2026, and the production has suffered as a result. Through 86 games, Soler owns a .664 OPS with 12 home runs while striking out at a career-high 32.7 percent clip. One of Soler's biggest strengths throughout his career has been demolishing left-handed pitching. He owns a career .841 OPS against southpaws, which is exactly the type of production Minnesota has lacked. Unfortunately, that advantage has disappeared over the last two seasons. Soler managed just a .685 OPS against lefties in 2025 and owns a .626 mark this year, although those numbers have come in relatively small samples of 51 and 95 plate appearances. Even with the disappointing production, there are still reasons to believe there may be something left in the tank. Soler still ranks in the 86th percentile in bat speed and continues to barrel baseballs at an 11 percent clip, placing him among the better hitters in baseball in that category. He continues to control the strike zone well with above-average walk rates and below-average chase rates, despite his high strikeout rate. The underlying tools are still there if he can finally get healthy and receive consistent playing time. That makes Soler an interesting gamble. Minnesota desperately needs right-handed power, especially after Byron Buxton landed on the injured list. Soler would fit naturally as either a designated hitter or a right fielder against left-handed pitching while allowing Trevor Larnach to sit against tough southpaws. Soler is in the final season of his three-year, $42 million contract. If he clears waivers, the Twins could sign him for the league minimum while the Angels remain responsible for the rest of his salary. The Mariners also designated both Mitch Garver and Rob Refsnyder for assignment after acquiring Taylor Ward at the deadline and making room on the roster for both Ward and Jhonny Pereda. Garver certainly brings plenty of nostalgia. He played the best baseball of his career in Minnesota before being traded away more than five years ago. Unfortunately, he simply hasn't been the same hitter recently. Since the beginning of 2024, Garver owns just a .626 OPS. Like Soler, Garv Sauce built much of his value by crushing left-handed pitching. He owns a career .820 OPS against lefties, but that production has slipped as well. He managed a .718 OPS against left-handers last season before dropping to just .659 in 64 plate appearances this year. At 35 years old, and after years of catching, it is fair to wonder how much wear and tear his body has accumulated. Minnesota is also set behind the plate, making Garver's primary position unnecessary. Asking him to fill a designated hitter role simply doesn't seem like the best fit. Refsnyder presents a much more interesting case. Twins fans may remember his brief stint in Minnesota during the 2021 season when he posted an 86 OPS+ over 157 plate appearances. Since then, he reinvented himself with the Boston Red Sox, producing back-to-back excellent seasons with 133 and 132 OPS+ marks in 2024 and 2025. Even more importantly, Refsnyder became one of baseball's better hitters against left-handed pitching. He posted a .941 OPS against southpaws in 2024 before somehow improving to .959 in 2025. This season has been a completely different story. Refsnyder owns just a .465 OPS overall and a .506 OPS against left-handed pitching in 129 plate appearances. The underlying metrics are just as concerning. His average exit velocity has fallen from 92 mph last season to just 86.6 mph this year. His strikeout rate has climbed while his walk rate has fallen, and nearly every Statcast percentile sits near the bottom of the league. There is certainly reason for skepticism, but there is also reason to wonder whether Seattle simply wasn't the right fit. Refsnyder was one of baseball's better platoon bats for two consecutive seasons before arriving with the Mariners, and returning to a more hitter-friendly environment could potentially help him rediscover that version of himself. Like Soler, he can play the corner outfield while filling exactly the type of platoon role the Twins have been missing. None of these three players are perfect. Garver looks like a poor positional fit, and his recent production doesn't inspire much confidence. Soler comes with significant injury concerns but still offers intriguing power upside if he can finally get healthy. Refsnyder has been one of the worst hitters in baseball this season, yet his success over the previous two years suggests there may still be something worth betting on. Considering the Twins' struggles against left-handed pitching and the fact that adding a right-handed bat was the one need left unresolved at the trade deadline, taking a low-cost chance on either Soler or Refsnyder feels like a worthwhile gamble. Neither move would require surrendering prospects or taking on financial risk. If either player rediscovers his previous form, the Twins could suddenly have exactly the platoon bat they've been searching for all season. What do you think? Should the Twins pursue Jorge Soler or Rob Refsnyder once they clear waivers, or should they stick with the roster they have for the remainder of the season? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! View full article

Players keep their rookie status next year if they have 45 days or less on the active roster and 130 ABs or less. Being a rookie allows the Twins to pick up an extra draft pick in the competitive balance round right after Round 1 if (a) the player earns rookie of the year the next season (here 2027), or (2) places in the top 3 in the Cy Young or MVP ballots prior to qualifying for arbitration. A player qualifies for arbitration after 3 years of service time. We can meet these thresholds if we wait until 8/15 to have 45 days of service time or less and manage their ABs to top out at 130, post season ABs don't count. There are 38 games left starting 8/15, so that means 3.42 ABs per game. Easy to stay under without thinking since if they actually play in even 35 of those 38 games, the ABs jump to 3.75 a game and walks, sacrifice flies or bunts, HBP, etc, don't count as ABs. Like everything else in baseball, there is actually a stat on this. The leadoff position in the batting order averages 4.6 PAs game, 4.2 ABs, going down to the ninth spot which averages 3.7 PAs/game, 3.5 ABs. Bottom line is that by bringing someone up on August 15 and even playing them the entire game 90% of the time (almost nobody plays every day), it's pretty easy to stay under the 130 AB threshold. These guys wouldn't play that much so the at-bat threshold is kind of irrelevant. I found 6 players that have earned their team an extra draft pick since this rule came into effect - Julio Rodriguez (Mariners) for finishing as the rookie of the year 2022, Corbin Caroll (Diamondbacks) and Gunnar Anderson (Orioles) in 2023 for rookie of the year awards, Bobby Witt earned one for the Royals in the 2025 draft finishing in the top three MVP while pre-arbitration, Hunter Brown for the Astros in the 2025 draft for finishing in the top three Cy Young balloting pre-arbitration, and the Braves from Drake Baldwin being rookie of the year in 2025. The player has to come north with his team on Opening Day to be eligible for this incentive draft choice. The whole idea is to incentivize clubs to bring their promising players up from the beginning of the season rather than manipulating service time by waiting 45 days before calling them up so their first season doesn't count as a full season for purposes of computing the three years prior to arbitration. Players who are called up during the season who then win the rookie of the year award, which is more than half of the winners, do not qualify their team for this extra draft pick. So in other words, if you try to manipulate the service time by waiting 45 days to call up at hotshot prospect and with the rookie of the year award, save me year on their service time but you don't get the extra high draft pick from them winning the award. The pick is valuable because it usually falls between about number 25 and number 35 in the draft. So, if we think there's any realistic chance that either Jenkins or Culpepper could win the 2027 rookie of the year award or finish in the top three MVP balloting 2027, 2028, or 2029, it makes sense to wait the extra 10 days to have the shot at the draft choice. Here, the decision to wait is relatively easy since they both fairly recently came back from the injured list and need a few games to knock the rust off. That's why I would wait the extra 10 days. This year, the Twins have nine games between today and August 15, so those are the games they would miss.

Stall warning light is on. Need to take the next two games at Kauffman or we are guaranteed to lose ground on the road trip. Likely a lot of ground as the next stop is Laverne & Shirley's hometown. Won't get any better coming home to face the Phillies and the Braves. First priority is hitting. A team that takes an early lead doesn't just put pressure on opponents' pitching and defense, it alters their game at the plate. Assuming the Twins have a pre-game plan for opposing pitchers, it is certainly not being executed well at present. "Hard hit" is not the only index for offensive success. On the pitching side, the most likely answer to Ryan's loss of command and velocity is rest. Give it to him whether he wants it or not. Rogers is showing that he now at the bottom of the left-handed pecking order. Defensively, it seems that the best we can hope for is incremental improvements. Let's hope the kids and the coaching staff keep taking those baby steps.

It's funny, I find myself "liking" the first 3 posts, even thought they express pretty different viewpoints on whether this deadline was better, whether it was an "improvement" or a "drastic change". And I think those two phrases explain the difference in viewpoints. Was the Twins behavior this deadline an "improvement" over the last couple of years? Absolutely for the reasons explained in the article and I don't think anyone can cogently argue otherwise. Was that behavior a "drastic change"? Absolutely not. A drastic change would have been emptying the farm system for a pitcher like Skubal, trading multiple top 15 ranked prospects for a Soriano and Zeferjahn package, or trading serious prospects for guys like Luis Arraez or Adley Rutschman. So in a sense, everybody is basically correct – this was an improvement but not emblematic of a drastic change. I would argue that the Twins took exactly the right of approach, although I might quibble a little about value given versus value received. To start off with, this team is decent but it is not a contender or even really very good. The Twins' record very accurately reflects what they are, a slightly above average team with enough holes that brings them back to average or slightly below. This is not a team that you empty the farm system to augment. It's a team where you try to fill some of the holes, see if that lifts you to an above average team, and try to take advantage of the weak division and league to sneak into the playoffs and add some excitement at the end of the season. This team simply isn't good enough for you to mortgage the future in the hopes of reaching the World Series or even the league championship series. Maybe that team is next year if guys like Jenkins, Emma, and Culpepper come up and immediately produce, maybe it's in 2028 after they've had some seasoning and have been joined by the likes of Houston and Quick, or maybe it's never for this group. One thing we know for sure, it ain't this year. I like what they did. The bullpen was a clear weakness and they traded for two of the top five relievers traded (maybe even two of the top three with the Weaver being the other), and three of the top eight traded. They did it by giving up one good prospect in Hill, one decent/maybe possible MLB prospect in Klein, and a bunch of lottery tickets with upside. In return, they got Hoffman who was the closer for a World Series team last year, Minter who was in the Braves bullpen when they won the World Series in 2021 and had seven strikeouts in 4.2 innings in that WS, and Nance who had a 1.99 ERA in 2025 and also pitched in last year's World Series. They also picked up a starter who has been a middle to back end rotation guy in the past and is now kind of a crapshoot. Not a bad haul for not giving up a whole lot. If that's not an improvement over the last couple of years, I don't know what is. Whether it's a "go big or go home" moment (whatever that's trite phrase actually means) depends entirely on your perspective. Now it's up to the players. To get to 85 wins they need to go 29 – 20 the rest of the way, a .592 winning percentage. 85 wins should get them into the playoffs and has a better than 50/50 chance of winning the division. They were 15 – 9 in July, so essentially the need to repeat July twice in August and September. Is it possible? Absolutely, they've shown they can play at that level. Is it likely? I wouldn't say it's the most likely result, I see it more as a 50/50 proposition. I think their record from this point forward is going to be heavily dependent on the bullpen's performance which is in turn dependent on the three bullpen arms they just got, continued performance from the rotation (something very much in doubt), and Lewis, Keaschall, Bell, Jeffers, Lee, and Clemens all having an OPS of at least.750 for the rest of the season with at least three of them over .800. At this point, anything we get from Buxton has to be considered gravy. All possible, but failure in one area probably dooms them to a .500 or less season. Still, all in all, much better than at least I thought going in and much more interesting to watch. Usually by this point in the season, I started to tune out the Twins and focus my attention more on the Dodgers inexorable run to yet another division title (yawn) but this year I will keep with Twins, at least for now. Big step up.

Any team that has made it to the WS has had at least 2-3 elite players. So the unexpected teams 2019 Braves- they had 3-4 elite hitters for the playoffs Acuna was injured, but still had Swanson, Freeman, Albies, and Riley. Then they caught lightening in a bottle with Eddie Rosario, Soler and Duval. 2023 Rangers- 7 WAR players. Semien and Seager then a ton of good hitters around them. 2023 Diamondbacks - Corbin Carroll, Walker, Marte and Moreno all 4+ WAR players The Twins currently do not have enough elite players. Now the new CBA may balance the tables more, but the Twins as currently being run will always be at a disadvantage to other teams due to not spending as much. So they need to juice their odds by drafting better than other teams in a 4-5 year stretch and trade for significant assets. Now the Twins have a chance at 3-5 elite hitters all playing at the same time - Keashall, Jenkins, Lackey, Culpepper all have extremely high ceilings. Then the next tier has some questions Rodriguez, Gonzalez, and Mendez. Is there enough talent from this group to make the next run. I would argue we would have a better chance had we taken the Red Sox offer for Ryan last year and added Arias and Tolle if that was the true offer. Plus we would have another shot at a high draft pick. Now maybe we still get lucky and get another high draft pick in the lottery. Otherwise we need 1 of the other prospects to outperform. That could be a Tinney, Winokur, Young ect. Pitching wise I am fairly confident our scouts currently have a good idea of finding talents through drafts or trades. Between Bradley, Abel Priellip maybe Matthew’s that’s a strong core. Hill likely had 1 of the highest ceilings in the minors which is why I see the trade for Hoffman being extremely risky. We likely need a couple of the following arms to hit- Soto, Quick, Ellawanger, Reitz, Barr, Renfrow, Wachsmann, Lapour, Murdock, Burns or one of the flyers in the last 2 drafts. Now this group of pitchers have much more raw stuff than we have drafted before, but between injuries or lack of skill a good majority will wash out. Now the only upside to all of this is I think Joe Ryan has a much better relationship with Tom because he kept his word. If it increases the odds we can sign him to a long term contract, then some of the shortsightedness of this year will be worth it. Then we have to learn how to manage his workload. I think Joe gets a tired arm at the end of July and would be beneficial to give him a 2-3 week break each year to refresh. I think the all star game was the worst thing for Joe as he could have gotten some rest. Even still he is an elite pitcher who continues to improve and take good care of of his body. I think he will age gracefully. I am also not opposed to a shorter and cheaper extension with Pablo. I think he is the consummate pitcher and professional. So ultimately I still have hope but the margin of error is less. We have 3-4 less elite talented prospects than if we had done a full rebuild and traded Jeffers, Ryan and Larnach. The only positive is we did not develop a losing mentality in the clubhouse and I will give a lot of credit to Shelton. The pitching coaches have done wonders with this staff and maximized their ability. So @USAFChief no rebuild is a guarantee but it is likely the best shot a small market to mid market team has to developing enough elite talent all at once to win it all.

Okay Twins fans...total talk about pitching......What about the hitting? That has been the challenge lately. Gray. Rhoden. ..3 catchers....Will the Twins make any moves up from AAA? JENKINS, CULLPEPPER...SOME THINK GIVE WALLNER ANOTHER CHANCE TO SOLIDY HIM AS STILL BEING A POSSIBILITY OR A MIRANDA? ALSO, THIS Flipping positions all the time is mindboggling to me. The hitting has to have some emphasis.....to be ready for the likes of the Brewers..Phillies..and Braves..

Red Sox acquire OF Eli White from the Braves.