Passan: Money Issues Continue to Hinder Twins in Trade Talks

We are officially one week away from the MLB trade deadline, on July 30. The Minnesota Twins should be near the top of the list of buyers. They are within sniffing distance of the 1st place Cleveland Guardians and squarely in the AL Wildcard driver’s seat.

And no doubt, there are holes to fill on the Twins’ roster, especially within the starting staff. Sure, Bailey Ober looked great last night, in a 7-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, but he and Joe Ryan are still wet behind the ears of their big league careers, Simeon Woods Richardson is a rookie and Pablo Lopez has struggled all season.

That doesn’t sound like a rotation worthy of an extended postseason run. But, there’s a problem with adding at the MLB trade deadline. It’s the same problem that, for the better part of a year, has been casting an ugly, cold shadow over a bright and sunny season outlook.

Last winter, the Minnesota Twins owners mandated a $30 million cut in player payroll , and nothing — not even a legitimate shot at a World Series title — is going to convince them to spend a dime of that savings.

Tight Pohlad pockets causing problems for Minnesota Twins at MLB trade deadline

Jeff Passan (ESPN) reported on Tuesday that the Pohlads’ tightly sealed pocketbooks are causing problems for the front office, as they try to add a front-rotation starting pitcher to their roster before the deadline. The Twins are asking prospective trade partners to match salaries during negotiations, making talks much more difficult.

Minnesota Twins: Adding and subtracting. Money issues continue to hinder any shot at a big move, and it’s why the Twins are an add-and-subtract team and not simply an add team like they ought to be. If the opportunity to acquire a higher-salary player presents itself, they would need to offload salary from their major league roster in that deal or another to cancel out the expense.

Jeff Passan – ESPN

Passan’s report confirms what Aaron Gleeman was worried about over the weekend . Not only are the Twins unlikely to add $7-$13 million in additional salary before July 30, he’s skeptical of their willingness to take on even $2 to $3 million, which is almost mind-numbing. Remember, they’re already paying $130 million this season.

But the Pohlad’s don’t care. A World Series… are those important? Not to them. WTF changed when Joe Pohlad took over? That’s what I am struggling to understand. We had enjoyed nearly a decade of increased spending. The Twins’ roster may have even surpassed the MLB average, for a moment or two.

Minnesota Twins cut off their ($30M) arm to spite their face

Then, in 6 months time, they cut $30 million from a roster capable of winning a pennant and sealed the pocketbook up on all transactions, going forward. As soon as they have a roster and payroll that is competitive with the best in Major League Baseball, they essentially cut off their right arm and sold it for $30 million. Now, teams around the league are trying to sell them a much cheaper arm that will still work pretty darn well.

But the Twins don’t want to replace their arm. They’d rather roll with just one arm than pay for a 2nd. Unless, of course, they can find a replacement arm free of charge. Only then will they be interested in sewing their limb back onto their dismembered body.

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Until then, they’ll just leave it poorly bandaged, until it gets so infected that they fall out of the playoff race or lose early on in the postseason. Then they’ll say, ‘damn, we were just one arm short’. To which I will say, ‘yeah, we watched you bleed out for an entire season and you didn’t seem to care.’

Twins will point to those returning from injury as their deadline additions

Will the Twins add anything? Maybe.. but don’t hold your breath for anything measurable. What’s more likely, is that Royce Lewis, Jose Miranda and Carlos Correa return from injuries, and the Twins use those to feed Souhan and LeVelle a bunch of propaganda on how adding those bats back into the lineup is pretty much the same thing as all of the other teams making trades. That’s what they are already trying to feed Passan, who thankfully isn’t buying it.

With infielders Royce Lewis and Jose Miranda, plus reliever Brock Stewart, nearing returns from the injured list, the Twins’ greatest deadline additions could come from within. And that’s not even including shortstop Carlos Correa, who hit the IL last week after turning in his best first half since 2017.

Jeff Passan – ESPN

I’m not telling Minnesota Twins fans to give up on their favorite baseball team. Once the trade deadline is over, I will jump on the bandwagon, no matter how rickety and poorly upkept it is, and ride drive that baby right to the 2024 finish line.

Related: Injury Won’t Stop Carlos Correa From Performing His Duties as Twins Assistant GM

Until then (and after), I’m going to call the Pohlad family out for what they are. Bad, cheap owners in a great baseball market that deserves better.

More must-reads:

• Pohlads Unlikely to Approve ANY Increase in Twins Payroll at MLB Trade Deadline
• Another Starting Pitcher the Minnesota Twins Must be Calling On
• Minnesota Twins Want to Rent, Not Buy… and They Appear to Have a Top Target

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