Where could the Twins use help at the Deadline?

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As the Twins’ front office prepares to make additions to the roster ahead of the upcoming Aug. 2 Trade Deadline, star shortstop Carlos Correa also has his eyes around the league on players he thinks could help this team down the stretch.

Club leadership asks for Correa’s opinion, he says, and when he sees players he likes on non-contending teams, he brings it up, as he has the perspective of having played against those players on the field. As a central figure of this team, he tries to make sure his voice is heard and maintain that level of communication with his front office, knowing the Twins need help to consolidate their hold on the American League Central.

“They know, we know, we all know our needs,” Correa said. “Yeah, there’s always an expectation that something can be done, especially in the spot we’re in now, with a chance to win the division. … I’ll say it was the same in Houston, especially the last few years. I was very vocal about things that we needed, and specific players that can make us a lot better.”

So, which players does he want?

“The ones that we need,” Correa said. “Obviously, I would like to keep that a little more private, because my teammates deserve respect. Bringing in someone new, that means he takes somebody else’s spot in here.”

Let’s take a look at where the Twins should focus in the coming week.

1. Bullpen
This has been the club’s most glaring and immediate need for some time, with Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax currently the Twins’ only reliable back-end relievers due to inconsistency and injuries from many of the other arms expected to provide middle- and late-innings relief. They were pushed hard in the first half, both ranking in the top nine among American League relievers in innings pitched before the All-Star break.

Tyler Duffey and Emilio Pagán have held down roles in reduced leverage, and Caleb Thielbar remains a situational option against runs of lefties. But the Twins could use at least one -- if not two -- more solid back-end relievers to get some of the pressure off Duran and Jax to help a bullpen that currently ranks last in the AL in WAR, per FanGraphs. Fortunately for them, solid relievers are among the most plentiful players on any trade market.

2. Another playoff-caliber starter
The Twins currently have Sonny Gray and Joe Ryan lined up as their top two starters, but the picture behind them gets muddled. Chris Paddack is lost for the year with a second Tommy John surgery, Bailey Ober has been out for most of the season with hip issues, Josh Winder has continued to suffer from lingering shoulder troubles, and while veterans Chris Archer and Dylan Bundy have pitched capably, their upside is more limited.

Obviously, the Reds’ Luis Castillo and the A’s Frankie Montas have been the most talked-about starters on the trade market, and the competition for them is likely to be fierce among the big-name contenders. Still, the Twins have the young players and prospects to pull off a deal of or near that caliber, and this is perhaps the deal that could most impact their playoff destiny.

3. A backup catcher
This is far from the biggest priority, but with Ryan Jeffers down until September with a fractured right thumb, the Twins could swing a lower-end deal to give Gary Sánchez some help with a solid backup-type catcher who could help to give the pitching staff a steadying influence. Though Caleb Hamilton currently serves as the Twins’ backup and offers versatility elsewhere on the diamond, he has only made one plate appearance since he was called up on July 15.