OAKLAND -- Paul Molitor never had to deal with the social media rumor mill during his Hall of Fame playing career. As the Twins manager? Molitor welcomes it and can't help but scan through it himself.
"It's kind of fun," Molitor said prior to Saturday's game against the A's. "I read it just because I'm kind of curious to what people are saying, even though I know a lot of it probably is never going to happen. It's just kind of more entertainment."
It may be more than that in Minnesota, as the team weighs its options with the non-waiver Trade Deadline quickly approaching at 4 p.m. ET Monday.
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The Twins were within one-half game of first-place Cleveland in the American League Central on July 20, convincing the front office to make a trade for pitcher Jaime Garcia earlier this week seemingly to strengthen a run at the playoffs.
Seven games and five losses later, the rumor mill is heating up again. Only this time the chatter is that the Twins are no longer planning on being buyers at the Trade Deadline but are instead going in the opposite direction.
Among those players whose names are popping up in trade rumors are Garcia, All-Star pitcher Ervin Santana, closer Brandon Kintzler and second baseman James Dozier.

"You have to have faith in the people that are making decisions," Molitor said. "We're not in the easiest of spots to try to discern how this is going to go. They spoke from the beginning about their main focus was a long-term, sustainable competitive team. To try to figure that out with the short-term here, that's tough to do."
Molitor said he doesn't feel the need to address his players about the rumors. That was a topic he and his staff did in Spring Training in a general fashion.
"Just making sure that they understand that there are going to be a lot of things said along the way, sometimes good, sometimes not so good," Molitor said. "But you have to be able to sort that out. I don't think I have to address that with them."
Still, the Twins' skipper acknowledged that it is more difficult for players to insulate themselves from the rumors given the widespread use of social media among all professional athletes.
"I do think that there are players that want to read every little thing that's out there because they can kind of sort it out and not let it run too deep, maybe other than on the surface, and other guys just kind of ignore it," Molitor said. "I've been on teams where I was hoping we'd make moves and we didn't. You just kind of deal with the facts. You have what you have."