This story was excerpted from Matthew Leach’s Twins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
HOUSTON -- As the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline approaches, the natural question of “buy or sell” begins to percolate. But given the Twins’ roster and needs, their path very well might not fit neatly into either category.
General manager Jeremy Zoll and the Minnesota front office could do a little of each, parting with one or two veterans while also filling some needs on the big league roster. Or they could try to pull off that trickiest of moves, a Major League for Major League trade.
The options are wide open, and so is the American League. No team is more than eight games out of a playoff spot, and 11 of the 15 teams are within 4 1/2 games. And on the flipside, no one has a division lead of more than 2 1/2. The line between buyer and seller has never been less clear, and the Twins are certainly one of the primary data points in that regard.
“How many teams have truly declared a position,” Zoll said, “whether they’ve literally said it publicly? You can probably say three, maybe four. And beyond that, everyone’s going to wait as long as they can."
But the standings are not the only reason. The Twins’ unusual situation is also a result of the way their Major League and Triple-A rosters are constructed. While their pitching depth has been stretched extremely thin, the opposite is true on the hitting side. Minnesota has more Major League-ready hitters than roster spots, especially in the outfield, but even to a lesser extent in the infield.
Which means things could get very interesting, and their Deadline could defy conventional labels. Trading prospects for relievers or a starter, which the Twins could definitely do, is the mark of a buyer. Trading an outfielder for prospects is something a seller does.
Right?
But again, what if you do both? Or what if they moved someone like Trevor Larnach or Matt Wallner to bolster the pitching? Players like Wallner, Alan Roden and the Twins' No. 1 prospect Walker Jenkins are waiting for the opportunity to play, and the effectiveness of Larnach, Byron Buxton and Kody Clemens, among others, means that opportunity hasn’t come.
Infield prospect Kaelen Culpepper (No. 2) has dealt with injuries but, likewise, would probably be ready for a role if one opened.
So there absolutely is a third path: not a buy, not a sell, but a combination. The Twins could trade an infielder or outfielder, have confidence in their ability to replace that player from within, while also adding urgently needed pitching depth.
It’s not easy to do. There’s a reason that the expression “old-fashioned baseball trade” exists. Lining up needs can be a challenge. But the opportunity does exist.
“I agree with that for sure,” Zoll said. “It … might create some unique opportunities, or just help in conversations where teams aren’t trying to trade for a set of A-ball prospects or things along those lines.
“But we’ve also seen the last couple of offseasons, where 27 of the 30 teams are buying, and there’s not true sellers. You spend a lot of time talking Major League for Major League trades, and it’s really hard to line up.”