For weeks we’ve heard talk of the big names. Madison
Bumgarner, Will Smith, and Noah Syndergaard were all assets expected to be
moved at the July 31 trade deadline. Because the Minnesota Twins are one of the
best teams in baseball they were consistently linked to the best gets, and so
too were every other major market. In the end, that trio went nowhere, but it’s
in how Minnesota executed on their moves that makes the maneuvering something
to get behind.
Without hammering out more thoughts on Sergio Romo, it’s
hard to see that move as anything but a come up. I already wrote about the move
when it happened over the weekend, but they turned a guy who was going to be
lost during the Rule 5 draft into a strong reliever and an equal or better
prospect. Knowing the goal was relief help, Derek Falvey struck early on the
former Marlins close.
As the deadline neared on Tuesday afternoon, apprehension
began to set in. Hours faded away, they turned into minutes, and the 3pm CT mark
came and went. Then there was a tweet Darren Wolfson sent simply saying, “Stay
tuned.” As long as deals are finalized with the league office prior to the
cutoff, they go through. Having not yet been reported, Minnesota was in fact
making a move.
All along it was thought that Smith was the San Francisco
Giants reliever on his way out of town. Stringing together some victories of
late however, Bruce Bochy’s club is going to make one more run and held onto
their top starter and reliever. In doing this, Falvey likely pivoted to what
can be argued as a better get.
Sam Dyson is a 31-year-old reliever with closing experience.
Having familiarity with Thad Levine from his Texas days, Dyson closed out 38
games for the Rangers in 2016. This year he’s posted a 2.47 ERA 2.74 FIP 8.3
K/9 and 1.2 BB/9. He doesn’t still throw upper 90’s like earlier in his career,
but he sits in the middle and doesn’t give up free bases. Under team control
through next season as well, this move plays into the future.
Will Smith: 2.72 ERA 2.77 FIP 6.0 H/9 1.2 HR/9 2.1 BB/9 12.8 K/9 1.2 fWAR FA 2020— Ted (@tlschwerz) July 31, 2019
Sam Dyson: 2.47 ERA 2.74 FIP 6.9 H/9 0.5 HR/9 1.2 BB/9 8.3 K/9 1.1 fWAR FA 2021
Well done #MNTwins
Going into the deadline I opined that the Twins could do no
worse than two relievers with a starter pushing someone to the bullpen as
gravy. None of the big relief names moved and Dyson represents the best arm to
switch teams. Outside of Chris Martin, who is an impending free agent, Romo
likely comes in above the rest as well.
If you find yourself disappointed that the likes of Thor,
MadBum, or Greinke won’t be in the home dugout any time soon I’d like to offer
some perspective. First and foremost, neither of the first two players switched
teams. The Mets asked for the most important player on the Twins roster in the
middle of a season, while the Giants we’re holding a big name with declining
performance back for a king’s ransom.
Houston did well to land Greinke, and coming in after the
buzzer he certainly provided the big bang to end the day. The former
Diamondbacks starter would’ve been an ideal candidate for Minnesota as adding
salary is certainly an avenue they could’ve went down. He would’ve helped to
solidify the rotation and also is under contract. He is 35-years-old though,
and most importantly had a full no-trade clause. It was his choice where he
went, and that wasn’t here.
Almost as what the Twins got at the deadline is what they
held onto. With the big names floated for weeks, so two were prospects like
Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, Brusdar Graterol, and Trevor Larnach. Falvey added
talent in the most necessary part of the roster without giving up a single top
20 prospect. Lewin Diaz was the highest ceiling moved, and he was
unquestionably buried behind some better depth. Jaylin Davis is having an
incredible 2019, but it’s come out of nowhere and again is in an area of depth.
You want to see a team start to push chips in when a window
opens, but you must be certain that it isn’t just cracked. The Astros have made
waves the last two seasons now in the midst of a third straight 100 win
campaign. The Cubs traded Gleyber Torres in a final piece World Series move
after winning 97 games the year prior, and are now looking at a fifth straight
90 win campaign. Those types of moves are risky but were beyond substantiated.
Minnesota should win 100 games this year but it comes on the
heels of a losing season. This core looks the part of a team that should be a
Postseason and World Series contender for at least the next five seasons. They
have no less than 15 players that are impact talent and will be 32-years-old or
under four years from now. Rocco Baldelli’s 25-man roster is good enough right
now to beat anyone in the Postseason. In 2020 and beyond, some of the
additional depth can be turned into more talent, as the opportunity stays
present.
To summarize the past few weeks that led up to a frenzied
couple of hours today, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine showed poised perfection in
how they handled talent acquisition. The big league club got substantially
better. The farm system did not get any worse. Sustained winning is still a
probable outcome and the team from Twins Territory is as dangerous as it’s ever
been.
