The Minnesota Twins came into 2020 having set a Major League record in home runs, had one of the best seasons in franchise history, and with an offense poised to set the world on fire. As with everything else this year, very little has gone as expected. Now on the final day to make some roster swaps, it isn’t time to push the panic button.
Major League Baseball bumped the trade deadline back to
August 31st this year in order to accommodate a sensible timeline amidst
a 60-game sprint. Minnesota currently stands at 20-15 looking up at both the
Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians in the AL Central division. While division
titles are nice, they couldn’t mean less this year. The top seeds will still
face a club with a winning record, and they’ll do so in just a three-game
series.
I love the idea of adding Trevor Bauer to this club, solely
because it’s my belief he’s the only pitcher capable of slotting into the top
of Minnesota’s rotation. Although he’s a short-term rental and would make
something like 5-8 starts, maybe the familiarity helps to re-sign him this
offseason. Outside of that, any move should come with a future caveat as well.
Next season the Twins will need to replace three-fifths of
their Opening Day starting rotation. Trevor May is an impending free agent, and
Nelson Cruz’s status remains up in the air. While the core of this club remains
strong, there’s certainly pieces that will need to be shuffled around. For
Minnesota to target an asset in the midst of a volatile year, and only have
eyes on making it pay off immediately, would be a misstep.
In any season there’s a relative amount of luck when it
comes to winning a World Series. Doing so amongst a 16-team playoff field, with
no fans, and potentially no home field to speak of, is a crapshoot at best.
That doesn’t water down winning a ring this year, everyone is dealing with the
same conditions, but it does make operating in a traditional sense irrational.
Maybe a reunion with Lance Lynn works out. He’s a really
good pitcher that really didn’t like his situation back in 2018. Maybe Dylan
Bundy and his slider are another weapon for Wes Johnson and the Minnesota brain
trust to deploy. Those are the types of moves that have future benefit too. Do
you go all in on Josh Hader? That’s a great arm in play as well. No matter what
the Twins do though, having more benefit than just 2020 has to be part of the
outcome.
There’s no doubt this club is going to make the Postseason.
There’s no doubt the healthy version of their lineup is a force to be reckoned
with. The greatest doubt is how it all comes together the rest of the way, and
then when 2021 rolls around, what remains when the dust has settled?
