Minnesota Twins fans have been refreshing their Twitter feeds over the last week. The Twins need a starting pitcher. But with roughly one week to go until Opening Day, they appear ready to go into the season with what they have on the roster.
Signing Carlos Correa makes acquiring a pitcher a necessity. The Twins went all-in by signing Correa to what is essentially a one-year deal. But while adding Correa is a boost the franchise needed, it may also be the hold-up in Minnesota’s quest for pitching.
The front office did well to acquire Sonny Gray in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds. But are plenty of question marks behind Gray.
Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober appear to be locks for the rotation, but their experience leaves a lot to be desired. The two rookies combined for 118 combined innings last season. In a rebuilding year, slotting them into the rotation would make sense to see what the Twins have. But the Twins already told everyone they intend on competing after signing Correa. If they are serious about that claim, they would be best served to find a more experienced arm.
The Twins added one veteran when they signed Dylan Bundy. But a veteran coming off a 6.06 ERA isn’t comforting. In a best-case scenario, they could get a strong start to the season like they did with Martín Pérez in 2019. The worst-case? The Twins could be looking at the second coming of Matt Shoemaker.
With Randy Dobnak already dealing with a fingernail issue and Lewis Thorpe looking like a Quad-A player, the Twins need a reliable option to plug into their rotation. Long story short? The Twins need pitching, and everybody knows it.
The Twins have been linked in trade talks with the Oakland Athletics for Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. But a trade hasn’t come to fruition yet. While it could be that the Twins are reluctant to part with a top prospect, the real reason could be that the Athletics are price gouging.
Think of the repercussions if the Twins don’t trade for a starter. The front office will have the appearance of not doing what it takes to win after signing Correa to a massive deal. With two opt-outs in Correa’s deal, this could be the difference between Correa re-signing with Minnesota or taking a mega-deal with a bigger market team.
The Athletics know this, so they can ask for the moon from the Twins. Minnesota isn’t likely to balk at a high price. But they also aren’t in control of their situation. They have to trade for an arm. Otherwise, it nullifies the point of signing Correa.
A lack of trade options could also be teams protecting themselves from the Twins. Earlier this offseason, Minnesota was able to trade Josh Donaldson and his $50 million salary to the New York Yankees. The deal was initially confusing to Twins fans because it included newly-acquired shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa. But it also cleared money off the payroll for the Twins to make a bigger move.
The Yankees were likely considering signing Correa. But with Donaldson’s salary on the books, they didn’t want to go into the second luxury tax threshold. With newfound money to spend, the Twins swooped in and signed Correa.
Leaving egg on the Yankees’ face was entertaining for Twins fans. But it also provided a cautionary tale for other teams. Instead of dealing with Minnesota, they could also feel like they could be the catalyst for another big move. Even with six playoff teams in each league, other teams don’t want to make the Twins stronger.
That leaves the Twins in a challenging situation. Not only do they need to trade for a pitcher. They need to find someone willing to work with them. To this point, the A’s haven’t been that team, and time is running out for Minnesota to find a solution.
Things will also get more difficult as the season goes along. If the Twins go into the season with their current staff, they will need to find an arm at some point. They found out during the 2019 deadline that starting pitchers have a high price, and it’s unlikely they want to go through that process again.
There’s a good chance that the Twins will eventually find the arm they need to become legitimate contenders. But with each day that passes, the path to finding that arm will be increasingly difficult.
