The Minnesota Twins are spiraling after salvaging a 7-15 start to their season. Since their 13-game winning streak ended, they’ve gone 10-15, lost four of their last five series, and are coming off a sweep in Houston.
Just like at the beginning of the season, the Twins appear to be in a slump, where everything that can go wrong is going wrong.
If there’s any upside to their losing cycle, they are still in second place in the AL Central with a 36-35 record. The Twins also aren’t the only slumping team in the Central. The Kansas City Royals and the Cleveland Guardians are also in a 2-8 stretch.
Still, the Twins lost Royce Lewis to another IL stint after he reaggravated his left hamstring injury from spring training, and their minor league depth is a bit more depleted than usual. Mickey Gasper has been the best hitter in the International League since the Twins sent him to St. Paul on May 5, compiling a .345/.435/.639 slash line with eight homers and 22 RBI.
But despite these great Triple-A numbers, the Twins didn’t call Gasper up to fill Lewis’s spot on the active roster. Instead, they opted for DaShawn Keirsey Jr., the light-hitting, speedy outfielder.
Perhaps the Twins should have prioritized infield help over adding another outfielder. However, Gasper remained at Triple-A St. Paul more because they need him for catching depth with Patrick Winkel and Jair Camargo on the injured list. If Minnesota had called him up, it would only leave the Saints with newly called-up Noah Cardenas and Diego Cartaya.
Four players on Minnesota’s 40-man roster who are in St. Paul (including Camargo) are spending time on the injured list in one form or another. Austin Martin has been out for over two months with a right hamstring strain. Ryan Fitzgerald is out with a right ankle sprain, and Emmanuel Rodriguez has an unclear timetable following a right hip strain that placed him on the 7-day IL on June 2.
Not that Rodriguez was performing so well that he would have forced his MLB debut if healthy. He had a .232/.400/.392 slash line with only four home runs and 16 RBI in 39 games. Still, it’s one less player they can use to boost the lineup.
José Miranda and Edouard Julien have major-league experience but haven’t produced at Triple-A this year. Julien only has a .239/.401/.342 slash line in 36 games with the Saints, along with just two home runs and 11 RBI. Miranda has performed even worse with a .210/.288/.319 slash line, two home runs, and 10 RBI in 31 games.
It’s far from where the Twins front office would hope Julien or Miranda would be after sending them back to Triple-A in April and May. So what can the Twins do to add some depth if it might be time to find healthy and servicable bench players to balance out their lineup?
The San Francisco Giants just made the biggest splash trade in June since the New York Mets sent the Franchise, Tom Seaver, to the Cincinnati Reds for four players 48 years ago. On Sunday, the Giants acquired Rafael Devers from the Red Sox for four players.
Minnesota’s front office will more than likely not pull off a trade of this scale a month and a half before the deadline. Still, with so many injured or underperforming players on the 40-man roster, why shouldn’t the Twins take the opportunity to keep the ball rolling on early trade activity and get the bat they need from a non-contending team?
Right now, the best and most realistic option for the Twins would be to acquire first baseman and outfielder Ryan O’Hearn from the Baltimore Orioles, a free agent after the season. O’Hearn is the best hitter on an underperforming Orioles squad this season, leading the team with a .306/.386/.495 slash line and is only second in home runs (10) and RBI (27) to Cedric Mullins.
Given the Orioles need for pitching depth and the Twins still having plenty in the lower levels of the minors, jumping ahead to get O’Hearn for half the season still and provide the Orioles with a starter that is no more than a year away from the majors, might be the best of both worlds for these teams. A starter like C.J. Culpepper fits what the O’s will need, given their depleted starting rotation, which holds the third-worst team ERA from starters this season at 5.18.
Culpepper has an injury history, including a forearm strain that has set back his season this year. He only just returned to Minnesota’s Double-A rotation last week. However, O’Hearn also hasn’t had a clean bill of health. He’s dealt with a sore ankle this season, limiting some of his time in the O’s lineup.
Still, O’Hearn’s bat is just what the Twins need for their lineup, and he’s not limited to being a first baseman. He’s split time between the corner outfield positions and DH the past few seasons. That way, he can rotate between the corner spots with Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach, and Harrison Bader, and split platoon time at first with Ty France.
It’s a long shot of happening anytime soon, but for now, the Twins hitters can take solace that they’ll be playing in one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks at Great American Ballpark for the next three games. It won’t be a pitcher’s haven for Bailey Ober and Chris Paddack, who are coming off career-worst starts. Still, it’s a good location to get the lineup back on track until they can trade for a player like O’Hearn.
