The Minnesota Twins’ play after the All-Star break has been less than ideal. Therefore, it may be time for them to look at younger players currently in the high minors to evaluate what they have and try to go on an improbable playoff run.
Minnesota had decent pitching entering the break. However, the starters have a 4.50 ERA, and Yoendrys Gomez and Andrew Morris are holding things together for a bullpen with a 5.10 ERA. Still, the Twins can’t go on a playoff run with that kind of production from their pitching staff.
Add in regression that’s expected from the top offense in the American League, and the Twins could be on the verge of a collapse.
However, suppose the team can maintain its sensational first-offense mindset, backed by younger, up-and-coming talent. Then, they may be able to stay in the playoff hunt, regardless of whether they buy or sell, given that many American League teams are hovering around .500.
Offense first
Minnesota’s offense was productive throughout the first half. Going into the All-Star break, they were a top 10 team in baseball in almost every major batting metric, including the most runs scored in the American League.
The Twins also rely on getting the bats going early in games. They are tied with the Washington Nationals for the most average runs scored in the first five innings at 3.09 runs per game. However, they are 25th in baseball over the last four innings, averaging around 1.65 runs per game.
Minnesota’s early run support allows pitchers to feel less pressure early in games, yielding greater comfort as the game goes on, potentially leading to longer outings per start.
This team’s current ability to provide this spark raises the question: Can they get even more from young talent that hasn’t broken into the big leagues yet?
Young talent
The Twins have perennially been considered a top farm system across baseball, and this year is no exception.
Walker Jenkins, Kaelen Culpepper, Gabby Gonzalez, and Emmanuel Rodriguez have helped the St. Paul Saints capture and maintain a top-five offense in almost every major batting metric in the International League, including the most home runs (162) and the top slugging percentage (.479).
When healthy, these potential MLB starters are more than deserving of a chance to get quality at-bats in the big leagues, and their time may be coming sooner rather than later. Of these four, only Gonzalez has made his MLB debut. In his lone game played, he went 1 for 2 with two walks and a run scored in an eight-six Twins win over the Red Sox in May.
However, Culpepper and Rodriguez are injured, and Jenkins isn’t yet on the 40-man roster, so the Twins will need to make multiple moves to get these guys playing time. But those moves could be coming in the near future, depending on how the front office determines to handle the trade deadline.
Buy or sell?
The Twins are below .500 and still in the wild card race. They are only three games behind the Boston Red Sox, who have won 14 straight games.
Ryan Jeffers seems to be the most likely candidate to move, no matter what the team decides. That seems even clearer when the Twins kept Alex Jackson, who’s out of minor-league options, on the 26-man roster instead of sending him down when Jeffers came back from injury. Instead, they sent Kyler Fedko to Triple-A, while keeping three catchers on the roster.
The Twins will need to decide whether they will keep Jeffers, Joe Ryan, Trevor Larnach, and Kody Clemens on the roster as the Aug. 3 trade deadline nears. It seems less likely after the Chicago Cubs blew them out in two games after the All-Star Break.
If this seems like a trend, one, if not all three, could be moved to make way for the younger talent. But given the state of the American League, a sell-off seems unlikely because the Twins are still in the wild card hunt. If the Twins get back into the win column and string some series wins together, it could create another issue: What to do with the young stars on the cusp of the majors.
How do the Twins create room?
The Twins need high-leverage relievers down the stretch, and would probably have to move Larnach and Clemens to acquire them. It would also make room for the young players with upside who can make an impact.
Even though the offense has been the catalyst to the team’s winning ways, it’s going to be up to the young talent to provide additional spark no matter what the team decides to do at the trade deadline.
With a high chance of a lockout heading into 2027, it only makes sense for this team to be active in some way at the deadline. No matter what, Twins fans are in for a wild ride as the trade deadline nears.
