Twins Should be Buyers at MLB Trade Deadline, but Their Priorities are ‘Frankly Sort of Pathetic’

The MLB trade deadline is getting closer and, at the 68-game mark, the Minnesota Twins are sitting in great position to add to a team that should be playoff bound, come October.

They’ve been attached to big name slugger, Pete Alonso, multiple times, and they could really use a front end starter, if they really want to be considered anything near World Series contenders.

Minnesota Twins should buy at the MLB trade deadline… but that costs money

Will they make any season altering moves before the end of July, when the deadline hits? It’s possible… but there’s one big problem facing such a plausible reality. Money. The Pohlads made a point to slim the roster by $30 million during the offseason in order to “reset the books”, a move that doesn’t appear to be a one-year thing.

If we assume they are still being money conscious (pretty safe assumption), then they could be very limited in what kind of deals they are willing to make over the next month-plus. Most teams are either looking to add at the deadline, or sell. Any need for a trade partner to eat or take back a bunch of salary could really limit their options, according to Aaron Gleeman (The Athletic).

Contending teams should be looking to address weaknesses and add talent at the deadline, but that usually requires having owners willing to increase payroll, and the Pohlads have earned every ounce of doubt on that front. If ownership wasn’t willing to spend this offseason and their revenue outlook has worsened since, it’s hardly safe to assume they’ll spend more now. If the Twins’ self-imposed payroll restrictions remain in place, it could limit trade options in several ways.

Aaron Gleeman – The Athletic

Gleeman doesn’t rule out a major trade deadline move for the Twins, or at least something that will shake things up in a positive way. But as he notes, there’s nothing that has taken place since the end of last season that should lead us to believe they’re willing to spend anything to get better.

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On the bright side, players should only cost about 1/3 of their full-season salary, once the trade deadline comes around. That would put the Twins on the hook for approximately $7 million of Pete Alonso’s 2024 salary.

Sort of pathetic Minnesota Twins ownership

We’ll see if that’s something the Twins have built into their pre-set roster spending budget, but there’s no guarantees that is the case. As Gleeman so aptly puts it, the fact that we are even talking about this is “frankly sort of pathetic”.

It’s unfortunate, and frankly sort of pathetic, that increasing payroll at the deadline is even a question for a contending team that should be looking to build off its first playoff success in two decades. But until proven otherwise, that’s the skepticism created by cost-cutting owners, and the added degree of difficulty the Twins front office may face between now and July 30.

Aaron Gleeman – The Athletic

We have a love/hate relationships with our sports owners in this town, but there is no doubt that the Pohlad family is openly the only “cheap” owners in the market.

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And, after about five years of trying to ditch that moniker, they’ve not only accepted that’s what they are… but possibly even embraced it. Hopefully, they prove us wrong before the upcoming MLB Trade Deadline. But I’m just as skeptical as Gleeman.