Every trip to the post season is special, because any team could turn on the magic and make a deep run into the playoffs and even win the World Series. The Houston Astros didn’t seem like the team of destiny last year, having emerged from the shadows in 2015 after a long period of darkness, then regressing in 2016. 2017 was a pretty good year, but they weren’t the story that the Indians or Twins were. Nevertheless, they were in the playoffs and took advantage of the opportunity, winning the franchise’s first ever title.
Meanwhile, in Washington, the Nationals have never won a playoff series. They got close in 2012, their first year of success in Washington. Making the assumption of long term success, the Nationals kept Stephen Strasburg from pitching in the playoffs, and ultimately lost 3-2 to the Cardinals, and were throttled in the games they lost, perhaps short just one exemplary pitching performance, while their top prospect sat out to preserve his arm, assuming the future instead of seizing the present.
The Twins are in something of an similar position to the Astros and Nationals. They are not quite to their peak in this latest crest in their franchise, but they have a very good shot at the playoffs despite a slow start. They are only a game and a half behind Cleveland for the AL Central, and they only sit at about 25% of their games played. They can think about the future, but that shouldn’t be a at the expense of the present.
A collection of free agents signed over the offseason, from Lance Lynn to Logan Morrison, and Jake Odorizzi was acquired via trade. Don’t make any mistake though: None of these (perhaps with the exception of Odorizzi) were long term investments. These moves do suggest that the Twins were “going for it” this year, but then, they all came in a soft free agent market at the end of the offseason. There was no long term commitment to these players, allowing guys like Stephen Gonzalves, Fernando Romero and Royce Lewis a spot in the next couple of years while seizing on the 2018 season.
So as the Twins look ahead to the trade deadline, and important decisions need to be made, don’t expect the franchise to deal from their estimable prospect depth in order to secure the playoffs this year — they seem very close at hand already. But also, don’t expect the Twins to sit on their hands if there is a fillable hole. While the Twins expect to get better in the short term, they also recognize that this shot may be their last with Brian Dozier or Joe Mauer on the roster, in addition to those new free agents. And while there are high expectations for the Twins prospect base, there isn’t anything that says that those young talents will pan out.
The Twins definitely have the tools in place, and the wealth of tradable assets to go all in this season, which is what, I’m sure, guys like Dozier would like to see. On the other hand, the front office has to believe that there is more to come from this farm system and the young players on the roster. They can do what the Astros did – Build towards more and better post season experiences – and avoid what the Nationals did in not playing for this season as well. The team might not bring in any big names to patch holes, but assuming they get to the postseason, assume all hands will be on deck.
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