Another trade deadline came and went without the Twins doing much of anything. It’s not a terrible thing to have happen this year, and there were a lot of reasons to stand pat. Long term contracts, a weak Central Division, and a reluctance to move players in the first year of a deal.
That said…. This is the second disappointing season the Twins have had in a row. It’s been well established that the Twins farm system is very weak as well, and needs some serious help. Over the course of the last two seasons, in an effort to make the team’s farm system better, they have traded Delmon Young, Kevin Slowey and Francisco Liriano. Really, the three that were traded didn’t jive with the clubhouse, or at best were traded when their value was very low.
The Twins haven’t made a significant roster move to improve the depth of their farm system, probably since AJ Pierzynski was traded, hoping instead to draft to success, a strategy that hasn’t worked yet. They have had big league talent, even redundant big league talent. They have had expiring contracts, but still, no moves to get younger, to plan for the future.
Part of the problem might be the planners, and not just the plan. Ron Gardenhire has been in charge for a whopping 11 years now, and Tom Kelly was at the helm for even longer than that. Management just doesn’t get overhauled. That goes for general management too. Bill Smith wasn’t getting it done, apparently, and was… reassigned. He is still in the organization. His replacement was the an he succeeded, Terry Ryan.
Why are the Twins so comfortable with where they are at? Don’t they know the old saying, that it takes a few broken eggs to make an omelet? People in Minnesota have been waiting a very long time for that omelet, but we are stuck with a dozen rotten eggs.
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