With all the caveats for patience and due diligence, there is no better time for the Minnesota Twins to make a trade than right now. It is time to set the tone for the rest of the season.
We’ve all been over the needs and the available candidates to address those spots. They need pitching. There are many pitchers who will soon be available, and the Twins are already getting involved in the posturing for those players, most famously Marcus Stroman, Madison Bumgarner, Will Smith and Ken Giles. We know all of the names and needs, as well as the prospect depth that the Twins will need to draw from.
This post is about the timing. The time is now.
Not only is this a perfect inflection point in the season, with the All Star Break resetting teams for the second half, but the tail of the first half saw the Indians trending upwards with the Twins playing a more pedestrian brand of baseball. If the Twins organization would like to inject some enthusiasm into the team and show a little bit of faith in the squad and their playoff aspirations, adding one of the arms mentioned above would be a good sign.
Time is shorter to kick start the season this year. Whereas in years past, it was possible to make deals through August, there is a hard trade deadline starting this year. July 31st will be even more frantic, and players will be moved with more abandon than in previous years. If pitchers start coming off the board as July winds down, there won’t be a second chance in August, or more names coming available. Where patience was a virtue in years past, decisiveness may be imperative in 2019.
With a confluence of momentum running against the Twins, pressure for transactions about to ramp up and a natural pause in the season, Minnesota’s front office should be pushing to get something done now to get a jump on the market.
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