Minnesota Twins trade deadline takeaways: Payroll-fueled frustration and Trevor Richards
Jun 15, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Trevor Richards (33) throws a pitch against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
By Aaron Gleeman
6h ago
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With around 90 minutes to go until Tuesday’s trade deadline, the Minnesota Twins stood as the only MLB team that hadn’t made at least one deal.

They eventually joined the action, but just barely, making one of the lowest-wattage deadline trades across MLB by sending minor-league infielder Jay Harry to the Toronto Blue Jays for journeyman right-handed relief pitcher Trevor Richards, an impending free agent with a modest $2.1 million salary.



Richards is a 31-year-old with a career 4.51 ERA for four teams over seven major league seasons, including a 4.64 ERA in 52 1/3 innings this year and a 4.95 ERA in 72 2/3 innings last year. He takes the place of Josh Staumont, who was designated for assignment after posting a 3.70 ERA and a poor 18-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 24 1/3 innings working mostly low leverage.

Harry was last year’s sixth-round pick and ranked No. 39 on my preseason Twins top-40 prospects list, but his stock has slipped since then. He hit just .214/.306/.349 in 82 games at High-A Cedar Rapids and was no longer seen as one of the Twins’ top 50 prospects, profiling as a low-upside utility player several years away from potentially reaching the majors.

Swapping a marginal prospect for two months of a rental middle reliever is possibly the least consequential trade the Twins could have made while still checking the “we made a move” box instead of sitting out a second straight deadline. And the cost is minimal, in both prospect capital and the $700,000 or so Richards adds to a payroll that ownership cut by $30 million from 2023.

Even with Brock Stewart shut down with more shoulder problems, adding another right-hander didn’t appear to be a pressing need for a bullpen with Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Jorge Alcala and Cole Sands. It was seemingly a much bigger priority to find a left-handed upgrade over Steven Okert, Kody Funderburk and Caleb Thielbar.


Richards is a righty, but he has “reverse” splits more befitting a lefty thanks to a changeup that can neutralize left-handed hitters. During the past three seasons, lefties have hit .211 with a .664 OPS off Richards, compared to .229 with a .731 OPS for righties. While struggling overall this season, he’s held lefties to a .175 batting average and .506 OPS.




“(Richards) has found a way to get through left-handed pockets of lineups with that changeup,” president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. “He’s really got a good secondary pitch that can get lefties out, so it’s nice to have another option outside of your lefty-on-lefty guys as they continue to sort some things out.”

That makes Richards a more intriguing strategic option than his mediocre ERAs would suggest, but it’s still hard to imagine many scenarios in which the Twins would want to deploy him versus dangerous lefty bats in key spots. He’s also been terrible in July, allowing 16 runs in 10 1/3 innings, so Richards could just as easily end up being relegated to long-relief duties.

This is far closer to making an inexpensive, low-stakes trade simply to able to say you made a trade than an actual meaningful upgrade.

No rotation reinforcements
Rotation help was seemingly the far more obvious need with Chris Paddack out indefinitely, but the Twins failed to address that. They were said to be focused on rental starters but balked at what was universally regarded as uncommonly bloated prospect price tags for the likes of Yusei Kikuchi. It was a seller’s market, with demand outpacing supply.

Falvey downplayed the role money had in limiting trade options, but it’s easy to connect the dots following an offseason in which ownership slashed payroll. League-wide asking prices for quality starters were high enough without the added complication of requiring the selling team to eat substantial money, increasing the prospect capital involved.

Detroit Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty’s resurgent first half made him the best rental starter to be moved, and the Los Angeles Dodgers got him for what proved to be a surprisingly reasonable prospect package after the New York Yankees reportedly backed out of a deal due to worries about his recent back injury.



Even with the added financial obstacles, the Twins certainly had the farm system depth to beat the Dodgers’ offer for Flaherty, or perhaps top what the Chicago White Sox got for Erick Fedde, but Falvey indicated — without getting into any specifics — that in some cases American League Central rivals asked them to pay a premium relative to other suitors.

“It did feel like in some cases, some of those in-division conversations didn’t advance the way they did with other, out-of-division conversations,” Falvey said without mentioning a team or pitcher by name. “I get that. Each team is going to have a different view of how they navigate that.”

Of course, if the prices at the trade deadline, and more specifically for two-month rentals, were exorbitant, the way to avoid that would have been to sign or trade for a quality starter in the offseason, which is why ownership slashing payroll was so damaging. Falvey’s options were limited then, and again now, dramatically upping the degree of difficulty for the front office.

Now what?
So, where does that leave the Twins’ rotation for the final two months?

Paddack returning from the injured list relatively soon would be ideal, but it’s hard to count on him as a consistent contributor down the stretch given the uncertainty surrounding his health and his 4.99 ERA in 17 starts before the latest shutdown. Paddack’s status being up in the air is precisely why the Twins were in the market for rotation help in the first place.


David Festa had a second straight solid outing Tuesday, and the Twins’ top pitching prospect has certainly pitched well enough to stay in the rotation. If he falters, the Twins’ next-in-line starters are Louie Varland and Zebby Matthews, with Randy Dobnak also looming as an option after being called up to the majors Tuesday for the first time since 2021.

It’s also now more vital than ever that the front four of Pablo López, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Simeon Woods Richardson stay healthy because the Twins could be in trouble if they need to fill multiple rotation spots.



“We’re going to have a lot of young guys that are going to have to play a role for us,” Falvey said. “These guys are going to be part of our present and future, with (Woods Richardson) and Festa and Varland and Matthews and others down in Triple A that could find a way. These guys all need to be ready to contribute to the group, hopefully in a postseason setting.”

It’s frustrating, disappointing and a buzzkill for the Twins to have a second consecutive uneventful trade deadline, especially after a payroll-slashing offseason. But it’s also worth noting they responded to last season’s trade-less deadline by going 32-22 down the stretch and then winning their first playoff series in two decades.

They’re capable of doing that again, but given how much more challenging it might be to make the playoffs this season, it would have been nice for the Twins to get a little help from ownership — as the Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals did while making multiple noteworthy deadline pickups — instead of having to succeed despite them.

Clemmey fits in at No. 5 on the Nationals revised Top 30 prospect ratings; Ramirez and Tena slot about where they did with Cleveland 22 and 28

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Sleeping on Tena !

White Sox with 20th in a row

I appreciate Rocco Baldelli leaving his reliever in to surrender 4 runs and let the Rangers back into the game; and thank 3rd baseman Jose Miranda for his game-winning error. We hold onto to a 2 game edge thanks to the Twins' timely collapse.

José Tena now has more hits (7) in 16 AB for the Nationals than Lane Thomas (6) has in 53 AB for the Guardians.

There's some reason we wanted Thomas, although not quite sure yet.

Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
#Nationals OF Lane Thomas was traded to the #Guardians for INF Jose Tena, LHP Alex Clemmey and INF Rafael Ramirez Jr.

Thomas vs Tena in MLB since trade:

Lane Thomas (21 games)

8-64 7R 4(2B) 2RBI 6BB 1SB .125 AVG .396 OPS

Jose Tena (13 games)

14-35 4R 1(2B) 1HR 6RBI 2BB 1SB .400 AVG .946 OPS

Certainly it goes without saying that there is no book on Tena and that may take awhile for MLB teams to adjust.

We are only too familiar with guys who hit it pretty big early before the league adjusts.

As for Lane Thomas 2 possible explanations for me:

1. Some guys are just NL or AL players - hope this isn't it
2. Some guys just press when traded to a new team that's already contending - this was the only real deadline move for Cleveland.


That said Matt Boyd is looking pretty good as a deadline move too.

Let me say it again. Tena is a stud.

Thomas has a vision problem. He has been terrible at the plate and in the field. No excuse for his lack of contact. Johny Miller would say he is choking big time.

Yes, Rusty it is well known by now that Tena is a stud. I wish him well. Not quite sure why he never made any of the top 100 prospect lists that forumites have shared.

Maybe you need to stop relying on Baseball America. Lots of good players do not make their lists.

I rely on Baseball America, MLB.com, MILB.com, the Athletic, Keith Law, covering the corner,
How about you?