Arms Race: Minnesota Twins Still in the Mix for Relievers

The Twins are not giving up the American League Central without a fight.

The Twins made one move to shore up a weak spot earlier today by acquiring Gold Glove shortstop Orlando Cabrera from Oakland.

Ideally the Twins would have added another arm for the bullpen, especially with the news that both the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers made big additions today.

The Tigers fired the first salvo of the day by trading two pitchers for Seattle Mariners’ lefty Jarrod Washburn to establish a top-flight trio of starters alongside Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson.

The White Sox made arguably the biggest splash of the day just before the deadline when the club acquired right-hander Jake Peavy from the San Diego Padres in exchange for four pitching prospects.

Although the Trade Deadline has officially come and gone, the Twins still have options on the table.

None of the big names discussed prior to the Deadline such as Michael Wuertz, Heath Bell, Scott Downs, or Jason Frasor figure to clear waivers to allow for a trade prior to the August 31 deadline for trades with waivers.

Prior to the Deadline multiple outlets reported that the Twins were making significant overtures for both Michael Wuertz of the Athletics and Heath Bell of the San Diego Padres.

Both relievers would have amounted to huge upgrades for a beleaguered bullpen that—prior to this week’s White Sox series—had looked overwhelmed and overmatched.

With those options essentially off the table, the Twins must now get creative.

One pre-Deadline report had the Twins working to hammer out a deal with Arizona for hard-throwing right-hander Jon Rauch.

Rauch, 30, has served as a setup man and a closer in stints with the White Sox, Expos/Nationals, and the Diamondbacks.

He has struggled since joining the Diamondbacks in a late-season trade a year ago, but has a proven track-record of success and would be a boon to the backend of the club’s bullpen.

Although no rumors have paired the Twins with any of the following pitchers, all make sense for both their contract statuses and their perceived ability to clear waivers.

The Cincinnati Reds have two potential veteran options in David Weathers, 40, and Arthur Rhodes, 39, both of whom figure to be very available given the Reds’ fading playoff hopes.

Weathers currently has a 3.06 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, .198 batting average against, and he has given up just 25 hits in 35 1/3 innings, doing essentially what the Twins would ask him to do, bridge the gap to Joe Nathan.

Rhodes is a big southpaw that owns right-handed hitters just as well as the lefties. Right-handers are hitting a paltry .227 against him while lefties only muster a .125 average against the veteran. His ERA on the season is a minuscule 2.08 with 31 strikeouts in just over 34 2/3 innings pitched.

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Danys Baez is by no means having a stellar year. His 4.41 ERA isn’t pretty, but Baez, 31, does boast a 1.16 WHIP and opponents are only hitting .228 against the cagey veteran.

With Chicago and Detroit stock-piling pitching and the Trade Deadline passed, the Twins will have to get creative to stay in the thick of the AL Central race.

The top names are more-or-less off limits at this point, but many times the most important moves playoff-caliber teams make are of the smaller, peripheral variety and not blockbusters.

Whether it is by improving the bullpen, finding another starter, or digging up another bat; general manager Bill Smith needs to realize that his job is not done yet and won’t be done until the Twins are raising a pennant.