Twins Must Embrace Seller Role Amid Dodgers, MLB Trade Deadline Rumors

The Minnesota Twins could do a lot more than just shake up the market between now and Thursday's 6 p.m. ET MLB trade deadline.

They could have a direct impact on this season's World Series race—if they adopt the seller's mindset that seems so obviously needed to an outside observer.

For now, though, that strangely feels like a long shot, even though Minnesota sits fourth in the AL Central and has five teams sitting between it and the AL's final wild-card spot. The Twins have impact pitchers who could bring back major assets, but their asking price is so high on star relievers Jhoan Durán and Griffin Jax—"at least two top-100-caliber prospects," per ESPN's Jeff Passan—that teams "aren't inclined" to even try making a run at ace Joe Ryan.

While the front office can and should place a premium on its top pitchers, the price tag still needs to be realistic. Because when it isn't (as it's not right now), other franchises won't even bother engaging in what seems destined to become one-sided negotations.

The Twins, to their credit, do have some leverage at least. Just about every win-now shopper could stand to upgrade its pitching staff. The Los Angeles Dodgers, for instance, are "scouring the market" for relievers and "talking with" the Twins about Durán and Jax, per Bob Nightengale.

However, leverage only matters if it has a chance to lead to something. Minnesota's approach may not allow that to happen.

To be clear, Durán and Jax are really good pitchers. Durán has converted 15-of-17 save chances while posting a 1.94 ERA with 51 strikeouts over his 46.1 innings pitched. Jax has a bloated 4.09 ERA, but his 2.07 FIP and career-best 13.9 K/9 suggest he has pitched much better than that.

The Dodgers, who've seen some key relievers go down with injuries and others underwhelm with their performance, would be lucky to get a bullpen boost from the Twins. Saying that, it's tough to see L.A. or any other would-be suitor forking over multiple top-100 prospects for bullpen additions at the deadline.

Ryan would be worth that price and then some. The first-time All-Star has posted a personal-best 2.63 ERA while tallying 132 punchouts against just 23 walks over 116.1 innings. Will he be worth whatever Minnesota is asking, though? Considering the request on those relievers, maybe not.

There's a chance, then, this winds up as a quiet trade season in the Gopher State. Maybe the Twins move an expendable player or two—free-agent-to-be Willi Castro is among the league's most logical trade candidates—but that isn't changing their future.

And that is, objectively speaking, a bummer, because the Twins' future feels worth prioritizing over their present. They have a good farm system (No. 12 in B/R's latest farm system rankings) and have top-tier prospects close enough to the big leagues that they could contribute by next season.

The plan, then, should be to beef up that collection before those callups happen. While the Twins won't get what they're asking for their standout relievers, they could still get something of value for either one. And if they wind up entertaining talks on Ryan, they could collect the biggest prospect prize of this entire trade season.

That doesn't mean Minnesota must move all three, but refusing to let any of them go feels like placing an unnecessary obstacle between itself and its long-term outlook.

Maybe if the Twins liked their chances of competing this season, then they could justify such a short-term focus. But when they've surpassed the 100-game mark and still have a losing record and a negative run differential, competing at a high level almost certainly isn't in the cards.

The time to sell is now. The front office has less than a week to figure that out and capitalize on it.