The Minnesota Twins currently sit in the third and final American League Wild Card spot. With a 59-48 record, they have a two-game lead over the Boston Red Sox.
Yet at the trade deadline, Minnesota didn't do a bunch. Their only key move was the trade for Toronto Blue Jays reliever Trevor Richards. Other than that, they were quiet.
However, this isn't always a bad thing. The Twins did at least make a move, and their deadline strategy received some praise from Jim Bowden of The Athletic.
"The Twins didn't have any payroll flexibility from ownership and didn't want to break up their strong team just to add the veteran starter they were hoping to acquire," Bowden wrote. "The key for the Twins the rest of the way could depend on the health of their three best position players: Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, and Royce Lewis. When healthy, this team is good enough to catch Cleveland and win the division or at least secure one of the AL's Wild Card spots."
As Bowden points out, the Twins' front office had their hands tied due to budgetary constraints. There wasn't much they could do, but they did add a key bullpen arm, and they deserve credit for being able to do that.
They made the most of limited resources and still found a way to improve the team. The 31-year-old hasn't had his best season. He's 2-1 in 45 appearances with a 4.64 ERA, but he does bring some much-needed bullpen help for the team as they try to hold off the Red Sox in the Wild Card race and chase down the Cleveland Guardians for the top spot in the AL Central.
Minnesota is 6 1/2 games back of the Guardians in the division.
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