MAKE GLOVE NOT W.A.R. — Why the Twins Were Right to “Stand Pat”, and Why They’ll Win a Playoff Series.

Aug 9

It’s the “in” thing to do to rip Twins management for not doing anything at the MLB Trade Deadline. Heck, I had the same thought at first. But I’m not one to do the in thing.

I hate to break it to you, but the Twins are not serious World Series contenders this year (or any year soon without significant roster revamping).

Honestly, they’re just as likely to win a playoff series (and I think they will) this year with their current roster as they were trading for another right hand bat. This team has many holes offensively - namely striking out too much - was Teoscar Hernandez from Seattle and his league-leading 148 strikeouts going to be the answer? His Mariners teammate Ty France would have been batting cleanup on this Twins team but isn’t anywhere near that on a quality roster.

Derek Falvey and company were clearly a little gunshy, and that’s not necessarily on them. They watched his team absolutely implode last August after making some significant upgrades to this pitching staff with what appeared then to be limited risk. Of course, all’s well doesn’t end well, and Tyler Mahle has started nine games over 12 months with the Twins. One of the three men they gave up to get him - Christian Encarnacio-Strand - is hitting .331 with 20 homers for Cincinnati this year. The funny thing is that Encarnacio-Strand wasn’t even the alleged best prospect given up in that trade.

They weren’t giving up a top prospect this year without a realistic shot of making the World Series. This team needs so many changes, it’s best done in the off-season. Now, will Falvey make the moves then? If not, yes slap him with a malpractice suit.

And with this pitching staff, this team can - and will - win at least one playoff game. There, I said it. With all the talk of how terrible these bats are - and they are - if the Twins cruise to this division title and play October baseball, they’ll win with their arms.

Yes, Joe Ryan is hurt, but get him back followed by Pablo Lopez, Sonny Gray, and mix in some Dallas Keuchel, Bailey Ober and Kenta Maeda. You’re going to have to win playoff games 3-2 and they’re certainly able. Wouldn’t you love a guy with Keuchel’s stones and machismo coming out of the bullpen to face the Astros’ Kyle Tucker in a tie game in the eighth inning?

This column has preached about let’s not settle for mediocrity, and this may seem to contradict this. It’s just about having reasonable expectations with an oft-injured centerfield star who hasn’t played the field in more than a year, and an underperforming, overpaid shortstop that this team waited on for months.

How about the supporting players who have been carrying this team? Ryan Jeffers is batting .375 the last month. He leads all Twins position players in some of those #fancystats we don’t write about her.

The Twins will get Royce Lewis back soon - you can’t take Edouard Julien out of the lineup, which means he’s the DH and Buxton, if healthy, may be a $100 million pinch hitter.

This team’s going to be okay. It’d be tough but not impossible to blow this division lead like a year ago. They’ve gone through slumps offensively but the likelihood of this pitching staff going in the tank for a long period of time is just not likely. You’re going to get Sonny Gray off the books this summer. Despite what the contrarians say, the Pohlad’s WILL spend for pitching. (They’ll overspend for hitting, but that’s another story).

You’re going to get a three-game Wild Card series at home, with a rotation lined up hopefully after cruising to a division title. Right now, you’d play either the Astros or the Blue Jays. Come back at me after the Twins win that series two games to one, on a Royce Lewis walkoff homer. And, no threat of a Yankee killer team in the playoffs.