Twins confident in group they have after quiet Deadline

NEW YORK -- The Twins were the last team in MLB to swing a trade in the week leading up to Tuesday’s 5 p.m. CT Trade Deadline -- and, as it turns out, that was their only move to shore up their roster from the outside.

That deal on Tuesday afternoon brought in right-handed reliever Trevor Richards from the Blue Jays, but the day came and went without the Twins adding a starting pitcher to bolster their rotation -- which left as much focus on what the team didn’t do as on what it did do at the Deadline.

“I feel really good about the guys that are in that room,” president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said before the Twins’ 2-0 loss to the Mets at Citi Field. “Hopefully, the fans who have watched our team this year feel that way, too. I don’t think the Deadline … is always singlehandedly the difference between whether or not you’re there or not at the end. A lot of it comes from what you already have in the room.”

The Twins sent High-A infield prospect Jay Harry -- not ranked in the organization’s Top 30 Prospects -- to Toronto to complete the deal.

TRADE DETAILS
Twins receive: RHP Trevor Richards
Blue Jays receive: INF Jay Harry

In Richards, the Twins get a right-handed reliever who has a 4.64 ERA this season but can pitch multiple innings and match up against both right-handed and left-handed hitters due to his changeup, which has helped the 31-year-old hold lefties to a .506 OPS this season.

The bullpen depth should help, considering the struggles of lefties Steven Okert and Caleb Thielbar and another flare-up of the shoulder injury to Brock Stewart that will send him back to the injured list.

But the starting pitcher they sought never materialized, while both the Guardians and especially the Royals made multiple additions.

That means, out of necessity, there will be a reliance on internal additions, like Carlos Correa’s return from injury, David Festa’s continued development, the looming arrival of top pitching prospect Zebby Matthews and perhaps Louie Varland’s transition back into the bullpen.

“These guys all need to be ready to contribute to the group, hopefully in a postseason setting,” Falvey said.

Twins leadership had been open about a desire to acquire rotation help, but there had also been some indication that the club’s financial situation could serve as some hindrance to taking on longer-term commitments, and as the market began to move, the prospect cost for even relievers and rental starters was clearly quite significant.

After the Deadline, Falvey denied that finances had an impact on the deals the Twins could or could not have made, even after the club had significantly trimmed its payroll ahead of the season and had been open about its need to do so.

“If I felt like it was a really good opportunity for us to make a significant impact and the financial side of it was a part of the equation … I’ve had very productive and positive conversations about that with ownership when those intersected,” Falvey said. “That was not something that came to pass over the last 24-48 hours here, with something that was presented to us that was limited financially.”

Falvey also indicated that he felt the prices being asked of the Twins to make a trade within the division felt comparatively higher than they ended up being for trade partners outside the AL Central. Two potential rotation fits -- Erick Fedde of the White Sox (traded to the Cardinals) and Jack Flaherty of the Tigers (traded to the Dodgers) -- could perhaps have fit into that mold.

“I think sometimes, it lines up where players who move in different directions with other teams outside of your division, you might look at it and go, ‘That didn't align, in our minds, with what maybe we felt we would have had to pay for that same deal,’” Falvey said.

Ultimately, Falvey said, the trajectory of this season was always likely to come down more to the performance of the core group within the clubhouse that has already steered the team to a 58-48 record -- and now, it certainly will.

“I feel fantastic about our group going forward,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Our group has played great baseball this year. We've had a very deep, contributing line of players on both sides of the ball who have been very successful. They've been tough. I couldn't compliment our group any more to this point. Why wouldn't we continue to bet on these guys who have done it for us all year long?”