| 18 July 2011
Should the Twins try to win their division, or build a team capable of winning the World Series?
This shouldn't come as a walloping shock to any of you, but the Twins aren't a good baseball team. They are allowing far more runs than they are scoring, they are receiving zero offensive production from what was supposed to be their greatest strength, and the team has one of the worst bullpens in the league.
Even so, the Twins are solidly in the “buyers” category this trade season.
Minnesota is currently on pace to win 76 games this year, several games below the .500 mark. But they remain just a handful of contests behind the division-leading Cleveland Indians, who have been suffering through a bout with injuries and appear to be on the verge of a collapse. The AL Central may be an awful division, filled with mediocre teams with serious flaws, but the Twins stand a very real chance of bringing home another division title.
But should the team go for it? If Minnesota reaches the postseason, another smack-down from an AL East team seems likely. Should the Twins trade away valuable prospects as they gun for the right to be slaughtered by the Red Sox or Yankees?
Absolutely.
But it's a complicated question. Shedding payroll today to invest in tomorrow may result in a net gain of wins, but the sorry state of the AL Central needs to be factored into the equation. The Twins have a chance to qualify for the crapshoot that is the MLB playoffs.
They should certainly not pass up the opportunity, so long as they don't pay too high a price.
Following this afternoon's loss to the Indians, Minnesota is six (6) games out of first place in the AL Central. Steering clear of the injury bug should help the team claw back to within a couple games, and a minor trade or two will provide fans with compelling August and September games.
Minnesota doesn't need to target Jose Reyes or Ubaldo Jimenez in order to have a chance in the division. Trading for guys like Jason Frasor or Tom Gorzelanny won't require the team to mortgage their future.
Reyes would cost Kyle Gibson and Aaron Hicks, and give the team two months of excellent work at shortstop and a mid-first round draft pick. Frasor or Gorzelanny would cost David Bromberg and give the Twins much-needed bullpen stability. The former trade option could cripple the team's future; the latter could save its present.
The AL Central is filled with flawed teams. Whichever GM can plug the right holes before the trade deadline will win the division and earn the right to play baseball in October.
If the Twins feel they can fill the right holes at the right price, they should unquestionably gun for the division title. If adding a few wins to the current 25-man roster proves too costly, perhaps it's time to turn the page on the 2011 Twins.
Winning the division this year and building a championship team don't need to be mutually exclusive goals. But Bill Smith needs to act. It's time to get better or build for the future.
Sitting on your hands never helped anybody.
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