WEDNESDAY: Christensen has an update on the Twins’ deadline strategy. He says they are considering options to upgrade on the left side of the infield, though perhaps without a sense of urgency. He notes that they have discussed third baseman Adrian Beltre internally, but probably not with the Mariners.
TUESDAY: According to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Twins don’t have a glaring need and are likely to be quiet at the trade deadline. The Twins are 1.5 games out in the AL Central. They’re 8th of 14 AL teams in OBP and SLG. Nonetheless, they are third in the league with 4.9 runs per game. This can be attributed to a league-best .857 OPS with runners in scoring position. Who knows, maybe they can maintain it.
As for pitching, the Twins rank 9th with a 4.52 starters’ ERA and 6th with a 3.44 relief ERA (admittedly a crude measure). They should probably jettison Livan Hernandez, but Francisco Liriano is the ace in the hole at Triple A.
Just a few weeks ago, I rattled off all kinds of suggestions for the Twins. Commenters on that thread had good points – they probably don’t need to acquire a starter, and shortstop options are not plentiful. However, I still think Barry Bonds and/or Kenny Lofton would be nice complements to this team.
