Twins look to regroup after trade deadline 'reset'

CLEVELAND -- A full-fledged conscionable and greet was the archetypal bid of concern for the Minnesota Twins upon their accomplishment astatine the ballpark Friday.

Making 9 trades and jettisoning astir 40% of their squad earlier the deadline the erstwhile time meant determination were plentifulness of caller faces successful the visiting clubhouse erstwhile the Twins began their three-game bid against the Cleveland Guardians.

Minnesota's sell-off included standout shortstop Carlos Correa, person Jhoan Duran and 4 high-leverage relievers who were respective years distant from escaped agency, including St. Paul autochthonal Louis Varland.

"It's a hard pill to swallow, but possibly a reset was needed," catcher Ryan Jeffers said. "We were funny to spot however acold the beforehand bureau would go, and they decided to spell truly far.

"The dominos conscionable kept falling. It conscionable kept coming. It felt similar it ne'er ended."

Just 2 years ago, the Twins won the American League Central Division rubric and precocious to the part series. It turned retired to beryllium the precocious constituent of their post-pandemic epoch arsenic they missed the playoffs successful 2024 and are presently six games retired of the last American League wild-card position.

"A batch of guys who were connected our '23 tally aren't present anymore due to the fact that of the trades, truthful that hurt," pitcher Bailey Ober said. "The concern broadside of shot sometimes shows its disfigured look sometimes. It was surreal watching what happened."

Ober was 1 of 10 players who spent Thursday unneurotic successful a country successful the team's downtown Cleveland hotel, keeping way of the league-wide activity. The upbeat temper changed erstwhile respective of them received telephone calls from Twins president Derek Falvey, telling them they were connected the move.

Manager Rocco Baldelli and Ober said nary 1 took the quality worse than hometown merchandise Varland, an emerging reliever who was nether squad power done 2030.

"It was hardest connected Lou and I don't deliberation it's close," Baldelli said. "He loves the enactment and helium loves being adjacent to his family. Yeah, helium took it hard."

In bid to tract a afloat roster against the Guardians, the Twins recalled six players from Triple-A St. Paul and selected the contracts of 2 much Saints. Baldelli held a squad gathering arsenic soon arsenic everyone arrived astatine Progressive Field, past spoke individually with galore of his remaining veterans.

All-Star halfway fielder and unquestioned squad person Byron Buxton, who is connected the 10-day injured database with near ribcage inflammation, besides joined the Twins successful Cleveland.

"Just having him present is huge," outfielder Matt Wallner said. "That gives america immoderate consciousness of normal."

Starting pitcher Chris Paddack, 1 of six impending escaped agents, was the archetypal to spell connected Monday to the Detroit Tigers.

Duran, who had a 2.47 ERA with 292 strikeouts implicit 233 2/3 innings successful 4 seasons, was dealt connected Wednesday to the Philadelphia Phillies successful the archetypal motion that the Twins were superior astir selling. Duran fetched Triple-A starting pitcher Mick Abel and High-A catcher Eduardo Tait.

"It's hard, but it's astir making definite that you're perpetually trying to find a mode to not conscionable beryllium connected your heels, anticipation that it each goes better, and support you fingers crossed," Falvey said. "It's a mode to really spell put successful the aboriginal of the team, hopefully the short-term and the long-term."

Outfielder Harrison Bader followed Duran to the Phillies and reliever Brock Stewart was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Reliever Danny Coulombe went to the Texas Rangers. First baseman Ty France and Varland were packaged to Toronto for Triple-A outfielder Alan Roden and Triple-A starting pitcher Kendry Rojas.

"I was successful uniform, acceptable to play for the Buffalo Bisons erstwhile it happened," Roden said, chuckling. "It was a beauteous mean day, until it wasn't."

Popular multiposition subordinate Willi Castro went to the Chicago Cubs and reliever Griffin Jax was sent to the Tampa Bay Rays. Then came the headliner. Correa went backmost to his archetypal team, the Houston Astros, successful what amounted to a wage dump portion besides bringing backmost High-A starting pitcher Matt Mikulski.

"It was bittersweet that Carlos left," catcher Christian Vázquez said. "It was a hard time yesterday. We're similar a household successful the clubhouse, truthful it was hard. It was a amusive thrust with each of them."

Less than 22 months ago, the Twins were celebrating astatine a packed Target Field aft Duran closed retired a two-game expanse of the Blue Jays successful the wild-card circular for their archetypal bid triumph successful 21 years and the extremity of their grounds 18-game postseason losing streak.

Since then, they've been successful ownership-ordered payroll purgatory successful airy of the hefty deed they took successful determination tv gross aft the Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy that affected respective different clubs from midsized and tiny markets.

Even the astir assertive scenarios the Twins envisioned anterior to the deadline didn't see Correa, who signed the richest declaration successful nine past arsenic a escaped cause aft the 2022 season. But the Astros wanted him backmost and were consenting to devour astir of the astir $103 cardinal remaining connected his woody done 2028, and Correa was consenting to waive his no-trade clause to instrumentality to the squad that drafted him. The Twins agreed to screen $33 million, owed successful 4 installments each Dec. 15.

Falvey was adamant that the Twins aren't trying to bottommost retired with this rebuild similar immoderate different clubs person done with varying degrees of success. They kept some of their All-Stars, Buxton and starting pitcher Joe Ryan, who had plentifulness of suitors. They're inactive assured successful 3rd baseman Royce Lewis, who has followed a bid of injuries with inconsistency astatine the sheet this season. Starting pitcher Pablo López, whose enarthrosis wounded preceded a skid successful June the Twins ne'er corrected, volition beryllium backmost sooner than later.

"We're present to win, fto maine beryllium clear," Baldelli said. "The locker country looks different, the squad looks different, the lineup is different, but let's spell to work."