Twins GM ponders team's status ahead of trade deadline
The Minnesota Twins were observers last season at the non-waiver trade deadline. It doesn't appear that will be the case in 2012.
With his team in ensconced in last place all season, general manager Terry Ryan figures to be busy come July 31, though he has declined to tip his hand.
"If you're asking me if we're sellers or we're buyers, I'm not going to put out flatly what we're doing," Ryan said. "But obviously I'm keeping an eye on exactly what people's needs are and where we're headed."
The Twins (30-44) have lost nine of their past 14 games, and they started Thursday 9 1/2 games behind the first-place White Sox in the American League Central. Their mediocre division leaves the team room for hope, and certainly manager Ron Gardenhire and his players need to try to win the division, but reality is beginning to harden around them.
With the All-Star Game less than two weeks away, the Twins are in essentially the same spot they were on May 31, when they were 14 games under and 10 1/2 games out. Yes, they've won some series the past month, but the standings don't lie: The Twins are treading water.
Ryan's path should be clear, even with a team paying roughly 40 percent of its salary to two players (Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau) in the third season at a new, state-of-the-art ballpark.
"I'm trying to be realistic, but I'm also trying to make sure I do the right thing for the present and future of this organization, which is a tough balancing act," he said.
The Twins have some assets with expiring contracts, though fate seems to be playing against them there. Right-hander Carl Pavano, in the last season of a two-year, $16.5 million extension, would be a trade chip if he were having even an average season. However, he's on the disabled list with a shoulder problem, hasn't thrown a baseball in a month and wasn't very good when he was pitching.
Closer Matt Capps, too, would be valuable to a competing team but is on the DL with shoulder inflammation. That leaves switch-hitting catcher Ryan Doumit, batting .271 with seven homers and 32 RBI, and left-hander Francisco Liriano, as tradeable commodities with expiring deals. Liriano has increased his value by going 2-2 with a 2.41 ERA since being restored to the rotation in late May.
Asked if he finds Twins fans -- knee deep in a second straight losing season -- more amenable to rebuilding, Ryan said, "Some are and some aren't.
"Some don't ever want to see a guy traded. It doesn't matter where you are in the standings; if he's their favorite player, they don't want to see him go no matter what his contractual situation is. I can't go on that barometer. We've just got to do what's best for the organization. Right now, on June 28, we're not going trade just to trade."