No more wondering whether the Twins are buying or selling at this week’s trade deadline. They emphatically declared their intentions on Monday, dealing away their leader in games started this season, making their injury-related shortage of effective starters significantly worse.
Chris Paddack, the 29-year-old righthander who will reach free agency in November, was traded to the Detroit Tigers three days before the deadline, along with journeyman Randy Dobnak. The deal brings Enrique Jimenez, a 19-year-old catcher still in rookie ball, to Minnesota, but more important, saves the Twins about $3.5 million in payroll over the season’s final two months.
“Rumors are rumors until it happens,” Paddack said as he prepared to leave Target Field before Monday night’s game against the Red Sox. “The world just got twisted upside down to say the least.
“I was really pulling for, hoping we’d make some moves and go get that wild-card spot.”
Instead, the Twins, who entered Monday owning the 12th-best record in the American League, have made it clear they are willing to shed impending free agents — they have five more — in order to further stock their farm system, and save some money, too. Christian Vázquez, Willi Castro, Harrison Bader, Ty France and Danny Coulombe are the others who might not be Twins by the end of the week, and the Twins reportedly have been contacted about relievers Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Brock Stewart as well.
“It feels good to be wanted. It felt good for the Twins to come after me in free agency, so it feels good to be mentioned in [rumors] at the deadline,” Bader said. “There’s a long way to go, so I’m excited for every ounce of opportunity that comes my way, regardless of what uniform that might be in.”
The deal leaves the Twins with two vacancies in their starting rotation, with only Joe Ryan, Zebby Matthews and Monday’s starter, Simeon Woods Richardson, currently healthy, though Bailey Ober could return by the end of the week.
“I know we’re going to have to turn in a different direction. We’re going to have to challenge guys and put guys in different spots,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. Of Paddack’s scheduled start against the Red Sox, he added, “it’s going to be a bullpen day of some kind, yeah.”
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