Do the Twins Have Enough Triple-A Depth To Carry Them During the Final Two Months?

The 2024 MLB Trade Deadline has passed, with over 60 trades between all 30 teams. But one contending postseason team, the Minnesota Twins, walked away with fewer than any of the other buyers.

Minnesota only made one trade in the final hour and a half of the deadline, acquiring right-handed reliever Trevor Richards from the Toronto Blue Jays for High-A infielder Jay Harry. Many considered this the bare minimum the Twins could have done, considering their need for better depth.

It resembles how Minnesota’s front office acted at the 2015 deadline. They surprised many people by only acquiring reliever Kevin Jepsen from the Tampa Bay Rays when they were Wild Card contenders until the last week of that season.

After only adding Richards to the bullpen, the Twins will rely much more on their minor league depth than they did earlier this season. However, they have some reinforcements on the way, meaning they may not have to push a Triple-A player into action. Fortunately, Justin Topa will soon be back from a rehab assignment.

Topa hasn’t pitched for the Twins this season since they acquired him as part of the Jorge Polanco trade. Many view Topa as an “unofficial” deadline acquisition, as he will throw his first game with Minnesota once his rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints is complete. The timing of his return couldn’t be better. Reliever Brock Stewart struggled mightily after his return from the injured list a week and a half ago.

Topa pitched in five games over his second rehab stint, with six strikeouts, three walks, and not a single run allowed. Given his positive results, it’s highly likely that Topa will return to the Twins during their weekend series against the Cleveland Guardians.

Pitchers

On the 40-man: Ronny Henriquez, Louie Varland, Josh Winder

Not on 40-man: Caleb Boushley, Matt Bowman, Diego Castillo, Zebby Matthews, Adam Plutko

The Twins have more pitching depth than hitting depth in Triple-A. With the upcoming doubleheader against Cleveland on Friday, the Twins will call up Henriquez, Varland, or Winder to make the spot start for the Twins as the 27th man for the day. Henriquez and Winder have been inconsistent in Triple-A and the majors. Henriquez is more likely to be an option for the Twins than Winder because he’s only allowed six earned runs over his last 18 innings. However, Winder has only had two scoreless outings over his nine outings.

The Twins will most likely use Varland as the 27th man for the doubleheader. He’s turned things around since his worst professional start on June 23. Varland has posted a 1.48 ERA over his last six starts with the Saints, and he will be available as an option either in the rotation or bullpen down the stretch for the Twins.

There are still plenty of options for Minnesota’s pitching depth outside the 40-man roster, but they will only use Matthews for starting pitching depth. Still, it’s unlikely that they will rush Matthews to the majors because he has a 7.07 ERA in his first three starts (14 innings). However, he has yet to give up a walk.

That leaves Boushley, Castillo, Bowman, and Plutko as bullpen options. The Twins have already used all those pitchers except Plutko in the bullpen this year. Boushley and Plutko have been stable options in the Saints rotation. However, Minnesota would only call them up as long relievers to avoid overusing Cole Sands in the final two months.

Castillo and Bowman have been solid relief options for the Saints throughout the season and have had brief stints with the Twins. Aside from Castillo’s bad outing on July 28, when he gave up five runs in a third of an inning of work, he’s been a solid option out of their bullpen.

Bowman has traveled around the league since the Twins DFA’d him in late April. In nine relief appearances since his return to the Saints, he’s posted a 2.53 ERA in 10⅔ innings of work.

Hitters

On the 40-man: Jair Camargo, Edouard Julien, Yunior Severino

Not on 40-man: Diego A. Castillo, Michael Helman, DaShawn Keirsey Jr.

Only two hitters on the 40-man have yet to play a game against the Twins this season: Emmanuel Rodriguez and Severino. Rodriguez has been battling injuries at Double-A all season, while Severino was off to a slow start but has been St. Paul’s best hitter since May 21. Over that stretch, Severino has posted a triple slash of .337/.439/.564 with 12 home runs and 45 RBI.

Severino has shown a lot more promise offensively in the last two and a half months than Camargo and Julien. Julien has struck out more than any hitter in the majors this season, and Camargo has hit .167/.208/.404 in 30 games with St. Paul since returning from injury on June 11.

However, positional inflexibility limits Camargo, Julien, and Severino. Camargo is a catcher only, and Julien is primarily a second baseman and occasionally plays first. Severino has been the Saints' full-time first baseman since the Twins called up José Miranda one week into the season.

If none of the current men on the 40-man roster is an option based on their limited position versatility, at least three players in St. Paul can still provide flexibility. First is Diego A. Castillo. Twins fans got to know Castillo the infielder a bit when they called him up during the final weekend of the first half. In four games, Castillo went 2-for-6 with a couple of walks.

While the Twins DFA’d and outrighted him back to the Saints, Castillo showed a bit of promise for the Twins in his short stint. He can play all infield positions outside of first base and right field in case of an emergency.

Fortunately, there are a couple of players with better outfield experience: Dashawn Keirsey Jr. and Michael Helman. Keirsey has been the most consistent hitter in the Saints lineup this season, posting a  .282/.354/.461 triple slash with 11 homers and 49 RBI in 79 games. Keirsey missed a bit of time in June due to a calf strain, but he’s been fully healthy since and has had a lot of flashy moments in center field.

Finally, with Helman, there was a real possibility the Twins could have called him up instead of Castillo last month if they had not just put him on the injured list with a left hamstring strain just weeks prior. Helman has been a consistent utility player for the Saints in the last three seasons and was on a tear at the plate before he reinjured his hamstring. If he returns in August, there could be a good chance Minnesota calls him up to make his long-awaited MLB debut in September to fill in as a second Willi Castro-type utility man.

It was still a disappointment that the Twins did not make more moves this trade deadline, but they’re not entirely without help at Triple-A. It’s safe to say at least one hitter and pitcher who is not on the 40-man will come up over the next two months as the Twins push to defend their divisional crown.