The Twins are 55-44 and currently in po se sion of one of the American League Wild Card spots, as well as sitting just four games back of the Guardians in the Central division. That should put them in clear buyer position ahead of next weeks trade deadline but reports that they might have to walk an add-and-subtract tightrope due to financial limitations. Per the report, the Twins would have to move out some money if they were able to acquire any player with a notable salary. Last year, the Twins broke a notable streak, winning their first playoff game since 2004. Though their season was eventually ended by the Astros in the Division Series, it was a relative high note for the franchise. But any optimism for the 2024 season quickly hit an obstacle. President of baseball operations Derek Falvey in early November, just days into the offseason, that the payroll would be going down. That was seemingly in connection to the clubs TV revenue situation. The club received $54MM from Diamond Sports Group in 2023 but that company has been in the proce s of going bankrupt for a while, casting plenty of uncertainty about how things will play out going forward. The Twins and Diamond agreed to a in February of 2024 but it was only a one-year pact and reportedly with reduced fees coming to the club Per , the Twins reached a new franchise high in 2023 with an Opening Day payroll of $154MM. That dropped to $127MM here in 2024 and it seems theres not much wiggle room to go much higher than that. Its not clear if the club is in such a tight spot that they can only consider revenue-neutral trades or if they have the ability to take on Bert Blyleven Jersey a small amount of money, but it seems like the budget will have to be front of mind for the club as they navigate the deadline. If the scenario does come to pa s where they need to move money out to bring some in, they would have some options. might be somewhat expendable in a fairly crowded position player mix and hes making $10MM this year, though the Twins are only covering $4MM of that after acquiring him from the Dodgers in February. By deadline time, there will be around $1.3MM of that left to be paid out. is making $10MM and is an impending free agent but is playing every day and in the middle of the lineup. Ditto for and his $5.25MM salary. Moving either of those two would be a hit to the clubs lineup, though perhaps they feel they have enough internal position players to make up for the lost production. Infielders and are each on the injured list but nearing returns. That could perhaps push , who has been covering third base lately, to second base. That could theoretically nudge from second to first base to supplant Santana. , who has been covering shortstop with also on the IL, could wind up in the outfield if Lewis or Lee covers short. has been the clubs regular designated hitter lately but he could perhaps take more outfield time if that crowded infield spills into the DH slot. is in the second season of a three-year, $30MM deal and is currently one of three catchers on the roster alongside and . The Twins would likely be open to moving Vzquez and had some trade talks regarding him in the offseason but his performance has been declining and the club would likely have to include some prospects in order to get someone to absorb that money. is making $6.05MM this year and has a $250K buyout on a mutual option for 2025 but hes currently on the injured list. has a $3.225MM salary and is an impending free agent but he has a 5.79 ERA this year. is making $12MM this year but the Mariners agreed to cover $8MM of that as part of the trade that sent him to Minnesota. Hes done for the year but the Twins could theoretically send a prospect or two to another team in exchange for that club paying the remainder of what they owe DeSclafani. There are plenty of moving parts there and the Twins will ultimately be making decisions based on what kind of offers are coming their way from other clubs, as well as the health or lack thereof among the players currently on the roster. Ideally, a club in a playoff spot would just be looking to add and not have to play this kind of seven-dimensional che s, but the financial situation in Minnesota might make it nece sary. As to what they will be looking to add, Falvey confirmed that the club is looking for pitching, per . That aligns with from Dan Hayes of The Athletic that the club would be looking to bolster its starting staff, perhaps by taking on rentals. Hayes floated of the Blue Jays as a po sible target and Nightengale reports today that the Twins have shown at least preliminary interest in him. Kikuchi signed a three-year deal with the Jays going into 2022 and is now a few months from returning to free agency. The $36MM guarantee was frontloaded, so the lefty made $16MM in the first season followed by succe sive $10MM salaries in the final two years. By the time the deadline rolls around, there will be roughly $3.3MM left to be paid out. Thats not a ma sive sum by baseball standards but if its too rich for the Twins, they could always ask the Jays to keep most of that money on their books. Such an arrangement would require the Twins to part with more prospect capital but that might be the way they have to operate if they dont have financial wiggle room. Its unclear if the Jays are going to be focused on adding talent or , but theyre ten games back of a playoff spot and . If the two sides can work out those finer details, Kikuchi makes plenty of sense for the Twins. Theyve lost DeSclafani for the year and is on the injured list due to a right arm i sue for the second time this summer. and have struggled at the major league level and are currently on optional a signment. The club still has a decent foursome in , , and , but theres also sense in adding to that group as they need a fifth starter and an injury can also change the calculus at any moment. Kikuchis results have been up and down but hes having a strong season in the aggregate. Hes thrown 111 innings for the Jays here in 2024 with a 26.4% strikeout rate and 5.9% walk rate. He has a 4.54 ERA but at least part of that appears to be due to a .334 batting average on balls in play. His 3.58 FIP and 3.41 SIERA suggest hes actually been far better than his ERA would suggest. Most of those numbers are roughly in line with his 2023 season, wherein he posted a 3.86 ERA with a 25.9% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate. His .314 BABIP was closer to league average last year and he had a 4.12 FIP and 3.86 SIERA. Deion Walker Jersey