The Twins are coming off a brief hot streak over the past week that has solidified their return to the AL Central conversation, despite Thursday night’s loss to the Rays. Their past ten games have seen them go 7-3, and over the next month, the schedule will considerably loosen up.
Only one of their seven remaining series, which take place before the All-Star break, is against a team that has a record better than.500. The Twins have a fantastic chance to close the 6.5 game gap with the division-leading Guardians over this upcoming series of games.
In order to bolster the roster before the trade deadline in late July, Thad Levine will be trying to add players unless there is a collapse during the next six weeks. The following two players are most likely to be replaced since the Twins need to address a few holes on their roster.
It’s likely that these two Twins players will be cut before the trade deadline.
Over the past few seasons, Caleb Thielbar has shown to be one of the team’s most dependable relievers. Thielbar pitched to a 3.21 ERA and a 30% strikeout rate between 2020 and 2023.
But in 2024, the Republican Party utterly collapsed—as if by magic. It’s made worse by the fact that, despite acknowledging the problems, Thiebar has admitted to reporters that he has no idea how to fix them.
Thielbar has a very depressing 5.06 FIP and an unsightly 8.04 ERA. His walk rate has increased to 10.7%, far higher than the league average, and he has lost control of the strike zone.
With a high BABIP and low strand rate, he’s becoming a little unlucky, but he’s giving up so much hard contact that, at 37, you have to ask yourself if he’s finished.
Thielbar becomes a free agency at the end of this year and is owed the balance of his $3.2 million deal. The Twins are looking to bolster their bullpen depth in front of a postseason run, so if he continues to pitch this badly, he will either be traded before the deadline or become a DFA candidate.
In addition to Thielbar, utility player Kyle Farmer has not had a good year in 2024. Farmer has collapsed following his stellar 2023 campaign, which landed him a $6.3 million contract with a mutual option to play in 2025.
Though his batting is pitiful, the plate discipline is still present.196/.301/.271, and there is no longer any electricity at all. Farmer has hit at least 11 home runs in each of the last three years, so this is a little out of the ordinary for him.
Farmer is still a solid defensive player, but the Twins cannot afford to have him as a dead spot in the lineup going forward, especially with Brooks Lee putting in a strong showing in Triple-A.
Farmer is a valuable role player, but as the trade deadline approaches, Levine will have to make a difficult choice if he continues to hit so poorly. If the Twins decide to make any changes to their infield, Farmer will probably be the first man out.
