The Twins fall 13-1 to the Red Sox on July 30 as the trade deadline passes with no moves. With Buxton & Correa hurt, can Minnesota recover from this slide?
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
As the July 31st trade deadline passed with a whimper, the Minnesota Twins found themselves in a familiar, frustrating position: battered, bruised, and looking for answers that aren't coming from outside the organization. The silence from the front office was deafening, especially coming on the heels of a demoralizing 13-1 shellacking by the Boston Red Sox that dropped the team to fourth place in the AL Central. With stars Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa now nursing injuries, the off-day feels less like a rest and more like a reckoning.
Just 4-8 since the All-Star break, the Twins' playoff odds have plummeted to a meager 4.3%.
While fans hoped for reinforcements, the Twins' only significant trade deadline activity was the earlier salary-dump deal that sent Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak to Detroit for a rookie-ball catcher. Rumors of interest in outfielders like Harrison Bader or Willi Castro swirled but never materialized into a trade. The front office's inaction sends a clear, if disappointing, message: the solutions to this team's woes will have to come from within a clubhouse that is already struggling mightily.
The on-field product isn't offering much hope, either. Wednesday's 13-1 loss was a complete dismantling. Starter Zebby Matthews was hit hard, surrendering five earned runs, and the offense was non-existent against Boston's Brayan Bello. Making matters worse, the team officially placed Byron Buxton on the 10-day IL with rib cartilage irritation, while Carlos Correa remains day-to-day with a migraine that forced him from Tuesday's game. Losing two cornerstone players, even temporarily, is a brutal blow for a team that has been in a freefall since the All-Star break.
In an attempt to shake something loose, the Twins did make a roster move, optioning pitcher Pierson Ohl to the minors and recalling reliever Noah Davis from Triple-A. While a fresh arm in the bullpen is welcome, it feels like a minor tweak when major repairs are needed. The move underscores the team's current predicament: searching for answers on the margins while the core issues of offensive inconsistency and key injuries persist.
After a much-needed day off to lick their wounds, the Twins head to Cleveland for the start of a crucial six-game road trip. With the season hanging by a thread and the team's record at 51-57, this trip feels like a final stand. Can they rally without key players and defy their 4.3% playoff odds, or will this post-All-Star break slide define the remainder of the 2025 season? The next week will tell us everything we need to know.
