How last year’s fire sale (somehow) pushed the Twins forward

It’s impossible to convince Twins fans — both diehard and casual — that last year’s fire sale was a good thing for the franchise.

There were a whopping 10 major leaguers in total dealt at the trade deadline as the Pohlad family took penny pinching to a new level.

Some of the players jettisoned included star shortstop Carlos Correa, closer Jhoan Duran, setup man Griffin Jax, and maybe most painful of all to Minnesotans, homegrown reliever Louie Varland.

Even if it made sense for the Twins to cash in on the value of some of their players considering they were long shots to make the playoffs, the sheer volume of turnover supported the widespread criticism that ownership isn’t interested in fielding a winner.

Not only did the decision to blow up the roster plummet morale at the time, it left scars that remain in the present. Yet there the Twins were hosting the Boston Red Sox on Monday night at Target Field tied for the best record in the American League.

Never mind that it’s highly unlikely that the Twins stay in pole position for the long run. They look like they’ll remain relevant throughout the spring and maybe even into the summer.

A big reason for the Twins surprisingly racing out of the starting blocks? The residual effects of last year’s fire sale that won’t soon be forgotten.

Though trading Correa amounted to nothing more than a salary dump, the Twins have seemingly put themselves in a good position with some of the players they got back for Duran, Jax and Varland, among a handful of others.

The best addition so far undoubtedly has been pitcher Taj Bradley (acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Jax), who has looked the part of an emerging ace in the rotation. He has a 3-0 record, 1.25 earned-run average and 29 strikeouts. Most importantly, the Twins have won every game in which he has taken the mound.

It remains to be seen if Bradley can keep up the elite level of production. Is this a sustainable model for success or simply a flash in the pan? No matter the answer to that question, it appears that Bradley is at least going to be a piece for Twins into the future.

The prize of the haul was pitcher Mick Abel (acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Duran), who is off to a much slower start by comparison. He has an 0-2 record, a 6.08 ERA, and 13 strikeouts. But he did look much more controlled in his most recent outing.

It will be interesting to see if Abel can string together some good appearances coming up. He’s certainly going to be given every opportunity to carve out a permanent spot in the rotation for the Twins moving froward.

The player with the highest ceiling of the bunch is catcher Eduardo Tait (also acquired from the Phillies in exchange for Duran), who is universally viewed as a top 100 prospect. He projects as a powerful presence at the plate that should also be able to impact the game behind it if he sticks at his natural position.

Additionally, the Twins managed to replenish their farm system, netting a number of fliers, including pitcher Kendry Rojas (acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Varland), outfielder Hendry Mendez (acquired from the Phillies in exchange for outfielder Harrison Bader), and pitcher Ryan Gallagher (acquired from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for utility man Willi Castro).

As well as the Twins have performed to this point, they will have to continue to hold their spot atop the American League for the foreseeable future to fully justify trading 10 major leaguers. Anything less will keep the door wide open for the Pohlad family to be a lightning rod for criticism that is very much deserved.

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