Twins' Focus Reportedly Shifts From Madison Bumgarner to Will Smith
By Brendan Azoff
Most did not expect the Minnesota Twins to be in their current position when the season started. But Minnesota believed, and they've surely been planning for this, whittling down their trade targets with each passing day.
With the best record in the American League, the Twins will most definitely buy at this year's trade deadline in an effort to capitalize on Cleveland's misfortune, but their target is not necessarily the pitcher on the Giants that we've all been tracking.
While the San Francisco Giants’ interest in dealing Madison Bumgarner remains clear, the Minnesota Twins haven’t engaged with them in high-level talks in recent weeks, a source with knowledge of discussions tells ESPN. Giants reliever Will Smith is on the Twins’ radar as of now.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 26, 2019
That's right, the Twins are reportedly interested in reliever Will Smith, a lefty who has posted a 2.01 ERA in 31.1 innings in 2019. Smith has been a solid reliever for quite some time in the MLB and the Twins could use the help near the back end of their bullpen.
Minnesota's bullpen currently has a 4.40 ERA this season, which is right in the middle of the pack. But when you get to the postseason, especially in the American League, it takes a steady dose of talented relievers to put you over the top.
… and Will Smith might actually be the best Giants pitching piece for the Twins to add. https://t.co/cCtJhdwxBT
— Phil Mackey (@PhilMackey) June 26, 2019
The Twins are in the driver's seat of the A.L. Central, a division which seems to have little to no juice at all outside of Minnesota. Clearly the Twins have shifted their focus from the regular season to defeating the big boys in the postseason, and adding Smith to their bullpen mix would surely help them come October.
And while we'd ticketed them as prime participants in the Madison Bumgarner sweepstakes for quite a while now, it appears they'd rather shore up a weakness than go for broke, despite MadBum's wide open no-trade clause that makes no mention of Minneapolis. Ah, well.