Twins make clear trade deadline declaration Guardians fans have been begging Chris Antonetti for

On Tuesday, Minnesota Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll threw yet another curveball at a trade deadline that’s been full of them. 

While his Twins team is by no means a lock to go to the postseason, Zoll spoke to reporters prior to the Twins’ walk-off win over the Royals and said the Twins are entering the deadline as buyers and are planning on pursuing upgrades. 

“We're going to be open to a variety of creative paths,” Zoll said. 

In an era where most general managers try to thread the needle between buying and selling, Zoll’s definitive statement is a breath of fresh air. But it could also dirty the air for a Guardians team that’s just a half-game up on the Twins in the American League Central and has yet to pick a trade deadline lane.

The Twins being buyers will impact the Guardians’ approach at the trade deadline 

The closest that Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti came to making the kind of declaration that Zoll did came a week ago when he said the Guardians are going to “look at all opportunities to improve the team.” 

Antonetti and Co. already did a good job adding to Cleveland roster with their acquisition of catcher Patrick Bailey, but there’s still work to be done thanks to the offense’s struggles and the pitch staff’s lack of depth. 

Even if the Guardians weren’t going to make a trade with the Twins, their trade targets leaving the market could still have a huge effect on the Guardians since it means every player’s price is going to go up. 

Catcher Ryan Jeffers was their biggest trade target who will be off the board (which makes the Bailey trade look even better), but the lack of a Joe Ryan trade means that every pitcher is going to be a bit more expensive. 

It also impacts the Guardians in the American League Central since they’re in a virtual tie with the Twins for the American League’s final Wild Card spot and still within obvious striking distance of the AL Central title. 

Even if the Guardians have the latent advantage of being led by a manager who has won back-to-back AL Manager of the Year awards and a superstar in José Ramírez, the Twins have a front office that seems ready to capitalize on the depressed American League postseason picture. 

The Guardians have a chance to do that exact thing should they choose to do. They have the prospect capital needed to make a big swing and enough holes on the roster to make that swing necessary. 

The White Sox seem set to add a catcher and at least one pitcher, while the Twins seem set to fortify a bullpen that has the fourth-worst ERA in baseball. 

Meanwhile, the Guardians are tied with the Reds for the worst batting average in baseball and only have five hitters who have been better than league average by measure of OPS+. 

Both the Guardians and Twins have big holes on their roster, and Zoll made his trade deadline intention known on Tuesday. Now the ball is in Antonetti’s court.

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