Imagine the conversations that took place inside the executive offices at 1 Twins Way last week. Minnesota chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and GM Thad Levine saw an opportunity when they woke up July 24. At 49-48, 21⁄2 games back of first place and a game out of the wild card, they traded for lefty starter Jaime Garcia.
Then they lost five of their next six. And the Cleveland Indians won six a row. And the Kansas City Royals won five of their next six. Facing a different landscape than they were a week before, the Twins traded Garcia to the New York Yankees July 30, after he’d made only one start.