Potential sale may impact Twins' deadline moves

The Minnesota Twins entered Wednesday with a 49-52 record. That leaves them at a crossroads.

While the Twins were 10.5 games out of the AL Central, they were four games out of the final playoff spot. The Twins were also one of seven teams that are between five games over and five games under .500. The playoff race could shift dramatically with a week to go before the July 31 trade deadline.

Regardless of the Twins' eventual status as buyers or sellers, Minnesota may have a more muted trade deadline than usual. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that while the Twins may be willing to discuss trading pitchers Joe Ryan, Jhoan Duran and/or Griffin Jax, a potential sale could lead to a relatively quiet trade deadline.

There is hope that the sale will be concluded in the near future. Phil Miller of the Star Tribune reported that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred remains confident that a sale will happen, potentially soon. 

The biggest sticking point may be the asking price. The Polhad family is reportedly adamant about receiving at least $1.7B for the franchise, having turned down an offer of $1.5B. Meanwhile, Forbes has valued the Twins at $1.5B. The Twins also have over $400M in debt, something that would be figured into the sale price.

Despite those demands, LaVelle E. Neal of the Star Tribune reported that at least one suitor is still pushing forward. That interested group would presumably want to keep the roster intact, or at least have some say over whether or not key players such as Ryan, Duran and Jax are traded. 

As any sale would not be finalized in the next few days, the Twins may be stuck tinkering around the edges of the roster or trading expiring contracts.