Anthony DeSclafani’s recent injury news highlights a troubling trend for the current front-office leadership. Here are three reasons why the Twins keep trading for injured pitchers.
. Every pitcher has (or will have) an injury history.
The human body is not designed to toss a baseball with the velocity and movement required by major league pitchers. Teams continue to research ways to get athletes to throw harder, but it comes at a cost.Tommy John surgeries, previously a career-threatening treatment, have now become normal practice. Some pitchers, such as Paddack, undergo the surgery several times. Elbow and shoulder difficulties have become so regular that it appears only a matter of time before a pitcher is sidelined due to an ailment.
Gerrit Cole, the AL Cy Young winner, is one of baseball’s top pitchers and has been a consistent performer throughout his career. He has six seasons of more than 200 innings pitched (a rarity in today’s baseball world), and he tossed a league-high 209 innings in 2023. Cole will now miss the first several weeks of the season due to elbow nerve inflammation, and he may not return for another 10-12 weeks. He is one of several AL Cy Young voting starters (finishing order indicated below) who have been injured this spring.Sonny Gray (second place), currently with the Cardinals, will miss Opening Day because to a hamstring injury.Kevin Gausman (3rd place) is experiencing shoulder issues in Blue Jays training. Kyle Bradish of Baltimore (4th place) is recovering from a sprained UCL. Injuries affect every pitcher, including the league’s greatest arms.
2. The front office refuses to use the farm system to provide frontline starting pitching.As a mid-market team, the Twins require a strong farm system to replace aging players who leave for free agency. This method has been typical practice throughout the Metrodome era and will continue to be true provided ownership maintains current wage levels. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine could have combined Walker Jenkins, Brooks Lee, and Emmanuel Rodriguez to acquire a top-tier starting pitcher with multiple years of team control. That situation may benefit the organization in the short term, but it will have long-term consequences if the club’s farm system is depleted of big-league caliber prospects.
