“When he was on the field, [Correa] was one of the best players in the game,” Falvey said. “He’s a leader. He’s a key member of the clubhouse. Obviously, you expect teams to call on players like that, especially with where we are and some of the conversations we’re having with other clubs, but we want to win, so a high bar is set.”
The Twins’ front office does not enter trade talks with any players completely untouchable, but they remain bullish on the core of their roster despite an epic six-week collapse that cost them a playoff spot. Falvey thought they have one of the deepest starting pitching groups entering a season he’s had since he joined the organization.
“We get calls on a lot of our players,” Falvey said. “Some that we have to listen, and we have to hear the conversation. Some that go absolutely nowhere, but they are the guys you would expect teams would call on. In light of the team sale situation, some of the dynamics around our roster or otherwise, I think there are enough teams checking in. What we tell every team is listen, we’re open to being creative. We can’t rule anything out before we hear it, no matter who the player is.”
It’s early in the offseason, but the Twins are encouraged by the health of their players, too. Correa told head trainer Nick Paparesta he’s ahead of last year recovering from plantar fasciitis. Joe Ryan is expected to be ready for the start of spring training and the Twins don’t anticipate any issues from Wallner’s oblique injury at the end of the season.
“While there is never a perfect roster — you always want to try to get it better, augment it — there is a good foundation and a good core here that we think can go compete,” Falvey said. “We have to figure out ways to be creative to add around it.”