3 Twins players whose jobs are in jeopardy if they don’t turn it around soon

It’s the start of the summer months, and the Minnesota Twins sit eight games back of the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians, every game from here on out will be important.

Even with a sizable hole, the Twins still have a 71 percent chance of making the playoffs. We all saw a glimpse of how powerful this team can be on Wednesday when Minnesota pummeled Colorado 17-9 in a historic win. For the third time since 1961 the Twins had every player who took an at-bat also record an RBI.

Not everything was great, though, which has sort of been an ongoing theme for the team this year. Good moments are chased or clouded by bad ones, and it’s something the team is going to have to address sooner rather than later.

If the Twins want to truly compete this season, they might need to cut ties with a couple of players who are struggling before it’s too late.

This might be due to a bit of recency bias as Thielbar had about as rough an outing as a pitcher can have in back-to-back games. He ruined Louie Varland’s excellent start, surrendering four runs without recording an out against the Colorado Rockies. 

Less than 24 hours later he failed to record an out again, allowing three runs in just 22 pitches.

Thielbar currently has a 2-2 record, a 8.04 ERA, a 2.11 WHIP, and a -0.9 WAR. These stats indicate that nothing is working right now for the 37-year-old, and the Twins would improve if he were off the roster.

Given the stats, Thielbar should have the shortest leash possible because when you’re in a fight for the playoffs, you can’t afford players costing you games, and Thielbar just isn’t a quality MLB pitcher right now and can’t be trusted.

Margot was acquired this offseason as the Twins were looking to cut payroll and find an alternative to Michael A. Taylor.

After a decent season in Tampa Bay, the 29-year-old hasn’t done much right in a Twins uniform. Margot is slashing (batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage) .228/.299/.309, which doesn’t help an already bad Twins offense. On top of this, Margot has the worst WAR of the position players, negative 0.5.

These stats again indicate that unless Margot can turn it around soon, the Twins should move on because, despite his outfield versatility, his roster spot is detrimental to the team and its postseason ambitions.

This is a move the Twins have already made, as Kirilloff was demoted to St. Paul after Wednesday’s win over Colorado. It was a long time coming, but doesn’t make watching him get sent down any easier.

Once one of the Twins top prospects, Kirilloff has shown flashes of his potential, but he has been in a prolonged slump this season and is at risk of his batting average dropping below .200.

After an impressive 2023 where he batted .270, Kirilloff hasn’t found a way to build on it in 2024, currently slashing .201/.270/.384. Like Margot and Thielbar, he has a negative WAR of 0.4, and if he can’t break out of his slump soon, it might be time for the Twins to move on.

Kirilloff, however, is only 26 years old, left-handed, and put together a solid 2023 campaign with the club. Due to these factors, he should hold some trade value, and the Twins could use him in trade talks — assuming he can start turning things around — as they look to improve this season.

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