The Twins’ dream of building some buyer’s momentum ahead of the trade deadline likely died on Sunday.

With a x-x loss to the Washington Nationals at Target Field, the Twins fell to 3-6 since returning from the all-star break on July 18, with only a three-game series with the Red Sox between them and the deadline on Thursday evening.

Four of those six losses have been to the two worst teams in baseball, Colorado and Washington — although with two wins this weekend, the Nationals pulled closer to the pack in the National League.

Minnesota Twins’ Harrison Bader reacts after hitting a double against the Washington Nationals during the fifth inning of a baseball game Sunday, July 27, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)

Alex Call, who drove in a pair of runs in the Nationals’ 9-3 victory on Saturday, hit a two-run single against a drawn-in infield as Washington broke open a tight game with four runs against Travis Adams in the fifth inning.

That made it 6-2, and sent Nathaniel Lowe to third base. Daylen Lile followed with a sacrifice fly to right field for a 7-2 lead. In the fourth inning, Lile hit a out-out triple off Adams and scored on a sac fly by Paul DeJong.

Adams (1-1) was charged with five earned runs on five hits and two walks in 3⅓ innings. He fanned three.

With Bailey Ober (hip) and David Festa (shoulder) both on the injured list, Cole Sands pitched the first two innings of a bullpen game. CJ Abrams his his first pitch for a home run for a quick 1-0 lead.

Matt Wallner’s 11th home run of the season tied the game 1-1 in the second inning, and Trevor Larnach tied it 2-2 with a sacrifice fly in the third that scored Harrison Bader, who had gone first to third on a groundout.

That was all the Twins could muster against starter Jake Irvin (8-5). The right-hander was charged with two earned runs on five hits in seven innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out two.

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Though it doesn’t sound as if Justin Jefferson’s mild hamstring strain is going to keep him out long term, the fact that the superstar receiver can’t compete at Vikings training camp is less than ideal.

The silver lining for the Vikings? They get an extended look at some of the other receivers on the depth chart.

Asked earlier this week about the receivers he’d like to see step up after Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor, head coach Kevin O’Connell mentioned Rondale Moore, Tai Felton, Lucky Jackson and Jeshaun Jones by name.

That would suggest Moore, Felton, Jackson, and Jones are at least slightly ahead of their peers at the moment.

Here’s a tale of the tape as those receivers try to make a name for themselves:

Rondale Moore

Age: 25 years old

Height: 5 feet, 7 inches

Weight: 180 pounds

Analysis: Not many can match Moore’s ability with the ball in his hands when he’s at the peak of his powers. Is he? That remains to be seen. After bursting onto the scene after being drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, Moore has struggled to stay on the field. He’s coming off a major knee injury suffered last season with the Atlanta Falcons. There’s a path to Moore to carve out a niche with the Vikings as he’s currently the favorite to be the starting punt returner.

Tai Felton

Age: 22

Height: 6 feet, 1 inch

Weight: 185 pounds

Analysis: It’s only a matter of time before Felton makes an impact after the Vikings selected him in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He has a good combination of size and speed and has already started to get some reps with the starters. The biggest question is whether the Vikings are going to trust Felton enough to give him such a big role so early in his career. It might make more sense to bring him along slowly — unless he proves he’s too good to keep off the field.

Lucky Jackson

Age: 28

Height: 6 foot

Weight: 185 ponds

Analysis: As far as volume of reps goes, Jackson has seen the most time with the starters. That might be simply because he has the most knowledge of the offense after spending multiple seasons with the Vikings as a member of the practice squad. Though he might not possess the same upside as some of the younger receivers, Jackson has managed to stick around because he’s so reliable. Now he needs to find a way to separate himself from the pack.

Jeshaun Jones

Age: 25 years old

Height: 6 feet, 1 inch

Weight: 190 pounds

Analysis: It might come as a surprise that Jones is included in this group. He has lived in obscurity since signing with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent. He clearly made an impression last season as a member of the practice squad. Maybe he has some untapped potential in him. It’s unlikely the Vikings would be giving Jones reps with the starters unless they believed it’s there.

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With the trade deadline set for Thursday at 5 p.m. CDT, the Twins find themselves in a sort of no-man’s land, under .500 but still with a slim chance to make the playoffs with a wild card berth.

Team president Derek Falvey has taken his share of calls, but they’re more about assessing a potential partner’s situation than actually tossing names around. And that situation can change game to game.

There have been a few deals made, but generally, Falvey said, “There’s a lot more made of how much happens in the week prior to the deadline than what actually happens.”

One of the reasons things are so squishy is that there are a lot of teams in the same situation as the Twins, who were four games under .500 but five games out of an American League wild card spot before Sunday’s series finale against Washington at Target Field.

At the start of Sunday’s games, there were eight American League teams with either a wild card spot or within five games of one. In the NL, with the Cubs and Brewers tied atop the Central, there were nine, and the largest division lead belonged to the Phillies at 4½ games up in the East.

So, with a little more than two months left in the regular season, postseason limbo is crowded, and for the Twins, there is no “buy” or “sell” in the window.

“You always want to enter this part of the season thinking about ways you can add to the club,” Falvey said. “Entering the break, it felt like we were gaining a little bit of momentum. The last couple series haven’t gone as well as we would have hoped.”

Heading into Sunday’s game, the Twins were 3-5 since returning from the all-star break, with three losses against the two worst teams in baseball — Colorado and Washington — and had five teams to jump for the third AL wild card spot.

“Now the job is just to evaluate what comes our way and navigate in any direction possible,” Falvey said.

Of the six Twins veterans playing on expiring contracts, reliever Danny Coulombe, first baseman Ty France and utility man Willi Castro stand out as players who could help a team down the stretch and in the postseason.

France has 14 doubles, six home runs and is second on the Twins with 44 RBIs. Coulombe, a lefty, has been lights out, 1-0 with a 0.90 earned-run average in 39 appearances. Castro is a switch-hitter with some power who can play reliable defense almost anywhere.

Falvey said the Twins are not offering players to other teams but fielding queries.

“We’ve heard from quote unquote seller teams, calling me about players for their current team and next year,” Falvey said. “That’s pretty common these days. You try to recalibrate your roster every year. I think that’s how we’re going to approach this week, and that’s the way we have been approaching it.”

The Twins acquired their current ace, right-hander Joe Ryan — an all-star this month — on a deadline deal that sent Nelson Cruz to Tampa Bay in 2021. Ryan was at Triple-A at the time, and he quickly became a mainstay in the Twins’ rotation.

If Falvey and his personnel staff think they can acquire a player of Ryan’s caliber — whether he’s nearly ready for the pros or just starting his career — the Twins will work with any team.

“One thing philosophically, at any deadline — buy, sell or somewhere in between — never shut off avenues to talent, whatever that talent is,” Falvey said. “Don’t say, ‘We’re only going for this, we’re only going for that.’ Or, ‘We only want pitching’ or ‘we only want infielders.’ If you do that, you’re shutting off a path to talent.”

 

SERVICES

Andrew Brehm

Burwell Enterprises, a Sioux Falls, S.D.- based provider of business services, announced the promotion of Andrew Brehm to general counsel. Brehm previously worked as an attorney for Jack Link’s and Dorsey and Whitney and was former Minnesota U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman‘s press secretary; he will be based in the company’s satellite office in Minnetonka.

AIRPORTS

The Metropolitan Airports Commission announced it has selected Steven Berling as IT assistant director, client services. Berling most recently was with Andersen Corp. as an IT manager of device management and procurement. MAC owns and operates Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and six general aviation airports in the Twin Cities.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Kraus-Anderson Insurance, Burnsville, announced the hires of Andrew McDonough and Andy Podmolik to its Employee Benefits and Human Resources consulting business. McDonough previously worked at Surest, a UnitedHealthcare health plan; Podmolik was with Huntington Insurance in Minnesota. … Merchants Bank, Winona, announced it is celebrating its 150th anniversary. The bank has branches throughout the Twin Cities’ east metro and western Wisconsin.

HEALTH CARE

Advent, a national in-office treatment provider for chronic nose, sinus, snoring and sleep apnea issues, announced the opening of a clinic at 6640 Shady Oak Road, Suite 255, Eden Prairie.

LAW

The Minnesota Client Security Board announced it has elected attorney Cheryl M. Prince as chair. Prince has been an attorney member of the board since 2019 and is a shareholder at the Hanft Fride law firm in Duluth. The Client Security Fund was established by the Minnesota Supreme Court, and
is funded by Minnesota attorneys to reimburse clients who suffer loss of money or other property due to the dishonest conduct of their attorney. … Fredrikson, Minneapolis, announced that attorney Amy Anderson has joined its Health Law Group in the Minneapolis Office. … Maslon, Minneapolis, announced the return of partner Anna Petosky to the firm’s Litigation Group. Petosky also has been a prosecutor in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis. … Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, St. Paul, announced the following staff additions: Clare Pledl, staff attorney; Hassan Olow, intake interviewer; Madelyn Larsen, social worker, Rochester; Nya Devos, staff attorney, Worthington, and the retirement of Paralegal/Intake Interviewer Jeannie Williams.

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

Nuwellis, an Eden Prairie-based developer and provider of bodily fluid management systems, announced the appointment of John Erb as chief executive officer. Erb has served as interim CEO since February.

NONPROFITS

YWCA Minneapolis announced the following incoming board members: Cheryl Bethune, Bio-Techne Corp.; LaToya Burrell, Zinpro Corp.; Jill Davies, Best Buy; Marcheta Evans, president, St. Catherine University; Karissa Kirvida; Minya Nance, Culture Core; Shelley Sánchez; Katie Schoeneck, Thrivent Financial; Cheryl Winston, Target Corp., and Ebony Wyatt, General Mills. … Project for Pride in Living, a Minneapolis-based affordable-housing and employment services provider, announced the hire of William Price Sr. as senior director of real estate development; he most recently was with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. … The Landing MN, a Rochester, Minn.-based nonprofit aiding those experiencing homelessness in Olmsted County, announced the promotion of Erin Sinnwell to director of development. Sinnwell previously was communications manager and before that was executive director of Family Promise. … Project Refocus, a Minneapolis organization focused on violence prevention, youth mentorship, community safety and economic empowerment, alongside Wolfpack Promotionals, which champions local entrepreneurship and economic growth, announced their planned move to 2034 W. Broadway Ave., Minneapolis.

OPENINGS

National jewelry retailer Kendra Scott announced the opening of a location at Southdale Center, Edina. … Twin Cities Premium Outlets, Eagan, announced the planned openings of Bonjour Crêpes and Portland Leather Goods.

REAL ESTATE

Grasons, a national franchised estate sale and business liquidation service provider, announced the opening of Grasons of Dakota County, serving Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Lakeville, Rosemount and surrounding communities. The franchise is owned and operated by Mike Harms.

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