The Minnesota Twins entered this weekend’s action in second place in the lackluster American League Central. In no way does this mean Minnesota has a shot at the postseason. It boasts a 53-62 record and is 11 games out of a playoff spot.
It’s led to the Twins’ front office selling off veteran assets as a way to move forward beyond the 2018 season.
That’s apparently not sitting well with starting pitcher Ervin Santana, who absolutely blasted Minnesota’s front office following his start Friday.
“It’s tough, especially when we’re only 10 games out and we have two months left,” Santana said, via Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press. “Everybody’s like, ‘They gave up.’ We’re not giving up, but they did. They took our pieces away, and it’s difficult to play without our good pieces. You know what I mean? So we just have to play with what we have and try to win games.”
Frustration was obviously boiling over for the 35-year-old Santana after he yielded five earned runs in a loss to the Detroit Tigers.
Even then, Santana’s point doesn’t really have much merit to it. Minnesota wasn’t going to catch the division-leading Cleveland Indians, even if it had not traded away veteran players, the latest being closer Fernando Rodney in a deal with the Oakland Athletics.
It’s one thing to be frustrated. It’s a completely different thing to throw your front office under the bus in the manner we saw from Santana.
Having dealt with injuries throughout the entire season, Santana has made just four starts. He boasts a 6.53 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in those starts. Slated to become a free agent this winter, it would not be a surprise if the Twins moved on from the two-time All-Star at some point soon. Said comments will likely play a role in this decision.