Reusse: As Twins sink over the summer, they need to get what they can from tradeable assets

There will be some loyalists to the Twins that will look back at this 2025 team that produced a second consecutive fourth-place finish in the AL Central for the 13-game winning streak in May. That was the second-longest since the franchise arrived in Minnesota for the 1961 season.

There will be others that will look back at the June Swoon that produced a series of horrendous results and was much more indicative of the true depth of talent with this collection.

And still more might have remained in the largest group, those dispirited by Major League Baseball in general and the Twins in particular, and actually might rather go watch a soccer game at a location not far from where Joe Mauer grew up hitting line drives.

The Twins went into Saturday’s steamy matinée at Target Field with a feat that faced longer odds than winning 13 in a row: They had given up 16 runs or more three times in a 10-game stretch from June 10 to Friday night (June 20).

Those three put the Twins’ total for games giving up 16 runs or more at 53 in 65 seasons in Minnesota — and, obviously, never three of those first 50 in a window as small as 10 games.

Congratulations, fellas, for digging deep into your futility reservoir to show the path that should be taken by management in the weeks leading to the July 31 trading deadline:

Trade anyone that will bring a ransom of two or three can’t-miss prospects — knowing full well that half of those prospects are going to miss, because it’s baseball.

The Twins have received preposterously high ratings for their farm system in recent years, but the results remain primarily invisible.

Wait until you see this lefty-hitting outfielder, Emmanuel Rodriguez, we were told. He’s now in St. Paul and, if you get there on a night when he’s not injured in some manner, it will be an upset.

OK, but Walker Jenkins, another lefty-hitting outfielder .. he’s definitely a can’t miss, now that he’s back from injury and playing at Class AA Wichita. We’ll see.

As for the good pitching prospects, we hate to break it to you, folks — if the Twins had anyone close, he’d be here by now, after the losses of Pablo López and suspect Zebby Matthews, and the beatings being taken by a couple of bullpenners.

The quickest give-up in Twins history came way back in 1982, within a month of the Twins moving into the Metrodome. Owner Calvin Griffith saw a team that couldn’t win, looked at the salaries and started unloading veterans.

It wasn’t exactly a bonanza of prospects, but it did give them Tom Brunansky and the opportunity for young players — part of the core for a World Series winner five years later.

Obviously, it’s much easier to give up when only two teams per league were reaching the postseason, compared to six all these decades later, but here’s a tip:

This Twins team has no chance to be a factor, even in a race to be in the league’s top 40%.

And there is value to be traded in the next few weeks in one main area: the bullpen.

Quality relievers are the No. 1 items sought by contending teams from mid-July to the deadline. And there’s no reason for the Twins to be holding onto this strength, when there’s nothing meaningful to be saved.

Jhoan Duran would bring two can’t-miss prospects. Griffin Jax might bring three. Cole Sands will get a potential long-term helper. Maybe you want to keep the local fellow, Louie Varland, as a rarely needed closer.

Also: Chris Paddack, pitching like this as a starter and so-far healthy, deserves a shot to go somewhere and try for a contract.

On Saturday, the Twins did not reach double-figure runs allowed for the sixth time since June 5, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. They were outpitched, outfielded, outrun and mostly outhustled by the Brewers for a second consecutive game.

The Brewers swiped two quick runs in the first, two more in the second, then were handed five runs in the final two innings: Milwaukee 9, Twins 0.

Harrison Bader butchered one ball in left field, then didn’t get together on another with Carlos Correa.

It took 50 minutes for the Brewers to race to a 4-0 lead in the first two innings, then about 90 minutes to play seven as the Twins packed it in, apparently in a hurry to get inside for the air conditioning.

And the last out provided the perfect ending:

Brooks Lee swung at strike three from lefty Aaron Ashby. The ball skipped past catcher William Contreras and went 25 feet onto the grass in front of the Twins dugout. Contreras went to retrieve it.

When he did so, Lee remained standing near the lefty batter’s box, waiting patiently to make the final out of the game.

Don’t let your Little Leaguers watch this big-league hustle at home.