Louie Varland needed to get out to a good start against the Tigers on Sunday to relieve some of the strain he’s been feeling all season.
He failed spectacularly to accomplish so.
Varland lasted less than three innings, giving up four earned runs and another home run in a 6-1 loss. It was his fourth terrible appearance of the season, and he now has a 9.18 ERA and an 0-4 record, calling into question how long he’ll be on the MLB roster.
It’s a difficult scenario for the Twins because Varland was expected to be the fifth starter after Anthony DeSclafani suffered a season-ending injury in Spring Training. He’s been a horrible catastrophe, despite displaying a few flashes of what the team requires of him, but there’s a complete lack of depth behind him that could easily replace him.
Rocco Baldelli did not commit to Louie Varland staying on the Twins’ roster.
Something is definitely amiss with Varland, and it has begun to wear Rocco Baldelli tin. After a fourth consecutive poor start, the Twins manager did not mince words while remaining noncommittal about Varland’s future.
Baldelli declined to specify whether a trade will be made, but hinted that Varland’s next start could be in St. Paul.
“I think we have a whole lot of things we have to talk about.,” Baldelli was quoted as saying. “We have to have really almost anything on the table right now to find a way to improve.”
The Twins are caught between a rock and a hard place in terms of replacing Varland if he is sent down. It’s obvious that a change is required, yet Minnesota lacks easy replacement options.
If Varland remains on the MLB roster and moves to the bullpen, there are no plausible candidates to move up into the rotation. He’d most certainly have to be moved down to make way for another starter, although who that would be is unknown.
Simeon Woods Richardson had a wonderful start against the Tigers last weekend, but it’s only one start, and the sample size indicating he can fill the fifth starter job is minimal. David Festa could be an option, but he appears to need more time in the minors before being thrust into the spotlight.
Minnesota might make an external move, but the time for that appears to have gone. The Twins’ decision to go cheap and not spend this offseason has come back to bite them in more ways than one, and their current situation with Varland is possibly the worst result of not making any meaningful moves this winter.
Varland could remain on the roster, but he appears to have run out of life. Another terrible start will almost probably end his time on the 26-man roster, something the Twins appear to be considering already.
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