As he tried to generate optimism for the Twins’ future at a moment when there appears to be zero of it Thursday evening after Minnesota traded away a massive chunk of its roster, Twins president Derek Falvey recounted transactional successes of the past in which he flipped valuable veterans for upstart prospects who helped Minnesota in years to come.

Minnesota Twins’ Carlos Correa reacts after hitting an RBI single during the fourth inning of Game 2 of an AL wild-card baseball playoff series against the Toronto Blue Jays Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Trading away Nelson Cruz resulted in Joe Ryan.

Trading away Eduardo Escobar brought in Jhoan Duran.

Pain in the now can lead to joy in the future.

That’s true in theory. Duran and Ryan did turn out to be great players. But the message falls on deaf ears during a week in which Duran … was just traded away.

Duran became one of the best relievers in baseball. But what did that do for Minnesota in the long run? The pinnacle of his Twins’ tenure circulated on social media this week, when the closer struck out the final batter to complete Minnesota’s sweep of Toronto in the wild-card round in 2023, which serves as the Twins’ lone playoff series victory since 2002.

That was the peak of this iteration of the Twins – a fleeting moment of euphoria.

In some ways, this week’s deadline selloff can be justified. Because a core that was largely kept together never even flirted with similar heights over the following season and a half.

So tear it down to the studs and start over with hopes that the next collection can do better.

But isn’t evidence starting to pile up to the contrary?

Even if Minnesota hits on a handful of prospects, both from ones currently in the system and what’s coming into the organization via this week’s transactions, there is a clear ceiling to this model.

Were the 2023 Minnesota Twins perfect? Far from it. They won 87 games and beat an 89-win Toronto team in the wild-card round before bowing out to Houston in the ensuing series. And yet even the modest achievement and the potential for what could be to come with a relatively young roster had local baseball fans on fire.

Major League Baseball represents about the most uneven playing field in pro sports. A few teams pull in far more revenue than the rest and inherently have more spending power than their competitors.

So for everyone else, there are times to cut costs – and perhaps this week’s trade deadline was a logical time for the Twins to do just that. But there are also times to pounce. The 2023-24 offseason was a clear-cut chance for Minnesota to do the latter.

Twenty months ago, the Twins had a core that was good enough to give it a go, which might be about the ceiling for the rookies and reduced-priced player system. No one is suggesting the Twins need to sport a top-10 payroll on an annual basis. But, ideally, there are two or three years every decade where it makes sense to dip your toes into that territory.

Spend, supplement, improve. Do more than the bare minimum required to fake a passing effort, at least every now and then when the roster demands it.

If you aren’t willing to do that, then what’s the point of any of this?

You dwell in the cellar for years at a time, with the light at the end of the tunnel being a 90-win season and quick playoff exit? And that’s if everything goes right, as it seemingly does once in a blue moon. But when you cut financial corners, even when you have a few sturdy pillars in place, you find yourself sitting right on the edge of mediocrity, susceptible to being pushed off the ledge via a single injury or missed player evaluation.

At which point you go. “Eh, we’re not going to win a championship with THESE guys,” tear the walls down and get back to work on rebuilding an eerily similar-sized shack.

Rinse, repeat.

Hitting on a few prospects is awesome. That can be the difference between winning 70 games and 85.

To do anything beyond that – where the real achievements of consequence are realized – you probably need to open your wallets and commit to contention.

“We’ve got to find a new way to do it,” Falvey admitted Thursday.

Could not agree more.

Here’s an idea – the next time opportunity knocks, don’t slam the door in its face.