Trade Deadline: Scenarios for Your Minnesota Twins
Entry posted by wyatt in General Manager ·
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Twins Video
I’m sure that we all have a relative who says that they could run a professional sports team better than a real sports executive. Today, that person is me. I will be taking over the Minnesota Twins and I will be making this team a winner. I am discussing some potential trade scenarios for the Minnesota Twins come July 31. I kept in mind the payroll but, most of the deals were pretty small payroll increases that I did ignore the payroll a little. July 31st is the Trade Deadline so let's look at some moves that the Twins should explore.
NOTE: For this article, we are assuming the Minnesota Twins will be competitive at the deadline and be buyers rather than sellers. I took the role of General Manager after the Pohlads decided that Derek Falvey was too expensive! So who did they decide to hire? An X user (@wyattsversion) with 0 background. This is purely fiction but I studied how Falvey did trades and I considered his style. However, I decided to focus on what I felt was fair and being more aggressive than typical.
First, let’s analyze the previous General Manager. The Minnesota Twins under the Derek Falvey regime have been buyers in 2023, 2022, 2020 and, 2019. Analyzing all of the trades, most were typically for pitching help which is something you can always use. There were no batter trades that I could find in the transaction log which leads me to believe that Falvey doesn’t enjoy trading for batters on rental deals.
Criteria: Trades will be realistic and the value is purely based on what I feel is fair. I will be making 2 trades for each position (Starters, Relievers, and Batters) with one being a superstar/top end player and a bench/depth player. For batters, I am going to throw an extra trade in. Let’s get into the fun!
Starters:
Credits: (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Twins Get: Jesús Luzardo and Cash Considerations
Marlins Get: Gabriel Gonzalez (MLB’s #4), Tanner Schobel (MLB’s #10) and, CJ Culpepper (MLB’s #8)
Twins get a top-end starter and give up 3 top 10 prospects which may put many on edge with the trade but, the trade makes perfect sense. Gonzalez is still young and is the headliner of the Twins deal but don’t discredit Cullpepper and Schobell. Both are having pretty good seasons, Schobell has started to turn the year around a bit but, Culpepper has proven the Falvey late-round pitcher pipeline. It would be sad to lose him but we have Festa, Raya and, even pitchers such as Cory Lewis who should be ready for a big-league role before Culpepper. Luzardo gives the Twins an extra year of control and a chance to see what he’s made of before they decide if they want to extend him or not. He would be a great addition to the Twins rotation that is in need of another firepower pitcher.
Credit: (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Twins Get: Frankie Montas (Reds retain 50% of the deal)
Reds Get: Ben Ross (MLB’s #28) and Cash Considerations
Frankie Montas’s underlying metrics are far from good but that is what makes him a depth trade. Frankie has been decent so far, he belts a 4.6 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. These numbers are not great but compared to what the Twins have, if a pitcher is not performing well at the deadline or the Twins want another veteran pitcher with experience he is a great pick-up. The Reds would likely need to carry a bit of his salary to keep the Twins’s payroll in check, he does come with an option. This is why I chose him over someone such as Austin Gomber, Sean Manaea, or Cal Quantrill. They all had been options I thought of but none had as much experience as Frankie did.
Relievers:
Credit: (Thomas Shea/USA TODAY Sports)
Twins Get: Ryan Pressly (Hou retains 75% of 2024, 25% of option)
Astros Get: Caleb Boushley, PTBNL
I initially considered Ryan Helsley or JoJo Romero but the Twins would not want to pay that much for the hefty price of their control. Pressly is a great reliever who has history in Minnesota. Pressly would likely not be worth much and the Astros may want to pick up some players to counteract for the loss of the reliever. Boushley gives them experience as a major leaguer. He may not be valuable but, how valuable is a 35 year old reliever with a 5 era? The PTBNL is there as I feel that Caleb isn’t enough and another prospect would fit but I couldn’t decide which. We make real MLB Trades here with players to be named later. Pressly gets a shot at a new venue and the Twins get a reliable reliever with a great playoff history that could be vital come October.
Credit: (Getty Images)
Twins Get: Wandy Peralta, Cash
Padres Get: Yunior Severino (MLB’s 22) and Jose Salas (Not Ranked)
The Twins give up two infield prospects that have not lived up to their promise (Salas being a top 100 prospect and Yunior’s 2023). They get a fresh start and Jose gets reunited with his brother, Ethan. Wandy signed a new deal but has been stellar this year and will likely opt out after this year. It would not shock me if the Padres try and get something out of him. The trade would make sense as the Twins get a nice middle relief pitcher and the Padres can reload the farm system. His metrics are not great but at the end of the day, a rental piece is purely a rental piece.
Batters:
Credit: (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Twins Get: Mark Canha
Tigers Get: Keoni Cavaco (Not Ranked)
The Keoni Cavaco experience as we know it needs to end. It is sad but, he needs a change of scenery. Mark Canha gives you a decent glove and a good bat that can hit righties and lefties (ahem. Margot). He also is 35 which is why his value to me is quite low. I am fine parting with a former draft prick that did not work. It is sad that the Twins went with Cavaco instead of some of the better options that were the next few picks. Canha has been very good in his age 35 season and could be resigned while the Twins wait for Kepler to resign or whatever happens this offseason.
Credit: (Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports)
Twins Get: Luis Rengifo
Angels Get: Luke Keaschall (MLB’s #9) and Andrew Morris (MLB’s #20)
Assuming the struggles from Farmer and Julien continue, the Minnesota Twins NEED a second baseman. While Rengifo is not a .300 hitter he is hitting his way into a prime trade target. Keaschall and Morris are both having great years but sometimes you need to trade these prospects to get the help you need in the majors right away. Rengifo also comes with a year of control that the twins could utilize to get some prospects back next deadline or earlier. The Twins would need to be willing to get rid of Farmer or let Julien sit in Saint Paul for this to work but, that is not part of my criteria. He is a candidate the Twins should consider if they still need help come July.
Credit: (Sports Illustrated) (SportsNet New York)
Twins Get: Pete Alonso and Nick Morabito (MLB’s #26)
Mets Get: Brooks Lee (MLB’s #3) and Gabriel Gonzalez (MLB’s #4)
This deal may seem like what may just be Pete Alonso but, Nick has improved each level he has jumped. He sports a (.350/.472/.469) line and has a plus arm. The Twins give up 2 of their biggest prospects but I argue that Nick could meet or exceed the status of Gonzalez. I am not GM however and I am merely going off of stats and watching tiny bits of film. I think that if Alonso agrees to stay, the Twins could be a contender as soon as this season. Alonso was a pure fun idea I had and I really doubt they would go for him unless the Mets agreed to pay part of his contract. I do not think I need to rationalize how great he would be for the Twins. You could argue Vlad and I almost did, I felt as if Vlad has the higher upside but his value is likely a lot more and I did not feel comfortable doing that trade.
This was a fun idea for me to spend the Twins game doing as they defeated the Astros. If you guys are interested in this type of content, let me know! I would be happy to discuss more trades and even the draft…
I AM OPEN TO CRITICISM AND COMMENTS. PLEASE DO COMMENT YOUR IDEAS SO I CAN IMPROVE MY WRITING STYLE AND IMPROVE THE SERIES.
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