In past articles, I previewed many of the top trade deadline targets. However, it is frustratingly obvious that ownership won’t allow much (if any) additional salary. As the TV situation remains an issue, it doesn’t look like much will change next year either. This leaves cheap rentals as the only option for the Twins at the deadline, and even that is far from guaranteed. That said, I will list my top 3 targets (that are left) that the Twins could realistically pursue. Then, I will outline some pieces on selling teams that could be interesting, low-risk, and low-cost. 

1. Jack Flaherty

I previewed the case to trade for Flaherty two and a half weeks ago, and he’s only gotten better. The 28-year-old righty is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career. Through 18 starts, Flaherty has a 2.95 ERA with 133 strikeouts and 19 walks in 106.2 innings pitched. His advanced metrics match these numbers, as his whiff rate (33.2%) is in the 94th percentile, and his breaking run value (8) is in the 95th percentile. His xwOBA (.272) and chase rate (31.2%) are by far the best marks of his career. Flaherty is only owed around $4.7 million for the rest of the season, and then he’s set to reach free agency. Unfortunately, the Twins will likely have to unload payroll or overpay with prospect capital to get Flaherty, but he remains the best obtainable starter for the Twins on the market.

2. Andrew Chafin

Tanner Scott is the best leftie reliever available at the deadline, but the Twins likely won’t offer a good enough package to compete with teams like the Orioles, Dodgers, and Yankees. Andrew Chafin is a solid backup option, though. Chafin is enjoying a good season, playing for his fifth team across ten MLB seasons. He’s 3-2 with a 3.16 ERA across 37 innings pitched. He has 50 strikeouts in those 37 innings, but he’s also walked 16 batters. Chafin doesn’t have the velocity he used to, but he still has elite underlying metrics. He’s in the 93rd percentile for xERA (2.76), 96th percentile for chase rate (35.4%), and 95th percentile for whiff rate (34.4%). He has the highest strikeout rate of his career (30.9%) and the lowest xwOBA of his career (.264). Chafin is owed a little under $1.6 million for the rest of 2024, but it’s hard to imagine the Twins spending that much on a reliever. They don’t have a reliable leftie in their bullpen, and they don’t necessarily need one, but it’s a hole on their roster that they should fill if they genuinely have championship aspirations. 

3. Luis Garcia

In his second stint as an Angel, Luis Garcia is quietly enjoying a nice bounceback season. The 37-year-old reliever is 5-1 with a 3.71 ERA across 43.2 innings pitched. Garcia throws hard, averaging 96.3 mph on his fastball, and this season, he has the highest chase rate of his career (31.2%). His 22% strikeout rate is about league average, but he generates ground balls at a 51% clip (86th percentile). Garcia’s stuff has diminished at this stage in his career, but he’s still very effective at generating weak contact. He’s only owed around $1.4 million for the rest of 2024, making him a good option to compete with Jorge Alcala, Brock Stewart, and Cole Sands in middle relief/set-up man duties. 

Other Angels:

After sitting out the entirety of the 2023 MLB season, Hunter Strickland is back, and he’s been surprisingly effective. Across 49 innings, his ERA is 3.12, with his xERA being even slightly lower (2.98). Strickland has regained success this year through his ability to induce weak contact, with his 5.8% barrel percentage (80th percentile) and his .216 xBA (81st percentile). Strickland is owed just over $800k for the remainder of this season, and he would be a cheap depth piece if the Twins feel they need one.  

Although Manuel Margot has played 23 more games, Kevin Pillar has outproduced him in almost every way. Despite having 36 fewer plate appearances, Pillar has the same amount of hits, more home runs, RBI, stolen bases, and doubles than Margot. 

Margot was brought in to play defense and hit lefties. His defense has been bad, as his -4 outs above average ranks in the 11th percentile, while his 80 mph average arm strength ranks in the 23rd percentile. Pillar hasn’t played the defense he’s known for, but his -1 outs above average is better (30th percentile), while his arm is still strong (87 mph average arm strength). Margot has been decent against lefties, with a slash line of .290/.348/.420 and an OPS+ of 115. On the other hand, Pillar has killed left-handers. He has a slash line of .375/.416/.625 with an OPS+ of 188. As a bonus, Pillar offers speed off the bench with his average sprint speed of 28.6 mph (84th percentile). Margot is 7% better than the league average with his 27.6 mph average sprint speed. Pillar signed a one-year $1 million contract going into 2024, making him a cheaper, better option than Margot down the stretch. The Twins could dump Margot’s salary and attach a prospect to entice the Angels ahead of this year’s deadline. 

Washington Nationals:

Old friend Dylan Floro is having his best year since the 2021 season. He has a 2.06 ERA through 52.1 innings with the struggling Nationals. Floro gets ground balls 47.7% of the time (72nd percentile) and has an unreal barrel percentage of just 2% (99th percentile). His fastball and breaking ball grade well, with run values of 7 (83rd percentile) and 3 (70th percentile), respectively. He’s not very exciting and doesn’t fill a big hole on the Twins, but he’s adequate bullpen depth, which is always needed during playoff pushes. 

Cincinnati Reds:

The Reds have a pair of veteran lefties on cheap expiring contracts: Brent Suter and Justin Wilson. Suter has a 3.68 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 51.1 innings pitched. He’s been used mainly as a reliever, but he’s also started three games. Tyler Rogers is the only pitcher in MLB with a lower average fastball speed, yet Suter has still gotten the job done. His 86.4 average exit velocity is in the 92nd percentile, while his 31.1% hard-hit rate is in the 94th percentile. His fastball is deceiving, as his 7.3-foot extension is tied for ninth in baseball. He also doesn’t walk anyone, with his 4.7% walk rate falling in the 93rd percentile. Suter is owed around $900k for the rest of the season, with a team option at $3.5 million that the Twins would almost surely decline. 

Justin Wilson’s stats don’t look good at first. He has a 4.50 ERA and has given up 31 hits across 28 innings this season. However, many of his advanced stats are elite, albeit in a small sample. Wilson is holding batters to an xBA of .192 while averaging 86 mph exit velocity. His chase rate is 34.1%, yet he only walks 5% of batters faced while striking out 26.1%. It’s hard to analyze Wilson due to his low amount of batters faced, but he’s only owed around $500k for the remainder of the season, and if he performs well, his upside is a playoff-caliber leftie, which the Twins do not have. 

Although not lefties, the Twins could look toward Buck Farmer and Lucas Sims if they want more bullpen depth. Neither have been too impressive, but they’ve been staples in the Reds bullpen this season. Sims broke out last year, owning a 3.10 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 61 innings pitched. This year, he’s enjoyed a similar production. He has a 3.67 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 24.1 innings pitched. Sims gets a lot of weak contact, as his average exit velocity is 86.5 (92nd percentile), and his hard-hit rate is 34.1% (80th percentile). He consistently generates swings-and-misses, as his chase rate (30.3%) and whiff rate (27.7%) are in the 69th percentile. He’s owed just under $1 million for the rest of the season, but the front office may feel like there are better places to allocate that money. 

The Twins are very familiar with Buck Farmer, as they saw him in Detroit for seven seasons. Now in his third year with the Reds, he’s having arguably his best season to date. He has a 2.68 ERA with just four homers allowed across 47 innings pitched. However, many signs point to regression. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is 40:19, while his FIP is 4.09. His xERA is 4.18, and he doesn’t have great swing-and-miss stuff. His fastball has a run value of five (75th percentile), while his breaking ball has a run value of four (84th percentile), but walks have ultimately derailed his production. He’s only owed around $750k for the rest of the 2024 season, but he may not be worth the prospect and salary in the Twins Bullpen. 

Per Aaron Gleeman, only two teams have yet to make a trade at this year’s deadline: the Oakland A’s and the Minnesota Twins. Despite self-imposed financial constraints from ownership, the front office must find ways to bring reinforcements, even if they’re marginal improvements. Although the return of Justin Topa and a potential switch to the bullpen from Louie Varland and Chris Paddack may help, they shouldn’t be relied on. Minor league starters such as David Festa and Zebby Matthews have shown immense promise, but no one knows what to expect from them if given a more extended look in the rotation. Jack Flaherty seems like a pipe dream, but players like Andrew Chafin, Luis Garcia, Kevin Pillar, and others offer upgrades and depth in critical areas. These are cost-effective players, which is non-negotiable at this deadline. Ultimately, the Twins’ potential to improve their roster will depend on finding extreme value in this seller’s market, which seems increasingly unlikely as the hours pass.