Twins Trade Targets—Blue Jays?

[Cap'n Piranha]

With the Red Sox and Yankees both set up to be 95 to 100 win teams for the next few years, does it make sense for the Jays to start selling? With nearly a quarter of their schedule against the beasts of the east, and only one wild card in play, the best move for the Jays might be to start a 3-5 year rebuild now.

 

The Twins can help with that, with a deep system full of potential high upside guys. Even better, if the Jays are tearing down, they’ll probably be looking for more lower level guys, rather than immediate big league help, which lets the Twins keep their now open window, well, open.

 

To the Trade:

 

Twins get—Josh Donaldson and Marcus Stroman

 

Jays get—Fernando Romero, Wander Javier, Akil Baddoo, Blayne Enlow, and Alex Kiriloff

 

Why the Twins do it: adding Donaldson improves the infield defense, while allowing Miguel Sano to focus exclusively on hitting. A Dozier-Mauer-Donaldson-Sano-Rosario-Buxton-Polanco-Kepler-Castro lineup could potentially be one of the best in the league. Adding Stroman to the rotation gives you a solid top 3 with Santana and Berrios, and you still have Mejia and Gonsalves as back end options with upside. It allows Falvey and Levine to focus on bullpen arms, which at that point would be the weak spot on the team. And finally, it would send a clear message to the casual fan that this new administration is different, and serious about winning.

 

Why the Jays do it: as mentioned above, Toronto seems to be looking at a closed window for contention right now. Acquiring young, cheap, controllable assets for 2021-2023 makes sense. Of the 5 guys above, at least one is a Top 100 guy now, and quite possibly all 5 will be by the end of the year. With all of them except Romero at least a couple of years away, the Jays have time to continue building out a wave that can overtake the spent-out Boston/New York teams of the early to mid ‘20’s.

 

What are your thoughts, armchair GM’s?

[GP830]

I’m super intrigued. I have loved Donaldson for years, but I’m cautious that he’s aging quickly.

 

I love the outside the box thinking on this.

[Thrylos]

No way.  The only Jay who is really intriguing is Roberto Osuna.  Donaldson is over the hill and will be displacing a potentially better player.  Romero might be better than Stroman as is. 

 

Just way too much

[BuxtonBandwagon]

I've been thinking this for a long time. The Jays should sell their assets and start a rebuild. However I have no interest in Donaldson, not for one year. The cost would be way too high. Osuna I definitely want.

 

Stroman and Osuna

 

for: Gordon, Mejia, one of Gonsalves/Romero, Jorge, Enlow, Wade, and Palacios

 

Too little or too much? Or would they want mostly lower level players instead of Gordon, Mejia and the AAA pitchers?

[jsteve96]

 

No way.  The only Jay who is really intriguing is Roberto Osuna.  Donaldson is over the hill and will be displacing a potentially better player.  Romero might be better than Stroman as is. 

 

Just way too much

This trade would never happen first of all..  I don't understand how you think Donaldson is "over the hill", Donaldson has had a 5+ WAR for 5 straight seasons.. Stroman is 26 under contract for 3 more years and he just put up a 6.0 WAR in his best season yet... I don't know what you could be thinking.

 

Anyway the Jays wouldn't do this bc dealing each of them individually would get much better packages, and if I were the Twins I wouldn't because they are only here for 1 & 3 seasons..

[Thrylos]

 

 Stroman is 26 under contract for 3 more years and he just put up a 6.0 WAR in his best season yet... I don't know what you could be thinking.

 

Stroman: 12.2 % K-BB%, 3.90 FIP, 1.31 WHIP/.310 BABIP = 1.23 normalized WHIP.  Those are Berrios' numbers or slightly worse (14.4% K-BB% 3.84 FIP, 1.23 WHIP/.289 BABIP), and he is 3 years older.  In order to compete deep into the post-season, the Twins need 2 SP better than Berrios, and Stroman is not one of them.

 

That's what I am thinking.  bWAR and all.

 

Stroman might make a nice closer down the road for some team.

[jsteve96]

 

 

 

Stroman might make a nice closer down the road for some team.

How can you actually believe this, SMH. He pitched in the AL east and Berrios pitched in a weak central. Take out Stroman's 5 starts vs the yankees and look how much those numbers change.

[old nurse]

 

How can you actually believe this, SMH. He pitched in the AL east and Berrios pitched in a weak central. Take out Stroman's 5 starts vs the yankees and look how much those numbers change.

The Twins still need someone who can beat the Yankees.  You are providing the reason not to overpay.

[prouster]

The Twins still need someone who can beat the Yankees. You are providing the reason not to overpay.

Small sample size. Strohman is objectively good.

[gunnarthor]

If Toronto wanted to trade these guys, they wouldn't combine them. They'd get more for them individually.

[old nurse]

 

Small sample size. Strohman is objectively good.

Think about the post I was responding to.

 

Stroman is a very good sinkerball pitcher in an evolving game that will crush a less than perfect sinker. His K percent is below league average. In this era that makes it rare to be the consistent elite pitcher.  Stroman would be a welcome addition in place of Mejia or Gibson. He might not be the anchor for a staff

 

[old nurse]

 

 

If Toronto wanted to trade these guys, they wouldn't combine them. They'd get more for them individually.

Bundling Shields and Davis netted the Rays a better return. 3 players that turned out to be decent players. If you think you can get multiple way undervalued prospects out of teams you would trade them individually. Near mlb ready players your goal, bundle and save.

[gunnarthor]

 

Bundling Shields and Davis netted the Rays a better return. 3 players that turned out to be decent players. If you think you can get multiple way undervalued prospects out of teams you would trade them individually. Near mlb ready players your goal, bundle and save.

Davis wasn't quite a throw in but he was a minor piece, not a headliner. Both Donaldson and Stroman are headliners.

[olivia11]

"Of the 5 guys above, at least one is a Top 100 guy now, and quite possibly all 5 will be by the end of the year."

 

****This is why the Twins shouldn't do it.  I agree that Romero, Javier, Baddoo, Enlow, and Kiriloff could all be top 100 guys as soon as mid-2018 (Romero already is and Kiriloff was before Tommy John), so this would be selling low on possibly all of them. 

 

If I'm going to trade some of these guys, I'm waiting another year for when their prospect value is likely going to be much higher and I could trade half of them for the same return.