The Twins Trade Deadline Needs: A Power Outage in Two Power Spots

[Nate Palmer]

The Twins offense may need to be addressed at the trade deadline if the team wants to make a playoff run. We already examined the outfield needs and now we turn our attention to the infield. 

Image courtesy of © Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier this week, we dove into where the Minnesota Twins can upgrade their lineup in the outfield. Now, we need to take a look at any existing holes in the infield. This past weekend and into this week have been a great example of how quickly the outlook of a position group can change with as little as one player regaining healthy status. 

One thing the infield group has going for them is a healthy Carlos Correa, who is performing more like the MVP-caliber player the Twins believed they were signing when everyone else was balking at his medicals. He is playing his usual stellar defense while hitting .252/.327/.430 and a .758 OPS. Those offensive numbers are below where Correa should be but not so alarmingly low that they create a crater as he is placed in the lineup each and every day. 

Royce Lewis returned Tuesday night to take his rightful spot at third base. As he loves to do, he returned with fanfare, collecting two walks and his second home run of the season. If Lewis and Correa are healthy, the Twins left side of the infield should be in good shape the rest of the way. 

That said, this is where the team needs to look to improve. 

Second Base
Second base making this list is a surprise when considering how the position was widely viewed coming into the season. Since the beginning of the season, Edouard Julien has struggled mightily and was the move to make room for Royce Lewis to return to the MLB roster. 

Last season, Julien hit for a .839 OPS. His OPS has dropped significantly to .676 this season. I don’t need to go into detail here as his struggles have been examined and scrutinized already, but this now becomes a position that needs answers. Julien’s demotion left the Twins turning to Willi Castro to start at second in the first game without Julien. As discussed with the outfield mix, it may be time for Castro to have a starting role. What is tough now is Castro appears to be needed potentially at second, in left field, and as a utility player. Last I checked, there is only one Willi Castro, and he can’t be the answer everywhere. 

Now would be an excellent time for Kyle Farmer to shake off his ugly start of .163/.274/.239 and a .513 OPS. He is still best suited as a bench or platoon player, but for the short term, he could really help out the Twins lineup if he could be trusted to play second regularly. 

First Base/DH
Technically, first base and designated hitter should be the easiest holes for any team to fill. They are at the lowest end of the defensive spectrum (or require no defense), and often, the goal is to find a player who can hit and play enough defense at first base to contribute positively. 

This offseason, the Twins emphasized the position's defensive side and signed Carlos Santana. Santana has carried a bulk of the load at first base in 2024, but his bat overall has yet to follow. His season numbers sit at .222/.304/.397 with a .701 OPS. Santana has shown improvement. In May, he improved to a .735 OPS, and in a young June, he is sitting at 1.043 OPS. 

For the Twins, designated hitter functions best in a rotation as a day of rest from the field for some of the team's better bats or oft-injured players. Because of the lack of production from some players, Ryan Jeffers has been used heavily at DH and still sits at the top of games played at the position with 24. Trevor Larnach (20 games), Alex Kirilloff (12), and Byron Buxton (6) are the following most prominent players to rotate through that spot. If it weren’t for Jeffers, the DH production would be ugly. 

The new wrinkle in this mix adds intrigue to how to move forward at this position: Jose Miranda. In a ripple effect move to Lewis being healthy, Miranda needs a new home, and both first base and DH could be just that for him. 

Backup Catcher
Christian Vazquez is a joy to watch defensively. There have been a few times this year when he has thrown out potential base runners, and it has been nothing short of awesome. His bat has proven the Lego Movie song very wrong. He is part of a team, and it has not been awesome. 

With Vazquez’s contract, there may be nothing the Twins can realistically do about this spot unless they are willing to carry three catchers. Undoubtedly, the Twins would like to see Vazquez’s .169/.194/.237 and .431 OPS drastically change or be replaced by someone with better batting numbers. 

Injury Reinforcements: Lewis was the big name on this list less than a week ago. Now that he is back, the Twins are healthy at these positions. 

Minor League Promotions:
Brooks Lee
Brooks Lee recently returned from injury and is the prized promotion for the Twins infield mix. He was very desired when Correa and Lewis went down this year and certainly would have been a call-up if he was healthy. The next player to get a crack at the Twin's primary second baseman job may be a race between Lee and Julien. Lee is doing his job thus far in five games at Triple-A, batting .450/.476/.550 with a 1.026 OPS. 

Jair Camargo
Jair Camargo was up with the Twins for a moment this season, and while he didn’t produce much at the plate in his two games of action, don’t let that fool you into thinking he can’t hit. Camargo has a .917 OPS in the minors this year, and last season had a .826 OPS with Triple-A St. Paul. Camargo is rehabbing on his way back from injury but is the Twin's answer to backup catcher whenever they make that move. 

Michael Helman
It feels like Helman’s name continues to come up as a guy who could but just has never quite gotten a call-up. Julien and Lee are certainly ahead of him as long as they are healthy, but Helman’s .261/.357/.466 slash line, .823 OPS, and eight home runs make him intriguing. Coming into the season, I would have expected to be writing Yunior Severino or Chris Williams’ name here, but they have been unable to follow up their powerful 2023 campaigns in the same way in 2024. 

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[MABB1959]

I think they spend big to improve offense or go with the AAA potential.  They do have money to spend.  They cut because of a TV deal that they eventually secured so that money should be available.  They need to find at least 1st base/DH power hitters if not 2. Time to give Martin a long term look Need to see what Brooks Lee and/or Gonzalez have Time to give up on Wallner, Farmer, Vasquez and Julien.  Seem Kirloff may be done too.  

I think it is a good time to see what the prospects have.  IMO doubtful they will make the playoffs and if they do probably could not win a series with the offense they have right now. 

They should be able to be well over 500 in June with their schedule.  If not time to clean up.  Get us one power hitter and see what our prospects are ,made of.   

 

 

[mikelink45]

Miranda is the answer.  We need his bat.  Do you trust Santana to continue to improve his line?  No need to trade - Miranda, Larnach, Lee are the answers and we need to help the younger players mature for the future. 

[akmanak]

Owners have already said they won't spend money outside of what they have already spent. 

 

They will not make any big splashes and who really cares, hardly anyone in the Minneapolis area can even watch them.

[Patzky]

42 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

Miranda is the answer.  We need his bat.  Do you trust Santana to continue to improve his line?  No need to trade - Miranda, Larnach, Lee are the answers and we need to help the younger players mature for the future. 

I love how he has rebounded from 2023 and I*d like to think he will be a permanent part of the Twins going forward.

 

Until he ditches the 64 uniform number, I still think the team feels he's a temporary fix. 18?

[Rod Carews Birthday]

1 hour ago, MABB1959 said:

I think they spend big to improve offense or go with the AAA potential.  They do have money to spend.  They cut because of a TV deal that they eventually secured so that money should be available.  They need to find at least 1st base/DH power hitters if not 2. Time to give Martin a long term look Need to see what Brooks Lee and/or Gonzalez have Time to give up on Wallner, Farmer, Vasquez and Julien.  Seem Kirloff may be done too.  

I think it is a good time to see what the prospects have.  IMO doubtful they will make the playoffs and if they do probably could not win a series with the offense they have right now.

It doesn't seem likely that the Twins are going to spend big bucks by picking up expensive players at the trade deadline, and for lower paid players, the cost in prospects could be very steep.  It would seem that the answers are most likely to come from within. 

I'm a huge Martin fan, but I think he has plenty left to work on at AAA after his initial taste of the majors.  Brooks Lee also needs time to play his way back to peak form, and so far, hasn't done so.  Gabby Gonzalez is at high A (do you mean Emmanuel Rodriguez, who is at least at AA - and raking?) so he's not coming up any time soon. 

I might be on board with giving up on Farmer and Vasquez, although we don't really have a replacement for the backup catcher yet.  Kirilloff is a admittedly a bit of a puzzle.  Not sure what to think of him.  However, Wallner and Julien were excellent last year but experienced their first extended slump this year.  Giving up on them would be very foolish at this early date. The Twins don't have that many guys of that caliber to be able to just discard them.  Frankly, I have at least as much faith in Julien as I do in Brooks Lee who it seems we have anointed as the savior even before he has hit the show.  

 

[Fat Calvin]

Wallner's starting to hit, and Helman is looking good, and so is Severino.  We've got a lot of power bats and high average bats in tripple A.

[nicksaviking]

This offseason, the Twins emphasized the position's defensive side and signed Carlos Santana. 

Going to have to disagree with this part. They didn't emphasize defense, they emphasized thriftiness and Santana just happened to be more glove than bat.

[LambchoP]

I don't see them spending at all at the deadline. Might as well call up Lee, Wallner, E Rod and Festa and see if any of them could help us next year. As usual, we need better starting pitching. 3/5ths of our rotation has ERAs over 5 lol!

[bean5302]

 

Quote

Brooks Lee
Brooks Lee recently returned from injury and is the prized promotion for the Twins infield mix. He was very desired when Correa and Lewis went down this year and certainly would have been a call-up if he was healthy. The next player to get a crack at the Twin's primary second baseman job may be a race between Lee and Julien. Lee is doing his job thus far in five games at Triple-A, batting .450/.476/.550 with a 1.026 OPS. 

You're looking at Brooks Lee's rehab assignment Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels stats... He's actually .214/.313/.214 OPS .527 wRC+ 48 in AAA. 

Wallner's coming around, though, and it's just a matter of time before Kirilloff wears out his welcome on the 26 man. Not a hard swap to make.

 

[GNess]

Severino is starting to hit. His power is intriguing.

[Chris Spencer]

This team does not look good. I think they should be sellers and not buyers. Teams with good starting pitching do not have long losing streaks like the Twins have had. Sell of the veteran's and pick up some talent and reset next  year when the TV stuff has hopefully been taken care of. 

[Jeff K]

1 hour ago, Rod Carews Birthday said:

It doesn't seem likely that the Twins are going to spend big bucks by picking up expensive players at the trade deadline, and for lower paid players, the cost in prospects could be very steep.  It would seem that the answers are most likely to come from within. 

I'm a huge Martin fan, but I think he has plenty left to work on at AAA after his initial taste of the majors.  Brooks Lee also needs time to play his way back to peak form, and so far, hasn't done so.  Gabby Gonzalez is at high A (do you mean Emmanuel Rodriguez, who is at least at AA - and raking?) so he's not coming up any time soon. 

I might be on board with giving up on Farmer and Vasquez, although we don't really have a replacement for the backup catcher yet.  Kirilloff is a admittedly a bit of a puzzle.  Not sure what to think of him.  However, Wallner and Julien were excellent last year but experienced their first extended slump this year.  Giving up on them would be very foolish at this early date. The Twins don't have that many guys of that caliber to be able to just discard them.  Frankly, I have at least as much faith in Julien as I do in Brooks Lee who it seems we have anointed as the savior even before he has hit the show.  

 

I've been a Kirilloff fan for some time; however, his production is not where it needs to be.  Wallner and Brooks Lee should be up pretty soon.  Previously, I thought at the expense of Margot and Farmer, but now I am starting to think at the expense of Kirilloff and Farmer.  Also, I would NOT be a buyer at the trade deadline unless things turn around dramatically.  Why?  While I think the Twins a pretty decent chance to make the playoffs, I can't see them getting past the likes of the Yankees, Orioles or Guardians.  So don't move young talent unless you feel the team can make a deep run.  And I feel the Twins have too many flaws to make that big of a leap.  At some point, ownership is going to need to invest in more starting pitching and a bopper, but our excellent young talent needs to become more consistent. 

[Vanimal46]

42 minutes ago, Chris Spencer said:

This team does not look good. I think they should be sellers and not buyers. Teams with good starting pitching do not have long losing streaks like the Twins have had. Sell of the veteran's and pick up some talent and reset next  year when the TV stuff has hopefully been taken care of. 

Concur. I don’t think striving for 85 wins just to get blown out by the Yankees in the playoffs accomplishes anything. I’m not advocating for a fire sale, but at the very least trade some of the expiring contract players like Kepler and Thielbar. 

[VivaBomboRivera!]

... find a player who can hit and play enough defense at first base to contribute positively...

You rang?

 

oh, and you forgot, "... able to take baserunners to the mat!"

[MABB1959]

Probably never going to have a competitive payroll.  Time to look within and see why there is IMO no team chemistry of if the coach can't bring them together.  I could be wrong but the Timberwolves had either the lowest payroll or close.  One difference is they seemed to gel together.  Players or Coaches responsible?  Would be nice to get a player like Nelson Cruz or Torri Hunter for the young players.  Back when could watch the players went to one of those two for feedback.  Both had inspiring careers.  Seems like they had a pitcher like that where the players were loving the feedback.

[SaberNerd]

16 minutes ago, MABB1959 said:

Probably never going to have a competitive payroll.  Time to look within and see why there is IMO no team chemistry of if the coach can't bring them together.  I could be wrong but the Timberwolves had either the lowest payroll or close.  One difference is they seemed to gel together.  Players or Coaches responsible?  Would be nice to get a player like Nelson Cruz or Torri Hunter for the young players.  Back when could watch the players went to one of those two for feedback.  Both had inspiring careers.  Seems like they had a pitcher like that where the players were loving the feedback.

The Wolves had the 3rd largest cap hit, and currently have the 1st for next season.

 

Also, of the 6 teams that would currently make the AL playoffs, we have the 3rd highest salary (9M more than KC, 26M more than BAL, 27M more than CLE, only 15M less than SEA).  If we had signed a 20M player, it would likely only be 1 more win at this point of the season.  The main issue is that we just don't have an elite player that has been healthy.

[Doctor Gast]

Again I'll say the worst thing we did was by getting costly, worthless veterans who took up playing time & space from our young players. We need to put Kiriloff & Miranda at 1B to protect their arms & let them have as much playing time as possible to see what they can really do. Kiriloff is a puzzle, IMO something is bothering his arm therefore his swing. Now that Julien is being reset at AAA, they need to bring up Keirsey to free up Castro to play 2B against RHPs. Please no more Farmer hitting against RHPs. Lee will come up sometime & that'll be a process to get him settled in MLB. 

 

[Rod Carews Birthday]

1 hour ago, Bigfork Twins Guy said:

I never thought I'd say this but maybe it's time to shop AK for something of value.  He just does not look like he's going to break out the way I thought he would.  He's had enough at-bats to say that he is what he is at this point.

Unfortunately that also makes him a not particularly valuable trade chip.  

[MABB1959]

9 minutes ago, SaberNerd said:

The Wolves had the 3rd largest cap hit, and currently have the 1st for next season.

 

Also, of the 6 teams that would currently make the AL playoffs, we have the 3rd highest salary (9M more than KC, 26M more than BAL, 27M more than CLE, only 15M less than SEA).  If we had signed a 20M player, it would likely only be 1 more win at this point of the season.  The main issue is that we just don't have an elite player that has been healthy.

This all makes sense for sure.  Miss the days of having a reliable power hitter at 1st or DH.

I will be fun to see what Lewis will do but right now it is a sad team to follow.  Also, I can't watch the team so assumptions of no team chemistry. 

[Patzky]

1 hour ago, VivaBomboRivera! said:

... find a player who can hit and play enough defense at first base to contribute positively...

You rang?

 

oh, and you forgot, "... able to take baserunners to the mat!"

Awesome! Herbie can still play like Tony LaRussa can still manage!

[High heat]

I think you give some guys thru the month of June but Kiriloff Farmer Margot ones going to be off the roster.  
 

Vazquez gets through the month as well but a serious discussion on Camargo is needed.  If you’re going to ride out Vazquez this yr and next maybe you look at trading Camargo.  I have heard Chris Williams has been focusing on his defense behind the plate and has really improved. Is him and Winker viable 3rd catchers?
 

one of Kiriloff Larnach and Wallner aren’t part of the future and a decision in which one is needed.  
 

If the Twins are going to have a similar or lower payroll next yr I would consider moving Kepler at the deadline. 
 

Bring up Michael Helman!  The bats getting hot he can play the Castro role and do everything defensively Castro can. The next injury to any position player should be Helmans job.  

[Riverbrian]

16 minutes ago, SaberNerd said:

The main issue is that we just don't have an elite player that has been healthy.

Or playing elite. 

 

 

[SotaSports in NM]

2 hours ago, MABB1959 said:

I could be wrong but the Timberwolves had either the lowest payroll or close. 

You're thinking prior to the Gobert trade. The Wolves actually had a huge payroll which is skyrocketing this year.

[MABB1959]

5 minutes ago, SotaSports in NM said:

You're thinking prior to the Gobert trade. The Wolves actually had a huge payroll which is skyrocketing this year.

Do you think attendance will cover the spending?

[SotaSports in NM]

10 minutes ago, MABB1959 said:

Do you think attendance will cover the spending?

Not to get too off-topic here, but to the extent that it can, yes. The bigger problem is that when payroll is that high in the NBA the luxury tax penalties get pretty steep, especially in terms of improving the team (limits on signing free agents, losing draft picks).

[Old fox]

I’ve thought about many potential trade partners like the Marlins, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Astros, Mariners, Padres, CWS.  I was rather surprised as the best trading partner, because this team is has started rebuilding and is talking about who they are willing to move.  There history seems they are reasonable price and furthermore they appear to be in the area of cost that should indices the desires of the Twins price to pay. There seems to be a common taboo that both the seller and buyer have settle before any trade talks can begin because it is within the ALC- Central Division. The CWS part with Roberts who is controlled for 2025-26 seasons,  age 27 outfielder . He has power and a decent glove, with some speed. He has short history of injuries.

Second player Crocket age 30 RSP who seems be having a good year with team control for several years at mlb base minimum salary who’s age is 30. 
The Twins offer #5 prospect Gonzalez, #12 prospect Rosario, #16 DeAndrade, and either Kirilloff or Larnach. 
The Twins have 2 prospect outfielders who are rated #1 & #3. DeAndrade is a glove type player, Rosario is good player with decent ability. Kirilloff & Larnach are in group of players are similar but the Twins are overloaded with.

This trade with CWS is certainly worth overriding the Taboo.
 

[MABB1959]

35 minutes ago, SotaSports in NM said:

Not to get too off-topic here, but to the extent that it can, yes. The bigger problem is that when payroll is that high in the NBA the luxury tax penalties get pretty steep, especially in terms of improving the team (limits on signing free agents, losing draft picks).

Kind of on topic at least for me.  Twins make the playoffs (maybe an extra 4 games) and then cut salary (blaming the TV contract or lack there of).  I would guess the Timberwolves gained thousand of fans,  Meanwhile MN cannot even watch games on TV and probably losing thousands of fans.

[SotaSports in NM]

21 minutes ago, MABB1959 said:

Kind of on topic at least for me.  Twins make the playoffs (maybe an extra 4 games) and then cut salary (blaming the TV contract or lack there of).  I would guess the Timberwolves gained thousand of fans,  Meanwhile MN cannot even watch games on TV and probably losing thousands of fans.

Yea, it really is an interesting comparison, because you're spot on. It's hard for me to understand how frustrating it must be for you guys in MN trying to watch the Twins because I've had to subscribe to MLBTV for years in order to watch games from down here in Albuquerque. Glen Taylor (for as long as he remains owner) is supposedly willing to keep paying exorbitant Wolves payroll now that we're actually good, but the Pohlads balk at doing such a thing for the Twins. We have our feelings on the TV money being a cheap cop-out, but regardless it's such a detrimental effect to Twins fans.

[bean5302]

1 hour ago, Old fox said:

...This trade with CWS is certainly worth overriding the Taboo.
 

Luis Robert's probably worth AFV of $50MM with a salary of $20MM through 2025 at the trade deadline, including the Twins eating $5MM of current year salary. So that nets out at a Surplus value of $30MM. The package you proposed doesn't get it done considering Gonzalez's apparently serious back strain. He hasn't played in a month and a half and isn't close to returning.

I think Emmanuel Rodriguez + Marco Raya is probably the ask for Robert, provided he's back and hitting well, TBH. Before you balk at the price tag, consider the White Sox don't have to move him right now as they have 3.5yrs of team control over him, and there will be other teams in the mix.