Will the Twins Trade Young Arms for Young Bats? 4 Hitters They Could Target

[Cody Christie]

The Twins had three rookie pitchers debut in the rotation last season, each showcasing various levels of upside. Would the front office trade a pitcher from this group for a young hitter?

Image courtesy of © Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Twins have spent years cultivating a young core of pitchers to carry the team through the next era of competitive baseball. With the big-league club on the brink of reshaping its roster, now might be the time to consider trading from this depth. Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa, and Zebby Matthews represent promising arms with varying levels of MLB experience, and each could be an intriguing trade chip this offseason.

With the Twins' recent commitment to a pitching pipeline, the front office won’t easily part with these young arms. But if the team is looking to address offensive needs, trading one of these pitchers for a young, controllable hitter could be a wise move.

Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP
Pros: Woods Richardson won the team’s Rookie of the Year honors in 2024 and showed flashes of why he’s so highly regarded. Known for a solid three-pitch mix, he’s shown he can efficiently get through lineups. The 23-year-old finished the 2024 campaign with a 4.17 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, and a 117-to-48 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 133 ⅔ innings. He saved the team’s rotation in the first half (3.51 ERA) and showed increased velocity on all his pitches. The Twins value his maturity on the mound and his ceiling as a middle-of-the-rotation starter.

Cons: Woods Richardson’s journey to the majors has dealt with ups and downs. He struggled at times with consistency in Triple-A, and his strikeout rate (7.9 K/9) is significantly lower than what teams want from a starting pitcher. Without a strikeout pitch, he gets into long counts, which limits his ability to get through the lineup more than two times. The Twins could be hesitant to trade someone already proven at the big-league level, but for the right return, they could be persuaded.

David Festa, RHP
Pros: Festa has arguably the highest upside of this trio. He has the tools to be a true strikeout artist with a fastball that reaches the upper 90s and a slider that’s shown significant bite. His slider (29.1 Whiff%) and changeup (39.4 Whiff%) were dominant pitches at the big-league level. The 24-year-old made strides in Triple-A this past season, posting an impressive strikeout rate (13.3 K/9) while limiting hard contact. Festa’s ceiling as a potential No. 2 or No. 3 starter gives him immense trade value, especially for teams needing a young arm with high upside.

Cons: Festa’s downside lies in his occasional lack of control and consistency. Last season, he posted a BB/9 of 3.0 or higher at Triple-A and in the big leagues. As a flyball pitcher, he combined for 1.3 HR/9 in 2024, a number he will want to reduce as he gets more experience at baseball’s highest level. If the Twins want to capitalize on his upside, now may be the time to trade him, but they would need an impressive return.

Zebby Matthews, RHP
Pros: Matthews may not have the same high-octane stuff as Festa, but he’s a control artist. He flew through the Twins farm system last season, moving from High-A to the MLB level. He pitched 97 innings in the minors with a 2.60 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP, and 114 strikeouts. Matthews also showed impeccable control by limiting batters to seven walks (no, that’s not a typo). In an era where pitching depth is essential, Matthews’ ability to control the strike zone could be highly appealing to a contender or rebuilding team.

Cons: Matthews doesn’t have the same high-ceiling appeal as Festa, which could limit his trade value. He struggled at the big-league level last season (6.69 ERA, 1.65 WHIP), but that can be expected after how quickly he moved through the team’s upper levels. The Twins might hesitate to deal him as he provides depth and insurance against rotation injuries, but for the right young bat, Matthews could be a trade candidate.

Young Hitters the Twins Could Target in a Trade
If the Twins are willing to part with one of these arms, they’ll likely want an immediate impact bat in return. Here are a few rookie hitters from the 2024 season who could make sense in a one-for-one deal.

1. Everson Pereira (Yankees): The Yankees’ young outfielder has shown power potential with solid defensive skills. Pereira’s right-handed bat would immediately impact Minnesota’s corner outfield depth, especially since the team needs more righties. His 2024 season ended early with surgery to repair the UCL in his right elbow, but he is expected to be ready for 2025.

2. Ceddanne Rafaela (Red Sox): Known for his dynamic speed and defensive versatility, Rafaela provides a utility option for the infield or outfield. He posted an 82 OPS+ last season but played over 600 innings at shortstop and center field. With his potential to play center field and offer speed at the top of the lineup, he’d fit well into Minnesota’s future mix.

3. Jordan Westburg (Orioles): With the Orioles loaded in infield depth, Westburg could be attainable, especially since he is entering his age-26 season. Last year, he had a 129 OPS+ and was named a first-time All-Star. He offers power, versatility, and infield depth the Twins could use, especially with Kyle Farmer headed to free agency and Alex Kirilloff’s retirement.

4. Curtis Mead (Rays): The Rays have an embarrassment of riches in the infield, and Mead’s bat is MLB-ready. He could slot in at first base or third, filling a potential need for Minnesota, particularly with first-base depth being a priority for the Twins. Last season, he had a .839 OPS in over 90 Triple-A games, but he’s struggled to translate that power to the big-league level.  

Should the Twins Pull the Trigger?
Each of these pitchers could help fill different roles for the Twins in 2025 and beyond, making the decision to trade them challenging. However, with a young core that’s ready to contribute and some promising young hitters available, Minnesota may be able to address their lineup needs while still maintaining a solid pitching foundation. The right deal could provide the Twins with the balance they need to return to contention, but it will require careful consideration of each pitcher’s long-term potential.

Should the Twins deal one of their rookie pitchers? Which young hitter should the Twins try to target? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

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[Cory Engelhardt]

I would absolutely be open to this if the player they are bringing in would be more ready to help than either Emmanuel Rodriguez or Luke Keaschall. And I can totally see trading a young arm. I like the creativity of thought here

[Patzky]

1 hour ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I would absolutely be open to this if the player they are bringing in would be more ready to help than either Emmanuel Rodriguez or Luke Keaschall. And I can totally see trading a young arm. I like the creativity of thought here

Also, the fan base would be more supportive of a Matthews or Festa deal than one involving Pablo, Ober or Ryan, as have been described earlier this week. Is the window still open, that's the question.

[Cory Engelhardt]

2 minutes ago, Patzky said:

Also, the fan base would be more supportive of a Matthews or Festa deal than one involving Pablo, Ober or Ryan, as have been described earlier this week. Is the window still open, that's the question.

Still, it’s up to the development team to determine who they feel the safest trading. For example, if they think Festa will be their 3rd best starter in 2025, you better not trade him then right? Whoever they trade, better not be wrong for the results. 

[TopGunn#22]

I've been pushing for this approach in most of my comments about possible trades this off season.  If the Twins don't make a BIG off season trade to off load our most expensive contracts (Correa, Lopez, Buxton) then THIS is the approach that makes more sense to me.

I like ALL of these potential guys.  Pereira would be an excellent RH hitting OF with power potential and would be an excellent compliment to E-Rod and Walker Jenkins.  Ceddane Rafaela is a solid SS as well as a solid CF.  He would be tremendous "insurance" if Correa or Buxton missed extended time.  He's a free swinger who doesn't walk nearly enough.  But he's a potential 20 HR-20 SB guy.  He's 24 years old and just signed an 8 year $50 million dollar contract last year.  That's just $6 million per year.  He would make Willi Castro "tradeable" with his IF/OF versatility and cost certainty.

Westburg is VERY intriguing as a young corner IF with power and bat to ball skills.  Curtis Mead is much the same profile.

I think the Red Sox and Orioles are the most likely trade partners.  Both have massive holes in their starting rotation and are in desperate need of reinforcements, especially the Orioles if Corbin Burnes signs elsewhere. 

If I could trade SWR straight up for either,  I'd do it in a heartbeat.  The Twins are not served well with THREE young SP's (SWR, Festa, Matthews) looking for rotation spots.  Two would be my maximum.  One would be best case scenario (Festa) with Matthews getting more time at St. Paul to refine and starts with the Twins as needed.  SWR had the best season and his value should be at it's highest.  Sell high, add a young position player that will immediately be a starter.  My preference would be Rafaela or Westburg.  How would SWR for either stack up in a BBTV trade?  I'd add an outside our top 10 minor leaguer if need be to seal the deal.  Guys like rafaela and Westurg are 2 outstanding targets.  Baltimore already has too many prospect mouths to feed.  They are going to HAVE to deal some of them to plug their own roster holes.  The Red Sox would probably loath giving up Rafaela, but they probably loath their thin starting rotation possibilities more.   

[nicksaviking]

Westburg yes, no to the other two. Pereira's bat interests me, but I'm on board with the new lower strikeout directive. Rafaela looks like one of those defensive plus players everyone likes until the bat frustrates everyone until he's run out of town.

[GNess]

This seems to be the best available approach for the Twins to improve the team this off season. I am sure there are many other young hitters the Twins could target for one of the trio of SP.

[Eris]

I think a team can never have enough pitching. Therefore I would not be in favor of any of these trades unless a high ceiling A or AA pitcher was included. I think the trades that Twins need to explore are trading some of their hitters for players that could offer more defensive upside. 
 

From Fangraphs, the Twins have only 4 players returning next season that provided positive defensive value (These are Vasquez , Correa, Castro, and Buxton).  That is a lot of opportunity for improvement on defense. 
 

(not sure why, but I can’t paste the fangraphs link here)
 

 

[LewFordLives]

I'm not in favor of trading young pitching for hitting. The Twins will not be paying the insane free agent prices for pitching. Therefore, they need to cling to any young affordable pitching they can. You can never have enough. Some will get hurt or just not make the transition to the big leagues.

 

[Blyleven2011]

We need to do something to strengthen our lineups offense  , every player should be considered tradeable  , find a decent player with good defense and can hit   , but they better get it right on a choice in a trade , they haven't been  all that good in getting  players back from a trade ...

I would talk to the orioles  and rays  , westburg and mead  ,  rafaela has a contract already  and I would be surprised I'd they would consider it , Yankees player I know nothing about ...

It's hard to trade away prospect pitching  but if we have a surplus ( which we haven't for many years ) , to better the team you have to be creative  as falvey would say ..

[bean5302]

Zebby Matthews has just as much ceiling as Festa does, and a better floor than Festa as well. Not sure why writers are so enamored with Festa? Results don't really matter. Matthews didn't get the opportunity to hone his craft in AAA like Festa did, and out of the gate, Matthews was more than respectable. His ceiling is still there, just like Berrios' ceiling was still there after his 8.05 ERA debut.

Festa is currently working on developing a curveball which would be huge to his floor. As MLB scouting reports get out on Festa, there's a real danger of a sophomore slump due to his 3 pitch repertoire, including a changeup that Stuff+ thinks isn't really even MLB caliber, but PitchBot thinks is good?

In any case, sure, the Twins could trade some pitching depth for a cheap semi-established position player with upside, but parting with Matthews or Festa isn't likely going to bring back a player with more than everyday regular as their ceiling.

[nicksaviking]

37 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Zebby Matthews has just as much ceiling as Festa does, and a better floor than Festa as well. Not sure why writers are so enamored with Festa? Results don't really matter. Matthews didn't get the opportunity to hone his craft in AAA like Festa did, and out of the gate, Matthews was more than respectable. His ceiling is still there, just like Berrios' ceiling was still there after his 8.05 ERA debut.

Festa is currently working on developing a curveball which would be huge to his floor. As MLB scouting reports get out on Festa, there's a real danger of a sophomore slump due to his 3 pitch repertoire, including a changeup that Stuff+ thinks isn't really even MLB caliber, but PitchBot thinks is good?

In any case, sure, the Twins could trade some pitching depth for a cheap semi-established position player with upside, but parting with Matthews or Festa isn't likely going to bring back a player with more than everyday regular as their ceiling.

While SWR may have a higher floor, I think Festa and Matthews both have a higher ceiling. Being so, I'd look to move SWR who probably has more trade value.

[bean5302]

21 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

While SWR may have a higher floor, I think Festa and Matthews both have a higher ceiling. Being so, I'd look to move SWR who probably has more trade value.

SWR looks borderline to me. While there has been a lot of analysis surrounding him getting tired and losing velo as the year got late, his late year velo was close to his early year velo when he was successful. Scouting probably just caught up to him. Not sure how the rest of the league sees him.

[Heiny]

Unless blown away, which I doubt, I wouldn't trade any of these low cost young pitchers. If and that's a big if, they are going to trade away any starting pitcher I would suggest Paddack.  Over the years we have had too many injury prone starting pitchers and although Paddack has shown some upside he still looks like a 4 or 5 starter.  He would also give us a little salary relief.  I like our young starters and would love to see them get a fair shot in the Twins rotation.

[gmwannabe]

Rafaela would solve the SS & CF backup the Twins need making Castro expendable. How about Festa, Morris, and Duran for Teel and Rafaela?

 

[DocBauer]

I like this idea much more than that barrage of thoughts on trading Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Jax, Duran, etc. But wouldn't it make the most sense to explore a package of 2-3 top 20-30 prospects to the Dodgers for rushing? Or the Red Sox for Teel? 

With a young, minimum wage catcher on hand to team with Jeffers, you help solidify the present as well as the future. And now you can move Vazquez to a team really needing/wanting that veteran catcher. I just read an interesting article by a Cubs writer suggesting a lower level prospect to the Twins for Vazquez and picking up all or most of his salary. His opinion: he's much better defensively than what they had last season, and no worse offensively, and potentially better.

If Vazquez and Paddack can be moved for a low level flier prospect and lose their contracts, the Twins suddenly have a little over $17M to work with on the market. With Kirilloff retiring, his projected salary is also gone. That gives the Twins about $19M to work with. Potentially! Ownership says no cuts, but no increases either. But if no cuts includes the projected $135M the Twins would be looking at, then they'd have about $19M to play with.

Sign a decent, solid RH OF?

Sign a solid, experienced LHRP?

How about a 1B like Bell?

I'd go for the best young catcher I like and can get, move Paddack and Vazquez, and then add a 1B and LHRP. If I've got a couple $M left over, find a RH bat OF sitting there in January needing work. 

[Patzky]

3 hours ago, TopGunn#22 said:

I've been pushing for this approach in most of my comments about possible trades this off season.  If the Twins don't make a BIG off season trade to off load our most expensive contracts (Correa, Lopez, Buxton) then THIS is the approach that makes more sense to me.

I like ALL of these potential guys.  Pereira would be an excellent RH hitting OF with power potential and would be an excellent compliment to E-Rod and Walker Jenkins.  Ceddane Rafaela is a solid SS as well as a solid CF.  He would be tremendous "insurance" if Correa or Buxton missed extended time.  He's a free swinger who doesn't walk nearly enough.  But he's a potential 20 HR-20 SB guy.  He's 24 years old and just signed an 8 year $50 million dollar contract last year.  That's just $6 million per year.  He would make Willi Castro "tradeable" with his IF/OF versatility and cost certainty.

Westburg is VERY intriguing as a young corner IF with power and bat to ball skills.  Curtis Mead is much the same profile.

I think the Red Sox and Orioles are the most likely trade partners.  Both have massive holes in their starting rotation and are in desperate need of reinforcements, especially the Orioles if Corbin Burnes signs elsewhere. 

If I could trade SWR straight up for either,  I'd do it in a heartbeat.  The Twins are not served well with THREE young SP's (SWR, Festa, Matthews) looking for rotation spots.  Two would be my maximum.  One would be best case scenario (Festa) with Matthews getting more time at St. Paul to refine and starts with the Twins as needed.  SWR had the best season and his value should be at it's highest.  Sell high, add a young position player that will immediately be a starter.  My preference would be Rafaela or Westburg.  How would SWR for either stack up in a BBTV trade?  I'd add an outside our top 10 minor leaguer if need be to seal the deal.  Guys like rafaela and Westurg are 2 outstanding targets.  Baltimore already has too many prospect mouths to feed.  They are going to HAVE to deal some of them to plug their own roster holes.  The Red Sox would probably loath giving up Rafaela, but they probably loath their thin starting rotation possibilities more.   

If we're cutting some Willi money and worried about starters, there's always Paddack until he's gone as a fifth Starter. Let's say you do trade off SWR, a Pablo, Ober, Ryan, Festa, Paddack rotation isn't horrible. 

[Doctor Gast]

If we had to trade any our young SPs it wouldn't be for a hitter. IMO our greatest need is a very good young MLB-ready catcher this the only way I'd do that. 

The only hitter I'd consider would be Ceddanne Rafaela & that'd be only if we blow the whole thing up.

 

[Doctor Gast]

3 hours ago, Eris said:

I think a team can never have enough pitching. Therefore I would not be in favor of any of these trades unless a high ceiling A or AA pitcher was included. I think the trades that Twins need to explore are trading some of their hitters for players that could offer more defensive upside. 
 

From Fangraphs, the Twins have only 4 players returning next season that provided positive defensive value (These are Vasquez , Correa, Castro, and Buxton).  That is a lot of opportunity for improvement on defense. 
(not sure why, but I can’t paste the fangraphs link here)

Vazquez, Correa, Buxton & Castro are the ones who cover the prime positions. So we need them to be better but I agree that there is still room for improvement.

[nicksaviking]

2 hours ago, bean5302 said:

SWR looks borderline to me. While there has been a lot of analysis surrounding him getting tired and losing velo as the year got late, his late year velo was close to his early year velo when he was successful. Scouting probably just caught up to him. Not sure how the rest of the league sees him.

 Not sure how the rest of the league sees him either, but I prefer the guys with strikeout potential.

[DocBauer]

5 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

 Not sure how the rest of the league sees him either, but I prefer the guys with strikeout potential.

Granted!

I don't want to trade at all from the current roster of arms. I wouldn't be surprised if Festa moved past SWR next season as the 4th starter. His stuff is just too good, especially if you factor in natural development and experience. If his new dedication to his curve can be even mediocre, he gives at least a different look to batters.

But I do hope/wonder with the advancement SWR showed last season if he might raise his game another notch? I've read for a while now how STUFF + rates his secondary pitches. With the greater velocity he found in 2024, might he take that knowledge/experienced and learn to put guys away a little quicker? I'm not expecting greatness out of the kid. But he was still a rookie.

[LambchoP]

I would hold off on trading any young, controllable pitchers. We keep hearing about this new pitching pipeline and an abundance of depth. Until these guys actually make it to the majors AND find success, they are just prospects who have a better chance of flaming out than succeeding. I don't think our depth is as deep as some people think. Sure, we've got a good amount of guys in the high minors with good potential. Until they prove it however, I'm not counting our chickens. On the other hand, we really do need a first baseman with some pop, and with no chance of signing a free agent, they would have to acquire one in a trade. I just hope the player we get is an immediate impact bat with a few years of control if we're giving up young starting pitching which always comes at a premium cost.

[Major League Ready]

8 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

I would hold off on trading any young, controllable pitchers. We keep hearing about this new pitching pipeline and an abundance of depth. Until these guys actually make it to the majors AND find success, they are just prospects who have a better chance of flaming out than succeeding. I don't think our depth is as deep as some people think. Sure, we've got a good amount of guys in the high minors with good potential. Until they prove it however, I'm not counting our chickens. On the other hand, we really do need a first baseman with some pop, and with no chance of signing a free agent, they would have to acquire one in a trade. I just hope the player we get is an immediate impact bat with a few years of control if we're giving up young starting pitching which always comes at a premium cost.

Me too.  I like our chances of producing more pitching in the next couple years but the scarcest commodity is pitching.  If it turns out we really do have so much pitching that we can trade some away, the opportunity will always be there.  The one exception I could see is a ML ready or near ready catcher.  

A successful conversion of Jax to a starter could help position the Twins to trade from pitching depth to fill the catcher hole.  I am not worried about 1B.  That's a much easier hole to fill. It's also not a hole.  It might be a slight weakness with Miranda but the incremental gain is not necessarily all the great.

[specialiststeve]

The idea of trading young pitchers for young bats on the serface sounds great but we do need to understand that the teams that win have "good" pitching. 

While we really don't have an ace we do have a very solid top 3 and if we have 3 to fill the next 2 spots... That is REALLY ideal. 

Can't see it but if Westburg could be had ... Would have to consider and likley do but all the others... Nah. Not worth the risk as we are actaully very solid with our regulars at this point.. 

[FargoFanMan]

On 11/16/2024 at 10:21 AM, Patzky said:

Also, the fan base would be more supportive of a Matthews or Festa deal than one involving Pablo, Ober or Ryan, as have been described earlier this week. Is the window still open, that's the question.

Yeah, the windows open. They’ve got proven vets. A solid core and soon to be gushing in controllable young pitching. If the window was closed they would be shopping the vets which they are not doing. They’re not rebuilding while the Pohlads are trying to sell. Period. Castro, Lewis, Jeffers, Paddack and Vazquez. That’s your trade group.

[FargoFanMan]

45 minutes ago, specialiststeve said:

The idea of trading young pitchers for young bats on the serface sounds great but we do need to understand that the teams that win have "good" pitching. 

While we really don't have an ace we do have a very solid top 3 and if we have 3 to fill the next 2 spots... That is REALLY ideal. 

Can't see it but if Westburg could be had ... Would have to consider and likley do but all the others... Nah. Not worth the risk as we are actaully very solid with our regulars at this point.. 

Agreed! Even with Kansas City, Cleveland and Detroit all looking to compete there’s one thing they don’t have that Minnesota does. Pitching. It’s their strength. If the offense can muster 3-5 runs a game and the bullpen can just not blow every lead the Twins will be there at the end. Keep the pitching for now. Use it to load up at the deadline. 

[Doctor Wu]

20 hours ago, LambchoP said:

I would hold off on trading any young, controllable pitchers.

I agree, The Twins have been starved for pitching quality for so many years, that I hate the idea of trading away young arms. Sure, I get the idea of trying to getting better bats in the lineup, but I think we aren't so desperate that we need to trade away some of those young arms. And really, how much quality would we get in return? I don't see the benefit.