Minnesota Twins 2025 Trade Deadline Primer: Two Pressing Roster Needs

[JD-TWINS]

4 hours ago, jorgenswest said:

Agree on the left handed bat. A left handed outfield bat works for me too. It is easier to find left handed bats in the outfield (or 1B) since they can throw left handed at those positions. I have no concerns at all if they have three good left handed bats in the outfield in addition to Buxton. It wasn’t to long ago that the starting outfield was Castro, Bader and McCusker followed soon by Kiersey, Clemens and Castro. 

Larnach - Wallner - Castro - Clemens will all remain on the roster after Keaschall comes back and all can play OF and all bat left handed.

[jorgenswest]

1 minute ago, JD-TWINS said:

Larnach - Wallner - Castro - Clemens will all remain on the roster after Keaschall comes back and all can play OF and all bat left handed.

I still think outfield and possibly 1B will be the best supply for a top of the line up left handed bat. As long as Clemens and Castro are hitting an additional outfielder will not stop them from getting playing time. 

[JD-TWINS]

Royce Lewis will be fine & will improve enough over the next 30 days that it will be a moot point.

To me, Keaschall is the only ADD to the roster from here on out. Certainly, relative to position players.

Frankly, I’m a little surprised nobody is talking about J.D. Martinez signing up for the 2nd half of the season with someone. Play at a low level a couple weeks & AAA for 2-3 weeks and ready to go by mid-July. If a Team, TWINS, could slot him in between Wallner & Lewis in the 6th hole, I think he could add some consistent punch from the DH spot. $5M for 3+ months in the organization. Worthwhile???

A deadline trade with D-backs for Suarez to DH and play some 3B could be a nice jolt to the line-up.

Buxton - Larnach - Keaschall - Correa - Wallner - Suarez - Lewis - Jeffers - France would be no fun for opposing pitchers.

Castro - Vazquez - Bader - Lee

Suarez seems to add more juice than keeping Clemens……….is he affordable and worthwhile as a rental.m? If they are selling, he may be highly sought after though?

[Bracky]

I don’t know or understand all the statistics that many others do on this board. So though it may be a naive take when I look at the Twins needs right now, replacing Ty France at 1B is nowhere near the top of my list. From watching the games this year, in situations where the Twins needs right now a hit, there are few I would rather have up to bat at this point. I also feel that overall he has provided adequate defense at 1B. Sure, he isn’t a star necessarily but as far as a consistent contributor I have been pleased with his performance and the price tag for the Twins this season (and maybe even next).

[MinnesotaTwins26]

Lamonte Wade Jr. (1B/DH) just got DFA'd. Could we see him come back to the Twin Cities?

[jorgenswest]

13 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

Royce Lewis will be fine & will improve enough over the next 30 days that it will be a moot point.

To me, Keaschall is the only ADD to the roster from here on out. Certainly, relative to position players.

Frankly, I’m a little surprised nobody is talking about J.D. Martinez signing up for the 2nd half of the season with someone. Play at a low level a couple weeks & AAA for 2-3 weeks and ready to go by mid-July. If a Team, TWINS, could slot him in between Wallner & Lewis in the 6th hole, I think he could add some consistent punch from the DH spot. $5M for 3+ months in the organization. Worthwhile???

A deadline trade with D-backs for Suarez to DH and play some 3B could be a nice jolt to the line-up.

Buxton - Larnach - Keaschall - Correa - Wallner - Suarez - Lewis - Jeffers - France would be no fun for opposing pitchers.

Castro - Vazquez - Bader - Lee

Suarez seems to add more juice than keeping Clemens……….is he affordable and worthwhile as a rental.m? If they are selling, he may be highly sought after though?

Like the look at Martinez. Little risk but no positional flexibility.

Suarez is a lot of strike outs and only a 3B/DH. I am not confident he will be better fit the rest of the way than the options they have in house.

[arby58]

4 hours ago, mnfireman said:

France passes the eye test. Offensively he's on pace to meet or exceed everything Santana did last year (except HR's) and defensively he rates out highly by OAA, runs prevented and all the other metrics. 

He's doing ok. That said, if you compare Santana from last year to France this year, Santana is still generally ahead. I adjusted plate appearances (multiplied France's current output by 2.54 to get to the same number of PAs as Santana had last year). When doing that, France ends up with 1.8 WAR versus Santana's 2.5. France 60 runs vs. Santana 63. France 23 doubles versus Santana's 26. Big difference in HRs - as you note. France 10, Santana 23. France does have the edge in RBIs, 81 to 71, but he has a lower OPS (.710 versus .749) and OPS+ (100 to 109). The differences aren't huge, but they are nearly all in Santana's favor.

What's also interesting is to compare Santana 2025 to France 2025 - Santana's WAR is currently double that of France (1.4 to 0.7).  Of course, his salary is a lot higher as well, so that is a mitigating factor.

[Mike Sixel]

17 minutes ago, MinnesotaTwins26 said:

Lamonte Wade Jr. (1B/DH) just got DFA'd. Could we see him come back to the Twin Cities?

No. They don't need more mediocre to bad veterans. 

[Jocko87]

21 minutes ago, MinnesotaTwins26 said:

Lamonte Wade Jr. (1B/DH) just got DFA'd. Could we see him come back to the Twin Cities?

I was just hoping it would ease some angst on the one who got away. 

[mrtwinsfan]

2 hours ago, William K Johnson said:

I still think that Trevor Larnac needs to learn how to play first base.

been saying the same for 3-4 years,  or Wallner

[DocBauer]

First of all, we're in a bit of a fantasy land on an ownership who hasn't allowed more than pennies each of the last 3 trade deadlines and are trying to sell the team. So unless they choose to "gift" the FO additional $ at the deadline as a going away present, I think this entire debate is a  rather pointless exercise.

But let's play fantasy baseball for a moment. This FO isn't afraid to move some solid prospects for help. But they aren't going to move any sort of top prospect for a rental bat. So unless someone like Naylor comes in for a 11-20 prospect and a 30-ish prospect, they aren't going to make a move there. But it's more likely than 3B.

Are they really going to kick Lewis aside for some rental 3B? ONLY if Lewis is done for the season and the prospect cost is similar to Naylor, mentioned above. Lewis may not be the mythic STAR player we've glimpsed in the past, but he's also not the guy who's been struggling do much this season. IIRC, wasn't he looking pretty good in ST before his injury? Regardless, they AREN'T going to just move on from the still young Lewis. They also love Lee and think he's a young man with a bright future. Again, they just aren't moving on from him.

I'm NOT saying the offense doesn't need to improve. But for just a moment let's stop and realize and remember what Correa and Buxton are doing. Let's remember just how good Wallner is, and all 3 are back now. Let's remember that while not a STUD, Larnach is a pretty solid batter and like last season he's on an upswing. Jeffers is one of the best offensive catchers in the game. 

That's not a bad base for an offense to start clicking and raise up their normal per game production. DESPITE the injuries and highs and lows of Lewis, from here on out, if he ONLY hits to his career .776 OPS he's a productive hitter. France is NOT an All Star Caliber hitter any longer, but he's a professional veteran who's been clutch so far, and wouldn't be a bad option lower in the order, barring a sudden regression. Castro and Bader are solid contributors, though Castro isn't as good as he's been lately, and Bader isn't as good as he's flashed. But both are solid, useful players.

And if we get Keaschall back in July, he adds potential and all around ability. He doesn't have to be the player he was on his first couple of weeks, and probably wont be, but he can help.

They AREN'T replacing anyone at 3B barring an injury or a sweet rental deal. Can they get a sweet rental deal to replace the solid but unspectacular France at 1B? IDK. But at least it's a possibility to consider if the prospect and $ cost makes sense.

My #1 priority, based on everything I've already stated, would be another solid, dependable BP arm. I'd love another LH to team with Coulombe. But if they could find another Sergio Romo deal for a veteran RH, I'd be fine with that as well.

Reality says offensive improvement will have to come from within, and potentially can. Reality says offensive improvement will also come from within based with what we have, and the possible addition of Rodriguez in 2026, as well as possible deals or FA additions in the next offseason. 

Reality says ownership might allow a couple $M prorated for a pen additon at the deadline if a smart deal presents itself.

[strumdatjag]

1 hour ago, karcherd said:

They need to let Lee and Lewis play every day at 2B and 3B respectively.  These players need to be developed and if they don't have the patience to let them, they need to acquire a clear upgrade not somebody like Urias.  Clemens had a nice couple of weeks, but no contending team is going to count on him to be an every day player.  His defense has been better than I expected but he is not an every day player.  I am not sure why we are so quick to write off Lewis and Lee, it is the same story with every young player they bring up.  If they don't hit .350 with an OPS over 1.000 for two years, they will be deemed not to be worth keeping.  The Twins need to determine who they want and let them play and develop and if they don't then move on.  Stop with the stringent analytic decisions and let them play.  Waller is out of the lineup again tonight, two days off in a row after being called up, let him play.

The Twins can’t afford to put Lewis out at 3B on a daily basis until he gives some sign that he is turning it around.   He hit a ball nicely last night.  Let’s see if he can do that a little more consistently.   But at this time, give him at bats in later innings in blow-out wins and losses, and spot starts.   
Consider that he may never make it back.  That stuff happens in baseball. 

[RpR]

46 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

Royce Lewis will be fine & will improve enough over the next 30 days that it will be a moot point.

To me, Keaschall is the only ADD to the roster from here on out. Certainly, relative to position players.

Frankly, I’m a little surprised nobody is talking about J.D. Martinez signing up for the 2nd half of the season with someone. Play at a low level a couple weeks & AAA for 2-3 weeks and ready to go by mid-July. If a Team, TWINS, could slot him in between Wallner & Lewis in the 6th hole, I think he could add some consistent punch from the DH spot. $5M for 3+ months in the organization. Worthwhile???

A deadline trade with D-backs for Suarez to DH and play some 3B could be a nice jolt to the line-up.

Buxton - Larnach - Keaschall - Correa - Wallner - Suarez - Lewis - Jeffers - France would be no fun for opposing pitchers.

Castro - Vazquez - Bader - Lee

Suarez seems to add more juice than keeping Clemens……….is he affordable and worthwhile as a rental.m? If they are selling, he may be highly sought after though?

Darn, did I see a pig fly by?

[Althebum82]

Geez, how cool is it that there is not one single reference to a #5 starter, a high impact closer or serviceable left-handed reliever?  I am not saying I know the solution to 1B and 3B which are, at this point, clearly the best opportunities for improvement (by the way, I am not accepting Bride as a solution of any kind anywhere).  

It is just refreshing that at this point of the season, pitching upgrades are nowhere on the priority list!

[karcherd]

17 minutes ago, strumdatjag said:

The Twins can’t afford to put Lewis out at 3B on a daily basis until he gives some sign that he is turning it around.   He hit a ball nicely last night.  Let’s see if he can do that a little more consistently.   But at this time, give him at bats in later innings in blow-out wins and losses, and spot starts.   
Consider that he may never make it back.  That stuff happens in baseball. 

He has had 600 AB's in the major leagues, I am not ready to give up on him.  He is not going to figure it out with periodic at bats.  And there is no clear upgrade to play over him.  And no Clemens is not an upgrade and Castro plays all over.  Let him play every day and see what you have, he has shown he has plenty of upside, now it needs to be done on a consistent basis.

[JD-TWINS]

1 hour ago, jorgenswest said:

Like the look at Martinez. Little risk but no positional flexibility.

Suarez is a lot of strike outs and only a 3B/DH. I am not confident he will be better fit the rest of the way than the options they have in house.

Pretty sure the author states Suarez has 16 HRS (that’s on a pace for 45) - he can carry a Team through a Series - the more of those types that are on a Team the better. I’m not in love with him but I could say that about 6-7 guys in Twin’s best line-up. He’s got a high ceiling!

Relative to positional flexibility………Castro can play IF or OF …..they have 4 other OF. I’m hoping Keaschall comes back & plays 2B with Castro & Lee able to fill in as needed. If Martinez hits, nobody will be worried about him filling the DH spot or coming in to PH in key spots.

One or the other may be interesting?

I don’t see anyone coming in as they’ll stick with Keaschall & Clemens unless one or both fall off a cliff with their performance.

[Brandon]

We also have E Rod in AAA right now.  He has a .400 OBP with lots of walks.  Has some power and could work his way up this year.  Him in LF and Larnarch to 1B. …..  while Ty France has been ok.  I wouldn’t be upset if the Twins were able to upgrade 1B and go with someone else.  While not a black hole he is also not the solution for a contending team.  

[UK Twin]

I'd say a SP is now a priority with Lopez out for the foreseeable. We didn't get one last year and soon after the deadline Ryan was out for the rest of the season. And then we know what happened after that. Twins must learn from that and trade for a rental SP. A long term injury to Ryan, Ober or Paddack and we're in trouble. 

[Mark G]

12 hours ago, Blyleven2011 said:

Every likely contender,  that's kind of generous on the twins ...

The twins are beating up on teams with poorer pitching and  they should beat up on , against good pitchers and teams they struggle to get more than 3 hits , yes occasionally they win against better teams ...

At the end of June we will know what the twins identity will be , either bad like the first month or like the numbers they had in May,  June we are off to a good start against the Athletics  ...

When I see more consistency from our players , then I will join the contenders list   ( that consistency needs to come from the hitters ) ...

We saw the terrible last 2 months of 2024 and the terrible start in March and April , we've seen the good month of May  , will it continue,  sorry ill let you know at end of June how serious this team will towards being a contender , wins don't just matter , it's how consistently you play the game that makes you a contender  ...

I also wonder about the identity of the team after last year's collapse.   So far this year I have us 13-2 against the 3 last place AL teams, which if my public education math lessons taught me right, would make us 21-25 the rest of the way so far.  Last year we were 12-1 against Chicago and 70-79 against the rest of the schedule.  We can definitely beat up the worst of the league(s), but are middle of the pack otherwise.  The next few weeks before the deadline will determine what we need the most I suppose, but it might take more than just one bat.  With Lopez down for a while will our starters keep the pressure off the pen?  Will another short term arm there be the difference?  A lot of questions will get answered in the next few weeks.  

[Major League Ready]

They are not going to just toss Lewis to the side.  He will get every opportunity.  It's also not like they won't have someone to take that spot in the playoffs if Lewis does not come around.  They have multiple people that could fill that position.

I could see 1B but they are going to make room for Keaschall.  They are going to have a lot of IF depth when Keaschall comes back and he can play some 1B.    France is actually playing very well of late after a couple of weeks of struggling.   If Clemmens stays hot he is a possibility as well if France slumps.  All of this makes this discussion quite premature.   All of this will be much clearer 6 weeks from now.   

[tony&rodney]

While Falvey is a mystery to me, I'm actually believing him when he says the Twins have the team they need to play in 2025. I don't expect changes.

France? 1B? Ty looks pretty good thus far. Where is the upgrade?

Lewis at 3B? What are the odds the Twins give up on Royce?

The number of suggestions to bring in a DH is surprising to me. currently the Twins are rostering quite a few fellows whose best position is DH. 

[Trov]

I am not giving up much to bring in a replacement for 3rd right now.  Yes, Lewis has been terrible, and Lee has had ups and downs, but both are young and we have seen the great from Lewis, we need to hope he breaks out of his rut. 

So I would look at 1st base, but as pointed out the possible upgrades are just not great. I do not know what kind of clubhouse guy France is, but sometimes trying to upgrade just a little at a position can hurt the overall team too.  Not saying that will be the case with France, but unless you know you have a clear upgrade may not be worth it. 

[Doctor Wu]

12 hours ago, DocBauer said:

My #1 priority, based on everything I've already stated, would be another solid, dependable BP arm. I'd love another LH to team with Coulombe

I think the bats will come around, barring any more bizarre injuries. But yeah, adding another effective lefty to the bullpen would be a good move. 

[Road trip]

13 hours ago, MinnesotaTwins26 said:

Lamonte Wade Jr. (1B/DH) just got DFA'd. Could we see him come back to the Twin Cities?

I'm a bit surprised by all the down votes on Wade.  Average but versatile fielder.  A little power, patient hitter who sees a lot of pitches and takes a lot of walks.  2.8 WAR in 2023 and 2.4 WAR last year, which is solidly average or a little better.  OPS+ of 120 both years.  I don't know why he has had a horrific start to 2025 but he's only 31 so it would be a bit surprising if he suddenly fell off the cliff.  The Twins have gone dumpster diving for far worse players.

He's perhaps not obviously better than anyone on the roster right now, but AAA is thin so if he's willing to sign a minor league contract and wait for the seemingly inevitable injury to occur to someone on the MLB squad I'd take a chance.  Mike Ford got released from ST Paul a couple of days ago... coincidence?

[mickster]

14 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

I was thinking the same thing a couple weeks ago.  He has risen from the ashes before so I would not be certain about Miranda.  He has struck out once in his last 50 ABs, has a 306 BA and 860 OPS.    I think he still has a mountain to climb but I would not bet the ranch against him.

Would love this to happen

[Western SD Fan]

We still have another month of games for teams to determine whether they are going to buy or sell at the trade deadline so this exercise may be a tad bit early. 

For France at 1B, given his current and career effectiveness with RISP, if you place him 5-7th in the batting order, he will be fine as there is not a clear-cut upgrade on the market and he should hopefully get ample opportunities to drive runs in. 

For 3B, as previous commenters have surmised, you need to essentially give up on Lewis and/or Lee to trade for an upgrade.  This is why I've been hounding for Lewis to be sent to AAA to work on his swing, posture, etc. to become the hitter we need him to be and re-evaluate in two weeks to a month.  The team has made it clear that they want Lewis to work it out on the ML club, so he needs to play until the team changes its approach to how they are handling Lewis. 

I'm going to pump the brakes on a Keaschall return and resurgence.  He's likely an upgrade over Bride and even Clemens, but we still need to be patient on a young player with an upper arm bone injury.  I believe effectively swinging the bat will be the last thing that comes back from this type of injury.  It may turn out that he's only a nominally better version of Keirsey Jr as he re-establishes his swing.  I hope I'm wrong, but you have to evaluate these things as they will not be 100% ready to go when they come back from injury and are they an improvement over who we currently have.

[MTV]

I doubt the Twins will add a meaningful bat at third base, as there’s still a lot of the season left and Lewis, Lee and Miranda are all capable players if they’re hitting well enough, but I would like to see an addition to the left side of the infield as the depth up the middle is a little weak, and I don’t see the twins holding onto Jonah Bride for much longer. 
 

The Twins should absolutely try to get a middle-of-the-order bat that can platoon with Ty France at first base. Josh Naylor would be nice but I think Ryan O’Hearn would be a perfect fit: he’s been fantastic thus far and can play first base and outfield, and could serve as Minnesota’s primary DH and backup/platoon 1B when France needs a day off. 
 

Outside of that probably get a low-leverage reliever to eat innings and you’re good, the rotation is still solid even with the loss of Pablo Lopez as Ryan-Ober-Paddack-Matthews-Festa is a capable 5 with SWR as further depth

[jorgenswest]

On 6/4/2025 at 6:05 AM, Cody Christie said:

The Diamondbacks are under .500, and he is a pending free agent. Suárez has 16 home runs and a 124 OPS+. These aren’t sexy names, but the bar is so low for the Twins at third base that even modest production could represent a massive upgrade.

It might be important to not that Suarez has 13 of his 16 home runs at home. His OPS at home is 1.025 and on the road .580. Last year he hit 18 of his 30 home runs at home.

In a three year sample his wRC+ numbers on the road have been 91, 102 and 60 vs. 118, 130 and 174 at home. The last two years were in an Arizona park that suits him well. The team trading for him to expect a below average hitter where all of his contributions will come from home runs which will be less frequent as he won’t be playing in Arizona very often.

I would not expect him to be a massive upgrade or someone I want batting in the top 4 of the line up.

[AKTwinsFan]

Right now we need a veteran 5th pitcher. Now more than ever since Lopez has been injured. We should be on 6 man pitching rotation to give the pitchers more rest. But of course we got cheap owners who don't care about winning. So I expect we go on a free fall as was abundantly clear today with Festa and Alcala. 

[Mike Sixel]

1 minute ago, AKTwinsFan said:

Right now we need a veteran 5th pitcher. Now more than ever since Lopez has been injured. We should be on 6 man pitching rotation to give the pitchers more rest. But of course we got cheap owners who don't care about winning. So I expect we go on a free fall as was abundantly clear today with Festa and Alcala. 

It's a bit early to give up on Festa.....