Twins Could Get Creative by Shopping 3 Former Top Prospects at the MLB Trade Deadline

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints

The 2025 trade deadline is quickly approaching, and the Minnesota Twins are in a complicated spot. Hovering below the .500 mark with an outside shot at the Wild Card, the team could feasibly go in multiple directions. If things break right over the next week, they might buy a piece or two. But if the wins don’t pile up, selling or retooling becomes a more realistic path.

The club doesn’t seem eager to part with top prospects like Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, or Luke Keaschall, especially with the team trending in the wrong direction. At the major league level, it’s hard to see them subtracting from the core unless it’s part of a broader shakeup. That leaves them with an interesting middle tier of assets. These are players who were recently seen as major league building blocks but now find themselves stuck in St. Paul.

It’s not a traditional selling move, but moving on from former top prospects, such as Edouard Julien, Jose Miranda, and Austin Martin, could be a way for the front office to get creative. All three have spent much of the season at Triple-A, and while each has his strengths, none has done quite enough to force his way back onto the big-league roster.

Here’s a look at each of these potential trade chips.

Edouard Julien: Power, Patience, and a Lot of Strikeouts
There was a time when Julien looked like a long-term fixture at second base. His breakout 2023 season featured an .839 OPS as a rookie, showing elite on-base skills and sneaky power. However, the strikeout issues that plagued him in the minors persisted and worsened in 2024 (33.9 K%). By mid-May of this year, he was back in St. Paul after struggling to start the year with a 72 wRC+ and a -0.5 fWAR in 29 games. 

To his credit, Julien has continued to walk and hit for power in Triple-A (119 wRC+), but his strikeout rate remains above 27 percent. With the Twins increasingly focused on defensive versatility, Julien’s profile no longer fits the front office’s preferred blueprint.

Still, teams in need of left-handed pop and willing to take a chance on upside may see Julien as an appealing buy-low target. He brings years of team control and a skill set that can be hard to find. He is not likely to headline a major deal, but he could be a key secondary piece.

Jose Miranda: Flashes of Potential with Lingering Doubt
Few Twins players have been harder to evaluate over the last three seasons than Jose Miranda. At his best, Miranda looks like a pure hitter who can square up just about anything. He made an impression in 2022 with a strong rookie campaign (114 OPS+) and carried real expectations into 2023. But inconsistency, injuries, and poor plate discipline led to his demotion. The Twins sent him back to Triple-A in 2024, and he’s been there ever since.

This year, Miranda’s Triple-A production has failed to live up to the flashes he has shown in the big leagues. He’s not hitting for average (.196 BA), which had been his calling card as a prospect. But the slugging (.308 SLG) hasn’t returned to previous levels, and his defensive limitations make it tough to pencil him into an everyday role.

For another organization, Miranda could be a classic change-of-scenery candidate. There is still a version of him that hits .280 with 20-plus home runs and holds his own at third base. That kind of bat carries value, especially for a team looking for inexpensive upside.

Austin Martin: Versatile, but Still Waiting to Break Through
Martin’s story continues to be a study in potential versus performance. Once viewed as a possible number one overall pick, Martin arrived in Minnesota from Toronto as the centerpiece of the José Berríos trade. He had the reputation of a high-contact hitter with plus speed and defensive versatility. However, his development has been uneven. The power has never arrived (.424 SLG at Triple-A this season), and the hit tool hasn’t produced the expected results.

Despite those concerns, Martin brings things to the table that Julien and Miranda do not. He can play center field, shortstop, and second base. He has shown the ability to steal bases with 15 steals between Triple-A and the MLB level last season. His path to a full-time role may be uncertain, but he is athletic enough to contribute off the bench right away.

For a team looking to build depth or maximize roster flexibility, Martin could be an attractive addition. He may not headline a deal, but he could be included in a multi-player package or flipped in a low-wattage move.

There is still a scenario in which the Twins get hot over the next week and decide to make a move at the deadline. A right-handed bat or a bullpen arm would make sense. However, even in that scenario, these former top prospects could still play a role in reshaping the roster. 

None of Julien, Miranda, or Martin has forced his way back to the majors in 2025. At the same time, most of their prospect shine has worn away. That combination of stalled momentum and remaining upside is what makes a potential change-of-scenery trade make sense.

There’s also a tough question the Twins need to ask themselves. Would trading one, two, or even all three of these players now, even for a minimal return, be more valuable than simply holding onto them and waiting for another opportunity that may never come? With roster spots becoming more competitive and younger prospects pushing up from Double-A, it’s possible Julien, Miranda, or Martin could be designated for assignment after the season anyway. The front office might prefer to act now, even if the return is light, rather than risk losing them for nothing or settling for a marginally better deal in the offseason.

The Twins don’t need to blow things up or sell off core players. But if the front office wants to stay flexible and explore creative paths at the deadline, it may be time to gauge what the market thinks of their former top prospects.

Should the Twins try to trade any of this trio? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[Mike Sixel]

I doubt Martin or Miranda have any value, but Martin should be replacing Castro. He'll either build value or not ....

I think Julien has value and could be an add on to get more in a trade. 

[thelanges5]

If you can get something for them, why not? Otherwise, if we sell off some of the other free agents, these guys get the rest of the season to play their way into the future plans, or not.

[NYCTK]

Both Miranda and Julien are out of options after this season. Come 2026 they're going to be in that unfortunate position of either being on a Major League roster or DFAd into obscurity. And unlike a bullpen arm, the churn through on poor fielding infielders is incredibly minimal. 

Essentially, their major league careers are done and they hold no value, if not negative value. 

Austin Martin at least has one more option year remaining. There's some value in that ability to send them up and down as needed. But, again, while he's technically able to play multiple positions he plays none of them well. Castro isn't a gold glover anywhere, but he at least holds his own. The same can't be said for Martin. 

[Hrbeks Divot]

Trade Julien and Miranda as part of packages to get what you can. Give Martin another shot with the big league club if you plan to move Castro. Martin might also have that role on next year’s squad if he can get on base.

[Danchat]

If they're not going to use Martin, may as well trade him. He's hitting well in AAA and perhaps they could get something for him before a potential drop in his value. Not that I expect to get much for him, of course.

I dunno if Miranda could net anything given his horrid season. I don't know what to do with him and Julien.

[DJL44]

I expect Martin to get another shot when Castro and Bader are dealt.

Miranda is having an awful season. I don’t know why anyone would want him. He might need to go to Japan or Korea for his next job.

Julien could return a reliever like Adams, which could be useful. Better to deal him before they lose him on waivers next season.

[LA Vikes Fan]

Interesting idea. I agree that Julien has at least some value and could be that additional player in a 2 for 2 or 2 for 3 kind of trade. There is no realistic path for him to the Twins at 2B so he's going nowhere unless he becomes a 1B option.  He should be on the trade radar. 

I would actually keep Martin unless a real opportunity arises. He's hitting well in AAA this year, albeit with not much power. And let's not forget, he actually hit some last year at the MLB level - .253/.318/.352 (.670) in 253 PAs, 223 ABs, with a 20% SO rate and a 10% BB rate. Not great, but not bad for a guy getting his feet wet at age 25. No, he is not much of a CF but he isn't bad in the other spots. I honestly don't understand the venom on this board towards him. 

Miranda is a complete mystery to me with no trade value. He looked like a fixture and then fell of the map. Completely. Is it his back or another injury? Is it a personal issue that has him distracted? IS it a technical approach thing that we just can't fix? Throw him in if somebody wants him, but be prepared to find out that another team figures out the problem and has a solid starter. 

 

[cjm0926]

Bring Martin up for Castro if/when he is traded. As for the other two, like NYCTK stated above, they are both out of options going into 2026. Julien would have a little more value, so ideally trade him for a reliever or maybe another change-of-scenery candidate. As for Miranda, I know the AAA numbers are ugly, but I'd give him one last chance in the bigs, whether that is if France is gone, or filling in for an injury. It gives him a chance to possibly regain some value, or pushes it to the point where it may be necessary to DFA him unfortunately. I think there is a chance both Julien and Miranda could revitalize their MLB careers, I just don't think it will happen in Minnesota.

[Trov]

It is possible, but unlikely this would happen this year.  None have enough value to a buying team to expect they would help this year.  Further teams selling are not likely to sell anyone with much control and we should not be buying rentals. 

[rdehring]

Great article, thanks.

As many above have said, none of this trio would return much in a trade.  Will agree with those who believe keeping Martin for another year makes sense.  That is unless someone offers something of value in return

Should the Twins be looking to trade some of their core, say Duran or Jax, they must be both careful in evaluating the prospects coming back and get a huge return.  Why?  This article reminds us that many top prospects can end up having zero value a couple years from now.  For example, just think about trading Duran for Miranda and Martin?

[Dman]

Julien isn't a great fit at 2nd and locking him into 1st and or DH seems less than ideal at this point given the bats we have coming up.  Having no options left makes things even tougher IMO.  If they could get a decent deal or use him as a throw in to get a deal done at this point I think I'd do that.  

Hadn't thought about Martin, but it seems like Keaschall is going to usurp his playing time as a likely 2nd base, center fielder, 1st baseman, type.  I don't think it makes sense to have two of those types on the team and there are others like Schobel, DeBarge, Culpepper and Eeles etc that could fill his role shortly as well. Again if they can get a decent return for him I'd probably do it.

I just can't see any value for Miranda.  He has destroyed his value not being able to hit at AAA.  They are not in a roster crunch right now so they could keep him and see if he can look better or if a team has interest at this point I'd probably take whatever I can get. He'd need to be a first baseman and he doesn't move well and hasn't really hit for power in a while now. It's getting late to prove himself.  I just don't see the fit for the Twins anymore.

So yeah I could see the Twins moving on from them.  Maybe getting lottery ticket arms in return or adding them to other deals.  I could also see them keeping them to give them one last shot.  Hard to say at this point.  Still if I were them and could get something marginally good I would do it.

[NYCTK]

8 minutes ago, LA VIkes Fan said:

No, he is not much of a CF but he isn't bad in the other spots. I honestly don't understand the venom on this board towards him. 

That's not what we saw in the 2024. He looks like a good athlete that should be a decent fielder, but was just flat out bad. And it seems like the Twins still believe that assessment. If he were a decent fielder he would have been on the major league roster instead of keeping Clemens around. Or Keirsey lol. 

 

 

[Mike Sixel]

28 minutes ago, Trov said:

It is possible, but unlikely this would happen this year.  None have enough value to a buying team to expect they would help this year.  Further teams selling are not likely to sell anyone with much control and we should not be buying rentals. 

They have to be dealt before 40 man rosters are set for next year (or end of this year, can't recall)....as they either need to be on teh 40 man or not. (I vote not, other than Martin). If they can sweeten another deal or get anything back, I do it. Julien I think has value, but he has no path to playing time in MN at this point.

[Mike Sixel]

17 minutes ago, Dman said:

Julien isn't a great fit at 2nd and locking him into 1st and or DH seems less than ideal at this point given the bats we have coming up.  Having no options left makes things even tougher IMO.  If they could get a decent deal or use him as a throw in to get a deal done at this point I think I'd do that.  

Hadn't thought about Martin, but it seems like Keaschall is going to usurp his playing time as a likely 2nd base, center fielder, 1st baseman, type.  I don't think it makes sense to have two of those types on the team and there are others like Schobel, DeBarge, Culpepper and Eeles etc that could fill his role shortly as well. Again if they can get a decent return for him I'd probably do it.

I just can't see any value for Miranda.  He has destroyed his value not being able to hit at AAA.  They are not in a roster crunch right now so they could keep him and see if he can look better or if a team has interest at this point I'd probably take whatever I can get. He'd need to be a first baseman and he doesn't move well and hasn't really hit for power in a while now. It's getting late to prove himself.  I just don't see the fit for the Twins anymore.

So yeah I could see the Twins moving on from them.  Maybe getting lottery ticket arms in return or adding them to other deals.  I could also see them keeping them to give them one last shot.  Hard to say at this point.  Still if I were them and could get something marginally good I would do it.

I'd much rather they give Keaschell one position (first base or LF is my preference, but that arm.....). Same with Culpepper, one position (third or second?).

[Vanimal46]

I could see both Miranda and Julien flipped in the offseason for international bonus money. We’re not gonna receive anything more than a very flawed prospect back in return. 

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

I could see both Miranda and Julien flipped in the offseason for international bonus money. We’re not gonna receive anything more than a very flawed prospect back in return. 

Give me a flawed starter who I can maybe turn into a RP......

[arby58]

There's an old joke about first prize in a raffle being a week's stay in Cleveland, and second prize being two weeks. I sort of feel that way about these three. None excels at a position defensively, they all have holes in their offensive game, and neither Miranda or Julien are fleet of foot. I also don't buy Martin as a replacement for Castro unless his outfield defense has improved considerably.

FWIW, the Baseball Trade Simulator gives both Julien and Miranda a trade 'surplus' value of 0. Martin is at least marginally better (2.3). Garbage in, garbage out.

[Doctor Gast]

What some people think what creative is, is crazy. Trading Miranda, Julien or Martin is stupid & sad. Stupid because you won't get anything for them. Julien should have been traded when he was worth something. Sad because they had a lot of promise but were mismanaged. Miranda wasn't given the opportunity he deserved at 1B to keep him healthy & prosperous; now he's broken. Martin forced at SS, then have him learn CF & LF at the MLB level. MN needs someone fixed at 2B to stabilize the 2B/SS teamwork with Correa. Having a new 2Bman every game does nothing for the continuity there. 2B is Martin's best position & he's the best glove there. Put him there & keep him there. Put Keaschall at 1B/DH until he's 100%. There I said it, go ahead & smash the thumbs down icon.

[Reptevia]

They are all AAAA depth at this point. Get what you can (not much). 
 

[arby58]

47 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

That's not what we saw in the 2024. He looks like a good athlete that should be a decent fielder, but was just flat out bad. And it seems like the Twins still believe that assessment. If he were a decent fielder he would have been on the major league roster instead of keeping Clemens around. Or Keirsey lol. 

I agree with your assessment of Kiersey, but Clemens has been a nice bargain pick-up. He's third among the Twins position players with a 1.1 OPS (only trailing Buxton and Bader), has an .816 OPS and 12 HRs in just 161 AB. Those are keeper stats.

[Mike Sixel]

1 minute ago, Doctor Gast said:

What some people think what creative is, is crazy. Trading Miranda, Julien or Martin is stupid & sad. Stupid because you won't get anything for them. Julien should have been traded when he was worth something. Sad because they had a lot of promise but were mismanaged. Miranda wasn't given the opportunity he deserved at 1B to keep him healthy & prosperous; now he's broken. Martin forced at SS, then have him learn CF & LF at the MLB level. MN needs someone fixed at 2B to stabilize the 2B/SS teamwork with Correa. Having a new 2Bman every game does nothing for the continuity there. 2B is Martin's best position & he's the best glove there. Put him there & keep him there. There I said it, go ahead & smash the thumbs down icon.

The question is what should they do with them now.....not what they did in the past. Where do you see Julien or Miranda ever getting a shot here? So, sure, complain about the past, I don't disagree (esp. on Martin), but that's not really relevant to this discussion of what to do now at all.

[jorgenswest]

They need to do a great job of trading their expiring assets. That should be their primary focus. Let’s focus on targeting the return for Castro, Coulombe, Bader and even Paddack. Let’s see if they can find a match and get a lottery ticket for Vazquez and France. I will add one more in Jax but those conversations should be short. Set a too high bar and hold your ground. Stay focused on those deals that comprise more than a quarter of the roster.  They can’t go into the frenzied trade deadline having serious conversations about 11 or 12 players. That would be a recipe for failure.

Priorities

• Take serious offers on Jax. Do the homework on the top prospects offered. Get an A+ deal or retain him.
• Work hard in the deals for Castro, Coulombe, Bader and Paddack. Identify those players outside of the top 100 that will out perform their perceived future value.
• Find a new home for Vazquez and France and give those two months to Gasper at catcher and more playing time for Clemens.

There is a lot of work to do this deadline. Let’s not distract it by trying to find a new home for the three above.

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, jorgenswest said:

They need to do a great job of trading their expiring assets. That should be their primary focus. Let’s focus on targeting the return for Castro, Coulombe, Bader and even Paddack. Let’s see if they can find a match and get a lottery ticket for Vazquez and France. I will add one more in Jax but those conversations should be short. Set a too high bar and hold your ground. Stay focused on those deals that comprise more than a quarter of the roster.  They can’t go into the frenzied trade deadline having serious conversations about 11 or 12 players. That would be a recipe for failure.

Priorities

• Take serious offers on Jax. Do the homework on the top prospects offered. Get an A+ deal or retain him.
• Work hard in the deals for Castro, Coulombe, Bader and Paddack. Identify those players out of the 100 that will output performance their perceived future value.
• Find a new home for Vazquez and France and give those two months to Gasper at catcher and more playing time for Clemens.

There is a lot of work to do this deadline. Let’s not distract it by trying to find a new home for the three above.

I'm fairly sure they have enough employees to do both......

[Doctor Gast]

2 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

The question is what should they do with them now.....not what they did in the past. Where do you see Julien or Miranda ever getting a shot here? So, sure, complain about the past, I don't disagree (esp. on Martin), but that's not really relevant to this discussion of what to do now at all.

I did, don't trade them. Then I commented on the idea & why.

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, Doctor Gast said:

I did, don't trade them. Then I commented on the idea & why.

I'll ask again, where do you see Miranda or Julien ever getting a shot in MN again? Also, you want to use two 40 man spots on them next year?

[nicksaviking]

Just think of the return the team could have gotten had they sold them at their peaks? Had they been able to identify the underlying issues with these players early and got out from under them, they might have transformed the entire franchise.

The Twins traded CEH and Steer for Mahle while at that point Miranda was crushing it; they probably get Luis Castillo if they move Miranda instead.

This team has a problem either in identifying their players weaknesses, or coaching getting the most out of them.

[arby58]

58 minutes ago, LA VIkes Fan said:

I would actually keep Martin unless a real opportunity arises. He's hitting well in AAA this year, albeit with not much power. And let's not forget, he actually hit some last year at the MLB level - .253/.318/.352 (.670) in 253 PAs, 223 ABs, with a 20% SO rate and a 10% BB rate. Not great, but not bad for a guy getting his feet wet at age 25. No, he is not much of a CF but he isn't bad in the other spots. I honestly don't understand the venom on this board towards him.

All that translated into a -1.0 WAR and an 88 OPS+ last year - not to mention absolutely brutal in the outfield. We don't need another 2B with those stats - we have at least a couple already. Where else would you play him and be comfortable with his defense? Keep in mind he was -30 in defensive runs saved in the outfield last year. That's not good.

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, nicksaviking said:

Just think of the return the team could have gotten had they sold them at their peaks? Had then been able to identify the underlying issues with these players early and got out from under them, they might have transformed the entire franchise.

The Twins traded CEH and Steer for Mahle while at that point Miranda was crushing it; they probably get Luis Castillo if they move Miranda instead.

This team has a problem either in identifying their players weaknesses, or coaching getting the most out of them.

Ya, this is a real issue......but I'm trying not to say "fire the FO and manager" every post!

[jorgenswest]

1 minute ago, Mike Sixel said:

I'm fairly sure they have enough employees to do both......

I am sure they have enough to take calls. Their leadership needs to be deeply involved in every move. We are suggesting they move more than a quarter of their roster before they even get to these three. They don’t need to trade the three above and the return would be minimal. Focus elsewhere and let’s see what they can do in the final two months when 6 or 7 roster spots open up. The quality if these trades is more important to their future than the quantity.