What Are Your Deadline Moves

[LyleCole]

I am a seller.   I don't buy this team's real level of competitiveness and I seriously doubt this team's ownership shelling out the cash compete in the market.  So, anyone who is not going to be within their financial parameters is going to be moved if the minimum value can be obtained.

Ryan Jeffers   100% traded.  He is not going to be resigned with the Twins once he hits free agency this offseason.  The beauty of the entire thing is if the Twins change their mind, they can always compete in the offseason to resign him.  Because this would be a rental for the acquiring team the return is not going to be significant but there might be several teams bidding up the value too.   I don't thik asking the Rays for RHP Trevor Harrison (#16) and Jose Urbina(#18) is asking too much and is a fair return.

Joe Ryan  This one is tough.  The Twins have a mutual agreement in his last year of arbitration for $13 million.  But, I think Ryan is at the peak of his trade value and the Twins will be wasting their money if they ever extend him because there simply will not be enough talent around him to justify $30+ million for a player who is already in his 30s.  In a hypothetical trade with the Dodgers who always want high cost talent, I would want one of their top 4 OF prospects (DePaula, Sirota, Hope, Quintero) and LHP Adam Serwinowski(11) and RHP Cam Leiter(21)   

Byron Buxton   I would find a team Buxton would agree to go to.  Atlanta maybe?   But that is difficult given his stance on no trade.

Royce Lewis, Matt Wallner  If possible, I would move them to a different environment (NL) to see if they can turn their careers around.  They should both be much better hitters than what they are showing.   

Josh Bell   Not much trade value but a contending team might be interested in having a switch hitting guy who has some power.   If the Twins send $1.25 million cash to cover the 2027 buyout they might get a reasonable pitching prospect that has reliever potential.

Victor Caratini   If we can get reasonable value back for him from a team that needs catching depth..gone.  Saves the Twins $6.5 million next year in which he is the 3rd highest current contract in 2027.   Just play out the season with Alex Jackson and one of the AA or AAA catchers.  I would like to see them give Khadim Diaw and RIcardo Olivar opportunities, and perhaps they just let Jackson go.

Trevor Larnach   A player who is having the best year of his career who still has another season of team control will have some value at the deadline.  WHy keep him in front of other outfielder prospects and spend $7 million on him. 

We would then enter the Walker Jenkins-Emmanuel Rodriguez (of course injured)-Kaelen Culpepper-Mendes-Gonzales-Houston era.  We probably tank out the rest of the season and will add more talent at the top of the 2027 draft to add to this group+Lackey/Tait/TIlley.

If the Twins drafted and traded right, and developed well, then this should be a really solid group starting in 2028, especially if we make smart trades right now and add several more guys that will be winners.

 

 

 

 

[Vanimal46]

The closest I could get is half measure buys of a SP and 2 relievers on expiring contracts. All of that becomes a moot point  if we lose the series to Cleveland. The next 3 games dictate the next 2 months and change. 

[DJL44]

Trade Jeffers, Larnach and Bell (if anyone wants him). Keep the rest and try again next season. Replace with Wallner, Fedko and Gray (for August). Promote Rodriguez ASAP, Jenkins and Culpepper in mid September.

[jaimedude]

Twins need to bolster starting rotation ASAP before it is too late. 

[ashbury]

39 minutes ago, jaimedude said:

Twins need to bolster starting rotation ASAP before it is too late. 

The Narrator: It was too late.

[Cory Engelhardt]

6 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

The closest I could get is half measure buys of a SP and 2 relievers on expiring contracts. All of that becomes a moot point  if we lose the series to Cleveland. The next 3 games dictate the next 2 months and change. 

Agreed on this, but it does also depend on the other games before the deadline. I’d be open to selling Ryan and Jeffers if they truly go into a tailspin, but otherwise Larnach going and then adding some arms makes sense

[Bangkok Twins Fan]

8 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Replace with Wallner, Fedko and Gray (for August)

Even for one month, that is a depressing scenario. 

[Bangkok Twins Fan]

9 hours ago, LyleCole said:

I am a seller.   I don't buy this team's real level of competitiveness and I seriously doubt this team's ownership shelling out the cash compete in the market.  So, anyone who is not going to be within their financial parameters is going to be moved if the minimum value can be obtained.

Ryan Jeffers   100% traded.  He is not going to be resigned with the Twins once he hits free agency this offseason.  The beauty of the entire thing is if the Twins change their mind, they can always compete in the offseason to resign him.  Because this would be a rental for the acquiring team the return is not going to be significant but there might be several teams bidding up the value too.   I don't thik asking the Rays for RHP Trevor Harrison (#16) and Jose Urbina(#18) is asking too much and is a fair return.

Joe Ryan  This one is tough.  The Twins have a mutual agreement in his last year of arbitration for $13 million.  But, I think Ryan is at the peak of his trade value and the Twins will be wasting their money if they ever extend him because there simply will not be enough talent around him to justify $30+ million for a player who is already in his 30s.  In a hypothetical trade with the Dodgers who always want high cost talent, I would want one of their top 4 OF prospects (DePaula, Sirota, Hope, Quintero) and LHP Adam Serwinowski(11) and RHP Cam Leiter(21)   

Byron Buxton   I would find a team Buxton would agree to go to.  Atlanta maybe?   But that is difficult given his stance on no trade.

Royce Lewis, Matt Wallner  If possible, I would move them to a different environment (NL) to see if they can turn their careers around.  They should both be much better hitters than what they are showing.   

Josh Bell   Not much trade value but a contending team might be interested in having a switch hitting guy who has some power.   If the Twins send $1.25 million cash to cover the 2027 buyout they might get a reasonable pitching prospect that has reliever potential.

Victor Caratini   If we can get reasonable value back for him from a team that needs catching depth..gone.  Saves the Twins $6.5 million next year in which he is the 3rd highest current contract in 2027.   Just play out the season with Alex Jackson and one of the AA or AAA catchers.  I would like to see them give Khadim Diaw and RIcardo Olivar opportunities, and perhaps they just let Jackson go.

Trevor Larnach   A player who is having the best year of his career who still has another season of team control will have some value at the deadline.  WHy keep him in front of other outfielder prospects and spend $7 million on him. 

We would then enter the Walker Jenkins-Emmanuel Rodriguez (of course injured)-Kaelen Culpepper-Mendes-Gonzales-Houston era.  We probably tank out the rest of the season and will add more talent at the top of the 2027 draft to add to this group+Lackey/Tait/TIlley.

If the Twins drafted and traded right, and developed well, then this should be a really solid group starting in 2028, especially if we make smart trades right now and add several more guys that will be winners.

 

 

 

 

I'm pessimistic about our team's level of competitiveness this season too. Sure, we are in a very weak division this season, but I still can't get excited about any playoff chances and/or advances. No reason to trade Buxton, and I don't think either Lewis or Wallner has the current value to justify a trade. I still keep hoping that Lewis will turn things around, but I think the ship has sailed on Wallner. Every other player entering the free agency window, go ahead and trade them. 

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, Bangkok Twins Fan said:

Even for one month, that is a depressing scenario. 

It would be nice if Emmanuel Rodriguez was healthy and ready to debut. Those three would mainly sit on the bench. Buxton, Keaschall, Martin and Roden would play outfield with Wallner and Fedko as a platoon DH. If you don’t want Fedko back, they could give Sabato or Gonzalez a try.

[amjgt]

People love these three game losing streaks so they can comfortably post their "burn it all to the ground" trade deadline scenarios.

[mickster]

11 hours ago, LyleCole said:

I am a seller.   I don't buy this team's real level of competitiveness and I seriously doubt this team's ownership shelling out the cash compete in the market.  So, anyone who is not going to be within their financial parameters is going to be moved if the minimum value can be obtained.

Ryan Jeffers   100% traded.  He is not going to be resigned with the Twins once he hits free agency this offseason.  The beauty of the entire thing is if the Twins change their mind, they can always compete in the offseason to resign him.  Because this would be a rental for the acquiring team the return is not going to be significant but there might be several teams bidding up the value too.   I don't thik asking the Rays for RHP Trevor Harrison (#16) and Jose Urbina(#18) is asking too much and is a fair return.

Joe Ryan  This one is tough.  The Twins have a mutual agreement in his last year of arbitration for $13 million.  But, I think Ryan is at the peak of his trade value and the Twins will be wasting their money if they ever extend him because there simply will not be enough talent around him to justify $30+ million for a player who is already in his 30s.  In a hypothetical trade with the Dodgers who always want high cost talent, I would want one of their top 4 OF prospects (DePaula, Sirota, Hope, Quintero) and LHP Adam Serwinowski(11) and RHP Cam Leiter(21)   

Byron Buxton   I would find a team Buxton would agree to go to.  Atlanta maybe?   But that is difficult given his stance on no trade.

Royce Lewis, Matt Wallner  If possible, I would move them to a different environment (NL) to see if they can turn their careers around.  They should both be much better hitters than what they are showing.   

Josh Bell   Not much trade value but a contending team might be interested in having a switch hitting guy who has some power.   If the Twins send $1.25 million cash to cover the 2027 buyout they might get a reasonable pitching prospect that has reliever potential.

Victor Caratini   If we can get reasonable value back for him from a team that needs catching depth..gone.  Saves the Twins $6.5 million next year in which he is the 3rd highest current contract in 2027.   Just play out the season with Alex Jackson and one of the AA or AAA catchers.  I would like to see them give Khadim Diaw and RIcardo Olivar opportunities, and perhaps they just let Jackson go.

Trevor Larnach   A player who is having the best year of his career who still has another season of team control will have some value at the deadline.  WHy keep him in front of other outfielder prospects and spend $7 million on him. 

We would then enter the Walker Jenkins-Emmanuel Rodriguez (of course injured)-Kaelen Culpepper-Mendes-Gonzales-Houston era.  We probably tank out the rest of the season and will add more talent at the top of the 2027 draft to add to this group+Lackey/Tait/TIlley.

If the Twins drafted and traded right, and developed well, then this should be a really solid group starting in 2028, especially if we make smart trades right now and add several more guys that will be winners.

 

 

 

 

The only one I really agree on is Jeffers.   I don't want to see him go, however if he is going to test free agency then getting something is needed.

Ryan - extend, extend

Buxton is NOT going anywhere and the Twins should not even ask him to waive his no trade cause.   Stay a Twin for life

Wallner can go - but won't bring back much.   I prefer to keep Lewis.   I have soured on him some since he first broke in, but still believe he can be a key cog.

Caratini needs to be kept as we can't move forward without both him and Jeffers

Larnach won't bring back much and the youth isn't ready, nor will all of them succeed.

 

 

 

 

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

The sad thing is what we do will be highly dependent on the next 3 games.  I really think we should trade Jeffers.  Ryan only if there is a godfather offer.  We can trade him in the offseason or run with him next year.  Call me stupid but if someone wanted to pay closer value for Gomez I would consider trading him as well.  As of now, our supply on hitters looks pretty good,  moving forward we still need to work on the bullpen for next year as that is the year I really think we can start competing.   

[Vanimal46]

24 minutes ago, Hawkeye Bean Counter said:

The sad thing is what we do will be highly dependent on the next 3 games.

Maybe it's silly to focus on 3 games over a 162 game schedule, but it really feels like this is a critical moment in the season. Detroit is now 1.5 games behind us in the standings. Best case scenario, we enter Friday with a .500 record and 1 game behind Cleveland/CWS in the division. Worst case scenario, Detroit passes us in the standings and we're in 4th place with a mountain to climb. 

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

Just now, Vanimal46 said:

Maybe it's silly to focus on 3 games over a 162 game schedule, but it really feels like this is a critical moment in the season. Detroit is now 1.5 games behind us in the standings. Best case scenario, we enter Friday with a .500 record and 1 game behind Cleveland/CWS in the division. Worst case scenario, Detroit passes us in the standings and we're in 4th place with a mountain to climb. 

It is silly that 3 games are going to determine if we are buyers or sellers but if we go 1-2 the remainder of this series we will have gone 2-5 and our odds have decreased significantly for the playoffs.  You aren't going to spend when your odds are significantly lower.  

[Linus]

Doesn’t matter to me what they do between now and the deadline-I’m selling. I would trade Jeffers and Bell for the best offer. I would trade Larnach, Wallner, Mendez and Gonzalez for any reasonable offer. I would trade Ryan for good value. The pieces are here we need another year and a bullpen. 

[Mike Sixel]

44 minutes ago, Linus said:

Doesn’t matter to me what they do between now and the deadline-I’m selling. I would trade Jeffers and Bell for the best offer. I would trade Larnach, Wallner, Mendez and Gonzalez for any reasonable offer. I would trade Ryan for good value. The pieces are here we need another year and a bullpen. 

Pretty much this. 

[amjgt]

Whatever I do at the deadline, I don't want it to increase the odds that I'm selling again in 2027.

ETA: in my opinion, trading Joe Ryan would make it more likely that we're in sell mode again in 2027

[HarmonK03]

First, Buxton isn't going anywhere, it's bad enough when national beat writers keep beating this drum.  But to fans and local writers, it has been pretty clear he wants to be here, why even bring up his name.

As for what I would do, you need to move 3 or 4 outfielders for whatever you can get.  Wallner is one that can go fairly easily even though he won't get much in return if anything.  We have 9 outfielders on the 40 man roster and this doesn't include Jenkins, Keaschall or Rosario.  They need to clear playing time in Minneapolis and St. Paul or it will start having an impact on player development.  

Keep Lewis, he has started to hit and I don't think you trade somebody with the upside he still has and try to tap into that.

[Mike Sixel]

11 minutes ago, amjgt said:

Whatever I do at the deadline, I don't want it to increase the odds that I'm selling again in 2027.

ETA: in my opinion, trading Joe Ryan would make it more likely that we're in sell mode again in 2027

Not sure what they'd even have to sell, other than Lewis and Lopez? Everyone else is meh, youngish, or Buxton. 

But I'm sympathetic to not dealing Ryan if they aren't blown away, and won't crity them for keeping him through this year. After the year? Depends on if they invest in the team. 

[amjgt]

44 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Not sure what they'd even have to sell, other than Lewis and Lopez? Everyone else is meh, youngish, or Buxton. 

 

The one-year deals this coming offseason... Taj with 2.5 years of control left at that point... Caratini.... Sands... The guys you mentioned. Anything not nailed down that might provide a positive future value.

It's not about the specific names. It's about the idea of being sellers year after year and having that slowly become our identity. We were sellers in 2025. Perhaps in large part due to a crappy 2 weeks in late July. If we are sellers in 2026, which might happen if we have a crappy 2 weeks in late July, that probably makes us more likely to be sellers in 2027, even if all we're selling this year is pieces that have zero chance of being around in 2027.

I worry about becoming a franchise that is just always selling because a) it's easier and safer than buying, b) we are obsessed with squeezing every ounce of future value out of every decision we make. 

Being a buyer is scary. But does it have to be? The best run teams aren't scared of buying and aren't scared of selling. They are nimble and confident enough to chart a meaningful path and they don't let a good or bad two weeks in late July chart that path for them. 

[Mike Sixel]

23 minutes ago, amjgt said:

The one-year deals this coming offseason... Taj with 2.5 years of control left at that point... Caratini.... Sands... The guys you mentioned. Anything not nailed down that might provide a positive future value.

It's not about the specific names. It's about the idea of being sellers year after year and having that slowly become our identity. We were sellers in 2025. Perhaps in large part due to a crappy 2 weeks in late July. If we are sellers in 2026, which might happen if we have a crappy 2 weeks in late July, that probably makes us more likely to be sellers in 2027, even if all we're selling this year is pieces that have zero chance of being around in 2027.

I worry about becoming a franchise that is just always selling because a) it's easier and safer than buying, b) we are obsessed with squeezing every ounce of future value out of every decision we make. 

Being a buyer is scary. But does it have to be? The best run teams aren't scared of buying and aren't scared of selling. They are nimble and confident enough to chart a meaningful path and they don't let a good or bad two weeks in late July chart that path for them. 

Sure, but this is clearly not one of the best run teams......or they wouldn't have rightsized after winning the playoff series, and then cut payroll again and again (by a lot). 

I too would prefer they buy, but when the time is right, and, IMO, this year is not that year.

Next year could be....if they invest in the team in the off season. I'm not holding my breath on that with this ownership group, but the new CBA could change everything.

[amjgt]

One thing that hasn't really been talked about...

If we sell at the deadline, is there ANY chance that Jeremy Zoll has his job in 2027? That shouldn't dictate decisions, but at some level it can't help but have an influence. 

[Mike Sixel]

7 minutes ago, amjgt said:

One thing that hasn't really been talked about...

If we sell at the deadline, is there ANY chance that Jeremy Zoll has his job in 2027? That shouldn't dictate decisions, but at some level it can't help but have an influence. 

I don't think he sells w/o permission, but he might not have a job either way?

[Vanimal46]

4 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

I don't think he sells w/o permission, but he might not have a job either way?

I doubt Tom Pohlad is making any decisions himself. I assume Zoll has full autonomy to make the call at the deadline. Both Zoll and Pohlad are looking for a reason to invest in the team this year… We will see if the current roster fights for it, or falls flat on their face like the last 2 seasons. 

[amjgt]

8 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

I don't think he sells w/o permission, but he might not have a job either way?

My assumption would be that unless we have a really interesting and successful Aug/Sept that Tom will want to hire a established GM. He's used to running big businesses and having a guy like Zoll (inexperienced, kind of got the job by default) in charge of those types of businesses doesn't feel like the norm. 

[akmanak]

You sell , it is blatantly apparent the Twins are yet again in their midsummer slide. 

Get what you can for some players and move on.