Twins Still Exploring Adding Multiple Pitchers, Could Trade Trevor Larnach and Call Up Walker Jenkins

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, clone52 said:

Why the price may have been right.  If they get a rental I would prefer Ray or Gausman.

Agreed. 

[Andy MacPhail]

IMO, a MLB/ MLB trade should have been done earlier when we were desperate for high leverage RPs.  Now, IMO, our target needs to be an upper rotation SP, these trades usually require prospects. We have prospects that we can & should trade. Let's make a smart trade (not a Kremer type) happen

[clone52]

Still hoping for Detmers or Soriano.  Prielipp to bullpen and maybe Matthews to bullpen?

Ryan, Bradley, Detmers, Ober and Kremer

Gomez, Morris, Minter, Funderburk, Rojas, Prielipp, Anderson and Nance

Keep Matthews stretched out?

 

[clone52]

2 minutes ago, Andy MacPhail said:

IMO, a MLB/ MLB trade should have been done earlier when we were desperate for high leverage RPs.  Now, IMO, our target needs to be an upper rotation SP, these trades usually require prospects. We have prospects that we can & should trade. Let's make a smart trade (not a Kremer type) happen

Got a proposal for me to unfairly poke holes into due to the anonymity of these message boards?

[weitz41]

1 hour ago, twinstalker said:

Oh, boy, let's call up a guy who would strike out 40% of the time.  Is that what you want?

I was just pointing him out. Plus, he's already on the 40-man.

Yes, yes strikes out too much. Hits the ball way to hard and far, way too picky at what to swing at as well. Also play too good of defense. Who needs a Kyle Schwarber type that you can actually play in center while Buxton DH's the rest of the year. What a BUM...

[sweetmusicviola16]

2 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

He's been pretty bad this year. Not a target I loved. 

And we went out and got Kremer. For a prospect with high upside. Albeit years away from the ML. The Cubs today traded Taillon to the Jays for cash or a ptbnl. This is a fair comp to Kremer. What I would have expected to pay for him. Not that I wanted Kremer anyway.

[HarmonK03]

8 hours ago, DocBauer said:

think Zoll...if they make such a move...would prefer to make such a move after the season.

Hopefully Zoll is not the one making the decision after the season.

[nicksaviking]

If this team is trading for rentals, the rentals should be salary dumps with minimal player equity going back. Like the Minter deal.
 

Trading Larnch is fine, but trade him, in a package perhaps, for someone who’ll be here beyond 2026.

[howeda7]

12 hours ago, HarmonK03 said:

Jenkins could be up here today even with Larnach on the roster.  An outfield of Larnach, Jenkins and Keaschall is the best outfield we could play currently.  If anyone should go to clear playing time it is Bell.  But is there any market for him.

Someone would take Bell. When Buxton is back, DH Larnach. 

[HarmonK03]

1 minute ago, howeda7 said:

Someone would take Bell. When Buxton is back, DH Larnach. 

Honestly I am not sure if there is much of a market for him, but I would take anything you could get.  I am not sure Zoll agrees and is marketing him. 

[AbsolutelyRanched]

I know I'm in the minority but I would not call up Jenkins at all this season. If there's a strike next year he'll accumulate service time during the strike unless he stays off the 40 man roster. I'd rather have him as a Twin until 2034.

 

Of course if you want to gamble on there not being a strike then you should call him up ASAP. 

[Mike Sixel]

26 minutes ago, AbsolutelyRanched said:

I know I'm in the minority but I would not call up Jenkins at all this season. If there's a strike next year he'll accumulate service time during the strike unless he stays off the 40 man roster. I'd rather have him as a Twin until 2034.

 

Of course if you want to gamble on there not being a strike then you should call him up ASAP. 

That's fine, but then they need to be sellers this year. Because you can't claim to be trying to win, and not call up Jenkins or Culpeper. 

[Cory Engelhardt]

50 minutes ago, AbsolutelyRanched said:

I know I'm in the minority but I would not call up Jenkins at all this season. If there's a strike next year he'll accumulate service time during the strike unless he stays off the 40 man roster. I'd rather have him as a Twin until 2034.

 

Of course if you want to gamble on there not being a strike then you should call him up ASAP. 

You don't have to root for manipulation of service time. If/when he is ready, he will be up. And that's something that Terry Ryan and Derek Falvey did with hitting prospects.

[saviking]

On 8/2/2026 at 8:14 AM, weitz41 said:

E Rod says HEY don't forget about me!

Shaping up to be an exciting 30 hrs ahead.

He re injured his thumb 

[saviking]

On 8/2/2026 at 9:24 AM, Maybe Next Year said:

Why would you trade Larnach? He’s only 29 and is now just coming into his prime years. It has taken a few years to find his groove but he seems to have found it. He hit .259 in 2024 and .250 in 2025 which aren’t horrible numbers. This year he leads the Twins with a .284 average. Not too shabby. In addition he won’t become a free agent until 2028. 
Contrary to the belief of many I don’t believe the Twins have an abundance of major league ready outfielders. Yes, some are ok defensively but how many can perform at the plate. I don’t believe Larnach will bring a top notch veteran pitcher in a trade. Call me stupid but to trade Larnach for a pitcher on the downside of his career doesn’t make sense to me. We will need Larnach’s bat more than a mediocre/ average pitcher if we want to make a run at the playoffs. 

 

Larnach should be our DH instead of Bell .. This year and next.

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

Larnach with another year of control,  I would be hesitant on considering selling him.  He really seems to have found a groove and would slot in very well as our DH next year.   

[howeda7]

15 hours ago, HarmonK03 said:

Honestly I am not sure if there is much of a market for him, but I would take anything you could get.  I am not sure Zoll agrees and is marketing him. 

I don't think they will trade him. He's their RBI leader and Shelty love him. But they should.

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

18 minutes ago, howeda7 said:

I don't think they will trade him. He's their RBI leader and Shelty love him. But they should.

Here is my dream scenario.   Trade Jeffers to Yankees for Warren.  Get a low level prospect for Bell.   Put Larnach as the DH.  Bring up Jenkins if legit going for playoff spot as well as Culpepper and then get 1 more high level bullpen arm.   Forget about Call from the Dodgers.  You can likely get him on waivers or a cash deal.   Your pitching has improved, your offense should be as good or better and you haven't spent much prospect capital.  

[RpR]

Just now, Hawkeye Bean Counter said:

Here is my dream scenario.   Trade Jeffers to Yankees for Warren.  Get a low level prospect for Bell.   Put Larnach as the DH.  Bring up Jenkins if legit going for playoff spot as well as Culpepper and then get 1 more high level bullpen arm.   Forget about Call from the Dodgers.  You can likely get him on waivers or a cash deal.   

To dream the impossible....

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

Just now, RpR said:

To dream the impossible....

I think its actual  a decent possibility.  Larnach has done just as well since the trade debacle news so I think he would be fine moving forward.  My entire premise has been the Twins were unwilling to bring up Jenkins and Culpepper.  Zoll stated they were willing to bring up rookies and implied they would bring up Jenkins.  

[USAFChief]

On 8/2/2026 at 10:43 AM, TL said:

I doubt it would jump to that immediately but in any event it’s still 8MM for a platoon left fielder who plays bad defense when you have two younger and higher upside guys ready. 

Regardless, it's doubtful you get a better player in FA next year for $8M

 

[USAFChief]

17 minutes ago, Hawkeye Bean Counter said:

Here is my dream scenario.   Trade Jeffers to Yankees for Warren.  Get a low level prospect for Bell.   Put Larnach as the DH.  Bring up Jenkins if legit going for playoff spot as well as Culpepper and then get 1 more high level bullpen arm.   Forget about Call from the Dodgers.  You can likely get him on waivers or a cash deal.   Your pitching has improved, your offense should be as good or better and you haven't spent much prospect capital.  

Reasonable. 

But if they trade Jeffers the Twins offense wouldn't be "as good or better."

 

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

I will say this,  I have really been warming up to the Kremer trade.  He was a really solid pitcher for the last 2-3 years.  If you can get 40 starts of 2 WAR pitching you take that and run and there is a decent possibility that occurs.   I also think its a high possibility we sold high on Reyes as well.  .950 OPS in the international leagues is nice,  but transitioning to A ball is a big adjustment.   

[Woof Bronzer]

15 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

You don't have to root for manipulation of service time. If/when he is ready, he will be up. And that's something that Terry Ryan and Derek Falvey did with hitting prospects.

Do you have an example of someone the Twins promoted prior to that extra year kicking in?  I'm sure there are, but I can't recall any. 

I do remember they played games with Buxton's service time.  

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/byron-buxton-and-september-service-time-manipulations/

Quote from the article:

“I think part of our jobs is we’re supposed to be responsible to factoring service time into every decision we make,” Levine said. 

That doesn't scream "when he's ready he's up" to me.  

[Cory Engelhardt]

7 minutes ago, Woof Bronzer said:

Do you have an example of someone the Twins promoted prior to that extra year kicking in?  I'm sure there are, but I can't recall any. 

I do remember they played games with Buxton's service time.  

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/byron-buxton-and-september-service-time-manipulations/

Quote from the article:

“I think part of our jobs is we’re supposed to be responsible to factoring service time into every decision we make,” Levine said. 

That doesn't scream "when he's ready he's up" to me.  

Almost everyone initially. Aaron Hicks came up in what was too early. Jorge Polanco initially came up from high a. Joe Mauer spent no time at aaa. Almost the same with Miguel Sano. 
How about this, can you name someone they did keep down too long? 
I know the one example from Buxton after he already debuted. That was seemed like an outlier even at the time

[weitz41]

3 hours ago, saviking said:

He re injured his thumb 

I saw that..That's what I get for pointing him out...My mistake

[Woof Bronzer]

1 hour ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Almost everyone initially. Aaron Hicks came up in what was too early. Jorge Polanco initially came up from high a. Joe Mauer spent no time at aaa. Almost the same with Miguel Sano. 
How about this, can you name someone they did keep down too long? 
I know the one example from Buxton after he already debuted. That was seemed like an outlier even at the time

Walker Jenkins lol

[USAFChief]

3 minutes ago, Woof Bronzer said:

Walker Jenkins lol

Not exactly tearing up the IL.

[Woof Bronzer]

1 hour ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Almost everyone initially. Aaron Hicks came up in what was too early. Jorge Polanco initially came up from high a. Joe Mauer spent no time at aaa. Almost the same with Miguel Sano. 
How about this, can you name someone they did keep down too long? 
I know the one example from Buxton after he already debuted. That was seemed like an outlier even at the time

Fair points, though I think Sano actually WAS held back, I want to say he debuted midseason.  

Berrios?  

[Cory Engelhardt]

18 minutes ago, Woof Bronzer said:

Fair points, though I think Sano actually WAS held back, I want to say he debuted midseason.  

Berrios?  

Berrios debuted as a 21 year old in April 2016. He was a comp 1st round pick in 2012 as a young high schooler. I can't imagine he was held back for service time in that regard.