3 Bats for the Twins to Monitor at the Deadline

Target No. 1: Nationals OF Lane Thomas
Lane Thomas is enjoying a breakout campaign for Washington, sporting career highs in nearly every offensive category. Thomas, 27, has played all three outfield spots in his career while spending most of his time in right in 2023. You aren’t targeting the fringy (at best) glove. Thomas is hitting .299/.348/.490 with 24 doubles, two triples, and 14 homers through 91 games. The strikeout rate is elevated (25%), but Thomas has mashed for both average and power in the heart of Washington’s order. He’s essentially what the Twins need: a controllable, right-handed outfielder with upside. 

In an attractive twist for the Twins, Thomas has monster splits. Against righties, Thomas owns a career .689 OPS in nearly 900 plate appearances. Against lefties, that OPS rises over 200 points to a remarkable .908. Since his debut in 2019, Thomas is tied with Tim Anderson and Manny Machado for wRC+ against left-handed pitching (146). He’s a true lefty destroyer, evidenced by a .374 average and 1.076 OPS against southpaws this season. The question is whether Washington will part with a potential building block as Thomas is under team control for 2.5 more seasons. 

Target No. 2: Red Sox 3B/1B Justin Turner
The Twins had reported interest in Justin Turner this offseason, and that process looks sound. The longtime Dodger is rocking an OPS well over league average in his age-38 season, mostly starting at DH with Rafael Devers entrenched at third base. Turner graded as a decent defensive third baseman in Los Angeles and has been just fine at the hot corner in limited time this year. With Royce Lewis rehabbing an oblique injury and José Miranda on the injured list with a lingering shoulder issue, Turner could be a valuable fit. The red beard is holding his own versus right handers (.790 OPS), and as usual, is crushing lefties (.950 OPS). 

Turner owns a $13.4 million player option for the 2024 season, slightly complicating the prospects of a trade. The Twins have promising options to start at third in Lewis and top prospect Brooks Lee. If Turner were to exercise his option for next year, he could platoon with Alex Kirilloff at first base or start at designated hitter (assuming Byron Buxton returns to centerfield). This equation gets muddy when you think for the future, but Turner would undoubtedly improve the Twins’ lineup while adding a valuable veteran voice who has played in 86 Postseason games. Turner made sense last winter and he makes sense now. 

Target No. 3: Mariners OF Teoscar Hernández
The Mariners and Blue Jays completed an under-the-radar but significant trade last winter involving 2022 stalwart reliever Erik Swanson and 2021 All-Star Teoscar Hernández. Seattle moved Swanson, who posted a 1.68 ERA in 57 appearances in 2022, for a grip-and-rip masher in Hernández on an expiring deal. Hernández, after hitting .283 with power in the heart of a deadly Blue Jays lineup from 2020 to 2022, is struggling to match those numbers this season. The 30-year-old leads MLB in strikeouts, an unattractive mark for a Twins club on pace to set a record for punchies. The pull is in the splits. Hernández isn’t touching righties, but continues to crush lefties to the tune of a .571 slugging percentage.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive rental suited for a very specific role, you can do a lot worse than Hernández. He was a potent bat for multiple seasons prior to this one and is still only 30 years old. Hernández seems like the ideal lightning-in-a-bottle addition, much like Jorge Soler and Eddie Rosario for Atlanta in 2021. You might get a ton of strikeouts and poor outfield defense… or you’ll get the Hernández from the second half of 2021, when he hit .296 with a .925 OPS and 21 homers in 75 games. This is a high upside play and one I think the Twins should absolutely explore. 

What do you think of these three options for the Twins at the deadline? Comment below!