Twins Video
A right-handed hitting corner outfielder who hits left-handed pitching well was the Twins' greatest need for the latter part of last off-season and remains so to this day. With right-handed hitting corner outfielders Randal Grichuk, Mark Canha, and AJ Pollock getting traded in the last two days, right-handed hitting corner outfielders are beginning to fly off the board.
Luckily for the Twins, an immense amount of adequate options remain. Here are the four best remaining right-handed hitting corner outfielders the Twins could still trade for.
#4. Adam Duvall - Red Sox - 173 PA, .261/.329/.542 (.871), 9 HR, 128 wRC+, 1.2 fWAR
We start this list off with current Red Sox outfielder Adam Duvall. Duvall has been linked to contending National League teams like the Phillies and the Braves, with whom he won the World Series in 2021, but a trade to the Twins arguably makes the most sense. Duvall provides versatility in the outfield, as he can play left, center, and right field, while also being a plus right-handed bat, a player prototype the Twins are in dire need of.
The only caveat with Duvall is that he hits right-handed pitching much better than left-handed pitching, which is why he is fourth on his list.
Duvall's splits this season:
When Facing Left-Handed Pitching: 46 PA, .238/.283/.405 (.688), 10 H, 0 HR, seven doubles, two BB, 16 K.
When Facing Right-Handed Pitching: 127 PA, .270/.346/.595 (.941), 30 H, nine HR, seven doubles, 11 BB, 37 K.
Duvall's splits are intense, and if the Twins acquired him, one has to wonder if he would do anything to help the Twins' struggles when facing left-handed pitching or if he would become part of the problem.
Duvall is an intriguing option, but he doesn't do the one thing the Twins need out of a right-handed hitting outfielder: hit left-handed pitching well. Duvall would be a good addition, but his addition might be slightly redundant. Nonetheless, Duvall is a right-handed corner outfielder to keep tabs on over the next four or so hours.
Expected Asset Cost For Duvall: Duvall would net a similar haul to what the Brewers gave up for Canha. If the Twins traded for Duvall, expect the Twins to part with a prospect towards the end of their Top 30 list (i.e., Zebby Matthews or Ben Ross, for example) or an assortment of unranked prospects in the lower minor league levels.
#3. Lane Thomas - Nationals - 451 PA, .285/.333/.472 (.805), 16 HR, 115 wRC+, 2.1 fWAR
The next right-handed corner outfielder comes in the form of the Nationals' current best player, Lane Thomas. Through 451 plate appearances, Thomas has been a revelation for the struggling Nationals, hitting for average and power while displaying elite speed on the base paths and in the outfield.
Unlike Duvall, Thomas has mashed left-handed pitching, hitting .362/.407/.638 (1.045) with 47 hits, eight home runs, ten doubles, ten walks, and 26 strikeouts in 140 plate appearances.
Thomas, 27, has team control through 2025, so he would cost more than the three other outfielders on this list, who are all rental options. Although Thomas would cost more, he is the best right-handed hitting corner outfielder on this list, and he could stay in Minnesota for two more seasons if the Twins elect to keep him by offering arbitration in 2024 and 2025.
The Nationals' steep asking price will undoubtedly deter many people, but if the Twins want to attempt to resolve their right-handed hitting corner outfield woes genuinely, trading for Thomas should help them in the short and long term.
Expected Asset Cost for Thomas: Thomas is different from Duvall in that he has two and a half years left of control, plus he is an overall better and younger player. If the Twins traded for Thomas, expect them to send over a handful of Top 30 prospects. It would likely be two-to-three top thirty prospects, with the first prospect being a top ten prospect (i.e., David Festa or Danny De Andrade, for example), the second prospect being a mid-teens to early twenties prospect (i.e., Brent Headrick or C.J. Culpepper, for example) and then a fringe Top 30 prospects (i.e., Cory Lewis or Ross again, for example). Thomas will cost a lot, but he is a legit starting right-handed hitting corner outfielder.
#2. Teoscar Hernandez - Mariners - 441 PA, .238/.288/.408 (.696), 16 HR, 93 wRC+, 0.6 fWAR
The second most realistic right-handed hitting corner outfielder the Twins could trade for is current Seattle Mariners right fielder Teoscar Hernandez.
Hernandez's 2023 season has been a story of struggle, evidenced by his unimpressive stat line and below-league-average wRC+ of just 93. Hernandez appears to no longer be the player he once was with the Toronto Blue Jays. However, he is still a serviceable right-handed hitting corner outfielder, especially when facing left-handed pitching.
Here are Hernandez's numbers when facing left-handed pitching this season:
- 92 Plate Appearances
- .295/.315/.568 (.883)
- 26 H
- Six Home Runs
- Six Doubles
- Three Walks
- 31 Strikeouts
Hernandez has hit left-handed exceptionally well while showing immense power, as evidenced by a .568 slugging percentage.
Hernandez has star potential, and if he can tap into that ability down the stretch, he could significantly help this Twins lineup down the stretch, and even if Hernandez continues to struggle, it is fair to assume that he will continue to mash left-handed pitching.
Expected Asset Cost For Hernandez: The Mariners are both buying and selling, so if the Twins were to trade for Hernandez, expect them to send over a young player or even an MLB-ready veteran. Trading Larnach for Hernandez is too much. Yet, if the Twins could acquire Hernandez plus a reliever in Justin Topa, for example, the Twins could send Larnach plus an outside of the Top 30 prospect back to the Mariners.
#1. Tommy Pham - Mets - 264 PA, .268/.348/.472 (.820), 10 HR, 127 wRC+, 1.7 fWAR
The most realistic right-handed hitting corner outfielder the Twins could still trade for is current Mets outfielder Tommy Pham.
Having already traded David Robertson to the Marlins, Max Scherzer to the Rangers, and the previously mentioned Canha to the Brewers, Pham will likely depart the Mets within the next handful of hours.
Like Thomas and Hernandez, Pham fits the mold of a right-handed corner outfielder who hits left-handed pitching very well.
Through 109 plate appearances, Pham has hit .255/.339/.532 (.871) with 24 hits, eight home runs, two doubles, 13 walks, and 23 strikeouts.
Pham is an interesting character who has done some questionable things in the past, but this Twins clubhouse, which tends to appear uninspired at times, could use someone to shake up the clubhouse and bring a unique perspective.
Despite not being the best player on this list, Pham, being a rental option and a team the Twins have had confirmed dialogue with, feels like the most likely option for the Twins.
Expected Asset Cost For Pham: Acquiring Pham should be cheap and, as reported by Dan Hayes of The Athletic, the Twins have been having discussions with the Mets pertaining to the surplus amount of young left-handed corner outfield bats the Twins have, so a hypothetical trade of Pham and left-handed relief pitcher Brooks Raley to the Twins for Larnach would make sense.
Which of these four corner outfielders do you think the Twins should trade for? Who do you think the Twins are most likely to trade for? Comment below.
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