SEA 1, MIN 0: Twins Get LeBlanc’ed

They need guys who can hit, left or right. This handedness obsession is odd to me. I get it, I don't agree with it. Don't forget defense and baserunning....

Sure, trading for an OF would be nice, but that's not happening until mid July....

Not sure what there is to agree with. Lefties hit righties better and righties hit lefties better. You're putting your team in a better spot if you have a backup OF who hits from the opposite side as the guy he spells.

Twins 4th OF is likely to play when there is a LH starting pitcher on the mound. Lamonte Wade has a .667 OPS vs. LH so far this season (admittedly small SS) and would not be put in a position to succeed. Robbie Grossman's career MLB OPS vs LHP is .753 (and even as he has slumped this year it is still .733).

If Lamonte Wade was a can't miss prospect, sure he'd be up. But he seems like more of a 4th OF unless he starts hitting with power (another reason he should be playing every day in the minors). His defense would be better than Grossman but a defensive OF is less useful for the Twins than a guy who hits righty. Especially with Sano out and our right handed options severely limited.

As for the deadline, not necessarily. Trade deadline is the final date but trades can and do happen before then. The Giants, for instance, are 21-21 with top two pitchers out for at least another month. They may be ready to sell by late June, especially a guy like McCutchen who would get them close to being under the luxury tax (important if they see themselves as a Harper/Machado target this offseason).

For now Grossman is fine (there aren't internal options and the available external options are not better than Grossman now) but hopefully by the All-Star Break, the twins can make an upgrade. With the pen and the rotation looking good and Polanco back around the break, it might be their biggest need.

The Twins didn't sign Morrison play like a minor leaguer for a month (April) and be a borderline average singles hitter for the next 2 weeks (May).

No they signed him for his entire body of work. Morrison is trending in the right direction and has a career OPS+ of 108. He isn't striking out more often than he has in the past and his line drive rate is similar to his career rate. His BABIP is .224 and while some will blame the shift, he saw the shift a lot last year and still had a career year.

He'll get a bit more lucky and the hits will fall. He may not be last year's Logan Morrison but should settle in to be an above average hitter. At some point he will carry the team for a week and that will be fun. When Sano comes back, he should be DHing against lefties less, which would be nice.

Trades just don't happen, of good players, historically until July. That's what history shows us. Whether teams should or should not trade earlier is a different discussion, but they just don't usually. Super, super, rarely. So, another 6 weeks by your timeline.

 

In the meantime, Wade could be up and playing (though that is less needed now that Buxton is back, agreed). I'm not sure why we are looking at 6 weeks of data for Wade, but a career for Grossman....

 

And, despite people continuing to type it, I disagree. Defense matters.

Defense does matter (BTW, I never said it didn't) but it isn't the sole thing. Also, Lamonte Wade isn't a defensive whiz, he's a decent fielder. Grossman is below average but he matches other needs (switch hitter) that Wade does not. In an overall picture of the 4th OF role, the defense seems less important, especially since the Twins have the guy Grossman replaces as a defensive sub in late-inning situations. Wade's defense is useless in games he does not start (he's not a defensive replace for Buxton, Kepler or Rosario) while Grossman's ability to PH as a switch hitter makes him potentially useful every game.

I use the data we have at hand, the more we have the better. We don't have any other data of Wade in the high minors or majors. Another point in Grossman's favor. He may not be perfect but you know what you get. Wade is likely to be overmatched at times simply because of inexperience. If he checked every other box, great. But as is, he doesn't fit the team.

This does raise some long-term concerns for Wade and Granite. It's hard to see the Twins having much of a role for either one (and certainly not both) in the upcoming 2-3 years. It'll be interesting to see if they become trade chips at the deadline.

Trades just don't happen, of good players, historically until July. That's what history shows us. Whether teams should or should not trade earlier is a different discussion, but they just don't usually. Super, super, rarely. So, another 6 weeks by your timeline.

 

Certainly most trades take place in July but there are trades of consequence that happen in June.

2016: James Shields traded to White Sox by Padres
2015: Mark Trumbo moves from ARI to SEA as ARI ties to dump payroll
 

These two both seem like decent comps. Veteran guys who are biggish names but who don't fit a fading team are dumped early because of payroll concerns and a need by a team that wants to contend. The Twins have a definite need for a 4th OF who hits RH.

I guess here's a question: Would you trade Wade or Granite (and the five to six years of control) for McCutchen (and his salary) today? I wouldn't with Wade (he's only 24 and may develop a power tool that could make him useful) but I think I'd pull the trigger with Granite. He's almost 26 and seems like a 4th OF - that seems reasonable to get a guy who makes more sense for a team with hopes to contend. Thoughts?