The Twins Should Let the Pirates, Well, Pirate The Farm

Of course, the Nationals of 2019 were able to get it together before the end of July (but only to the tune of 57-51) and played very well down the stretch to finish 93-69.

But the reality of that is that they still narrowly escaped a one-game playoff with the Brewers and went the distance with the Dodgers in the NLDS and the Astros in the World Series. Sure, they swept the Cardinals, but the difference between being the World Champion and not even being a memorable team was razor thin.

And that can be the Twins this year. Literally, every team in the American League is doing their best anti-Nancy Kerrigan, "Why not me?!" "Why not now!?"

The Rangers are good, but adding help like their ship is sinking. The Orioles are good, but they're average age is young enough to have like six fathers on the Yankees team. The Rays are slipping. The Astros. The Angels. The others in the American League East. They all think they can win the American League pennant and the way that the playoffs work in baseball; they're not wrong.

So, back to the Twins. It's time to make the move. I'm not suggesting blowing it up for this year's team. I am, however, more than willing to accelerate the timeline of certain players. And by that I mean, turn a current prospect and their seven years of control into less years of control of a player who is ready to contribute right now.

That big prospect is Emmanuel Rodriguez.

I recorded a little five-minute video explaining why I'd trade him. I was on Twitter Sunday night posting about my fears of what he turns into.

And I'm calling the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates have two players that I'm mostly intrigued by: Reliever David Bednar and outfielder/first baseman Connor Joe. Would it be possible to pry both players away from them? I'm not sure.

Bednar is 28 years old, but will enter arbitration for the first time this offseason. He's a luxury: a closer on a bad team. His numbers are relatively consistent over the last three years at 11.4-12.0 K/9, 2.7-2.8 BB/9, a WHIP between 0.97-1.10. There's always risk in trading for a reliever - ALWAYS! - but he's been really good since becoming a regular in Pittsburgh in 2021. This isn't Jorge Lopez. This is a significant step up. So much so that the price is going to be extremely high.

Joe is even older. He will turn 31 in two weeks. But he's not even arbitration-eligible until following next season. The reason I'm buying Joe, though, is because of his ability to hit left-handed pitchers and play two positions of need (left field and first base). An .858 OPS against lefties is what the lineup needs and will continue to need as they churn through left-handed outfielders for the foreseeable future.

The Pirates almost certainly ask for Brooks Lee - and they should - but I'd hold strong to Emmanuel Rodriguez being the headliner. They passed on Dylan Crews, here's the outfielder they need. Rodriguez would be too much to give up for Joe and not enough for Bednar, but you've at least closed the gap enough to have a conversation.

What else would it take: I'd be shocked if it didn't take one of the AAA/MLB outfielders in Matt Wallner or Trevor Larnach. I'd let them take their pick. I'm sure it would take a young pitcher - like Louie Varland maybe. I wouldn't be overly inclined to trade Marco Raya, but if they want to take one of those 2022 drafted pitchers, ok. If they want two, I probably wouldn't walk away from the table either.

They'd probably ask for a lottery ticket or two: Bryan Acuna carries extra value because his last name is Acuna and not Smith. Before you go too crazy, you'd have no issue trading Bryan Smith, born in Manchester, New Hampshire and struggling in the Florida Complex League. But he's Ronald's brother, born in Manchester, New Hampshire and struggling in the Florida Complex League, and the last one just netted Max Scherzer and $36 million. And there are a dozen others who you've maybe heard their name, but are six years away from hearing their name at Target Field... if they're lucky.

It might also take more than that and that's fine. And it's made possible by headlining a deal with a Top 50 prospect who might never swing the bat enough to hit.

Are Bednar and Joe enough to push the Twins over the top? Who knows. Would the Twins regret trading Rodriguez, Wallner, Varland, Acuna and some combination of others for them? Who knows on that either! But someone is going to come out on top in the American League Central and someone is going to win the American League Championship Series.

Why not the Twins?