Matthew Taylor

We are less than 6 weeks away from the 2021 MLB trade deadline, and the Minnesota Twins figure to be active participants in the trade market. One player likely to get traded is Nelson Cruz. Who could the Twins get back in return? At age 40, Nelson Cruz has picked up right where he left off in 2020. In 63 games thus far in 2021, Cruz owns a .936 OPS and leads the Minnesota Twins in home runs and RBI. Set to become a free agent at the end of the season, Cruz figures to be a prime trade piece for the Minnesota Twins this July. Cruz provides a middle-of-the order bat that many teams look for as they beef up for a playoff run. What the Twins have working against themselves, though, in looking for a trade partner is the nature of Nelson Cruz’s position. As a designated hitter, the list of potential suitors for Cruz is automatically cut in half to be just American League teams. From there, you trim down the list to only the contending teams, and suddenly there aren’t many teams left who would be interested in Cruz. Nevertheless, a Nelson Cruz trade makes a ton of sense for the Twins and we’re going to find some potential trade options for him. In laying out trade proposals for Nelson Cruz, we will use Baseball Trade Values. BTV is a website that assigns a point total of “value” to all Major and Minor Leaguers, and based on those point values assesses whether a trade would be accepted or not. Baseball Trade Values is certainly not an imperfect resource, but it gives an objective way to start the trade conversation and provide a starting point for a trade proposal. With that being said… Trade Proposal #1: The first trade proposal for Nelson Cruz would be a deal sending the designated hitter to the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto figures to have a lot of interest in the 40-year-old Cruz, as their .622 team OPS from the designated hitter position is 2nd worst in the American League. As a team, the Blue Jays are 36-35 and 5.5 games back from a wild card spot. With a masher like Cruz being implemented into the lineup, the Blue Jays would have a real shot at making their first postseason appearance since 2016. Coming back to the Minnesota Twins, the Toronto Blue Jays would send two of their top-20 prospects in RHP Adam Kloffenstein and RHP T.J. Zeuch. Kloffenstein is the Toronto Blue Jays’ 9th ranked prospect and is still just 20 years old. Kloffenstein was a 3rd round draft pick as a high school pitcher and throws a solid fastball with a good curveball and slider. In low-A in 2019, the right hander posted a 2.24 ERA in 64.1 innings. In addition to Kloffenstein, the Twins would acquire AAA pitcher, T.J. Zeuch. Zeuch is the Blue Jays’ 26th ranked prospect and at the age of 25 is Major League ready. In 49 career innings in the Majors, Zeuch owns a 4.59 ERA, but his 6-foot-7 frame and quality slider could turn him into a quality reliever in the Majors. Trade Proposal #2: Another contending team that has struggled from the DH position this season has been the Twins’ central division foes, the Chicago White Sox. The Sox are currently getting a .707 OPS this season from the DH spot, the 6th worst mark in the American League. While the White Sox are leading the AL Central, they have dropped 5 games in a row, and will likely be looking to tie up the loose ends of their roster in preparation for a playoff run. One of those loose ends could be DH, and Nelson Cruz could be the name that makes the most sense. In return for Nelson Cruz, one name the Twins could be looking at is single-A middle infield prospect, Jose Rodriguez. At the age of 20, Rodriguez is still an extremely raw prospect, but he has the upside to be a cornerstone in the middle infield one day. Rodriguez ranks as the White Sox #15 prospect, but could move up the ranks quickly. With not much pipeline depth at middle infield, Rodriguez could be a nice prize for the Twins to get back in exchange for Cruz. Trade Proposal #3: Locked into a tight AL West division race with the Houston Astros, the Oakland Athletics will be looking to bolster their lineup with some much needed pop, as the Athletics have received a sub-.700 OPS from their DH position this season. Nelson Cruz would naturally fill in for a struggling Mitch Moreland and give the A’s the help they need. In return, the Athletics would send the Twins their 8th ranked prospect, RHP Jeff Criswell. At 22 years old, Criswell was a 2nd round pick in 2022 and owns a fastball that sticks in the mid-90s. With a farm system fighting through injuries this season, a pitching prospect would be a big deal for the Minnesota Twins, and Criswell could be the perfect fit. Which of the 3 trade proposals above would you like best for Nelson Cruz? Given the likely trade returns for the Twins’ DH do you think the Twins are better off hanging onto him? Leave a comment below and start the conversation. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Taylor Rogers is having one of the best seasons of his career. While that makes him a great trade candidate for the Minnesota Twins, they might be better off exploring an extension with the southpaw. In what has been a nightmare season for the Minnesota Twins’ bullpen, Taylor Rogers has been one of the few bright spots. Through 29 appearances thus far, Rogers owns a sparkling 2.67 ERA with a career high K/9 of 12.5. Rogers has been used in every type of situation as well, playing the role of left-handed specialist, fireman and closer, proving time and time again to be Rocco Baldelli’s most trusted arm in the bullpen. After a 2020 season in which Rogers was extremely unlucky, regression has tilted back in his favor in 2021, and the results are proving again that he is an exceptionally talented pitcher. As a talented pitcher on a struggling baseball team, the reaction from some may be that Taylor Rogers is a prime trade candidate. Playoff teams can always use another reliever, and with 1.5 years remaining on his deal, a Taylor Rogers trade could net the Twins a solid return. While the logic behind that thinking is sound, there is another alternative that could benefit the Twins even more, a contract extension. There are several reasons why a contract extension for Taylor Rogers would make a lot of sense for the Minnesota Twins. The first of which is extremely basic, Taylor Rogers is a really good pitcher. Since the start of 2018, Rogers ranks in the top-20 among all relievers in innings pitched, ERA, WHIP and K/BB ratio. Simply put, Rogers is one of the best bullpen arms in all of baseball. Secondly, the Minnesota Twins bullpen is one of the worst bullpens in baseball with not many names to count on going forward. Outside of Taylor Rogers, the only semi-reliable names that the Twins have for the future are Tyler Duffey, who is having his worst season since 2018, and Jorge Alcala, who has shown promise but is nowhere near a sure thing. Taking a bad bullpen, and removing its best piece would be risky and leave a huge question mark for that unit for a Minnesota Twins team who will be hoping to compete again in 2022 or 2023. Additionally, by extending Taylor Rogers this offseason, the Minnesota Twins would be able to save annual money by committing longevity to Rogers. After earning $6M in his second year of arbitration prior to 2021, Rogers will likely be looking at a 3rd year arbitration contract of $7.5M heading into 2022. If the Twins want to save money on Rogers’ third year of arbitration, as well as avoid Rogers becoming an unrestricted free agent, they could offer Rogers a 3 year contract at $20M. This contract would net Rogers an AAV of $6.67M, saving the Twins money in 2022, as well as ensuring that they maintain some consistency in their bullpen by bringing back their best reliever at a reasonable contract. Signing a reliever to a contract extension is always going to be a risky proposition, especially for someone like Rogers who will turn 31 this offseason. The lefty, however, has just 300 big league innings on his arm and has shown no signs of slowing down, increasing his velocity and whiff % to career highs in 2021. As a great clubhouse guy, Rogers brings more than just talent to the Minnesota Twins and would be the perfect bridge player to not only lead the bullpen over the next couple of years, but usher in the bullpen arms of the future. The Twins should extend Taylor Rogers. View full article

It took him seven years to get there, but Nick Gordon has found himself on the Twins’ Major League roster. Not only that, the former first round pick is showing that he has what it takes to stick in the Big Leagues. The career path for Nick Gordon hasn’t been an easy one. After being drafted fifth overall by the Twins in the 2014 MLB Amateur Draft, Gordon was quickly labeled a bust by many, as the second baseman wasn’t progressing through the minor leagues as quickly as many hoped he would. In the Minors, Gordon consistently showed good contact skills, but failed to develop the power skills that would take his game to the next level. In 2019, Gordon put up his best season in the Minor Leagues, posting a .298 average in 70 games with the AAA Rochester Red Wings and showing solid plate discipline that would transition to the Major League game. Then 2020 happened. With eyes on a Major League roster spot, Gordon’s plans were put on hold after he was diagnosed with COVID-19 right before the start of Summer Camp. The disease hit Gordon extremely hard, forcing him to miss the entirety of the 2020 season and putting his future Major League Baseball hopes in serious jeopardy. After narrowly avoiding roster cuts and sticking on the 40-man roster with the Minnesota Twins, Nick Gordon came into the 2021 season with hopes of finally playing in the Major Leagues like his father and half brother had done before him. After seven years of perseverance, Gordon finally achieved his lifelong dream and made it to the Major Leagues. And boy, is he making a first impression. Through his first 24 plate appearances in the Big Leagues, Nick Gordon has collected 10 hits, posting a .435/.458/.565 slash line, with three stolen bases and a home run that he hit in front of his father, long time Major League pitcher, Flash Gordon. Showing nice bat control and even a little bit of pop, Gordon has been showing early on in his big league career that his bat can play at the Major League level. The problem that Gordon faced, though, was his defensive limitations. Throughout his Minor League career, Gordon has shown himself to potentially be a bit stretched at the shortstop position, limiting his defensive abilities to just be second base. Backup second basemen without much additional positional flexibility don’t have much utility in the Majors, and unless Gordon could show defensive abilities elsewhere, his future role was still somewhat of a question. Gordon’s future outlook changed on Thursday night, though, when he was thrust into center field after an Alex Kirilloff injury forced Gilberto Celestino to right field and opened up center for the former first round pick. Although it was just a one-game sample size, Gordon sure looked like a natural out there, showing the smooth movement, quick feet, and athleticism that it takes to stick in center field. Center fielders in baseball, especially ones who can hit, are always going to be a coveted asset in Major League Baseball. While Gordon might not have what it takes to stick as a full-time center fielder, if he can get some opportunities in 2021 to show that he can fill in there, he will most definitely carve out a long-term role in the Majors as a multi-positional utilityman with plus-speed and plus-contact ability. This role especially being useful on a Minnesota Twins team that has consistently needed backup centerfield services over the years. The road to the Majors for Nick Gordon has been more challenging than anyone could have anticipated. Gordon is finally getting his opportunity, though, and by the looks of it, he’s not going to give it up. What have been your first impressions of Nick Gordon in 2021? Do you think he has carved out a role in the Big Leagues? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

In a plot twist more shocking than anything you’ll see from Hollywood, the Minnesota Twins toppled the New York Yankees in dramatic fashion thanks to 9th inning heroics from 2 veterans. Box Score Happ: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Home Runs: Donaldson (8), Cruz (11) Top 3 WPA: Cruz .447, Donaldson .376, Astudillo .074 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Coming into Thursday night’s game, the Minnesota Twins were leaning on the left arm of J.A. Happ to avoid a 3-game sweep against the evil empire, a tall task considering how the free agent had been performing up to that point. Early on, the game started how all Twins fans imagined that it might, as the righty-heavy New York Yankees lineup got to Happ early, capped off by cleanup hitter Giancarlo Stanton launching a three-run blast to the batter’s eye off Happ in the top of the 1st inning to give the Yankees an early 3-0 lead. After settling down a bit in the 2nd and 3rd, the Yankees got to Happ again in the 4th inning when third baseman, Gio Urshela, hit a solo home run. In his start, Happ threw 101 pitches across 5 innings, allowing 8 hits, 4 earned runs, and a walk while striking out just 2. The start marked Happ’s third in a row that he was unable to get past 5 innings and his 7th consecutive “non-quality” start. Through 11 starts, Happ now owns a 5.75 ERA and on an expiring contract brings almost no trade value to a team desperate for tradeable assets. The Twins’ bullpen did a nice job keeping the Yankee bats at bay, aside from Tyler Duffey in the 6th inning who allowed the Yankees to connect on 3 hits, including an RBI single from D.J. LeMahieu to give the Yankees their 5th run of the ballgame. After that, the Twins received scoreless innings from Jorge Alcala, Luke Farrell and Hansel Robles to keep the game within reach. For much of the game, the 5 runs for the Yankees looked as if they would be enough, as the Twins were unable to form any rallies or score runs in bunches, limiting their damage to singular runs in the 1st, 4th and 7th innings with an RBI double from Andrelton Simmons along with 2 RBI from Nelson Cruz. Heading into the 9th inning, the Minnesota Twins were down 5-3 and the game seemed that it was inevitably headed towards the same fate as so many games from Twins/Yankees past with Aroldis Chapman on the mound, ready to close out yet another Yankee sweep. The Minnesota Twins’ veterans had other plans, though, as the top of the order came up to bat and immediately showed that they were seeing Chapman well. Polanco led off the inning with a single before Josh Donaldson tied up the game on a 1-0 fastball that he launched to left center for a game-tying home run. The Minnesota Twins weren’t satisfied with just tying the game, though, as the Twins quickly looked to keep the momentum rolling. Immediately following the Donaldson home run, Willians Astudillo knocked a single before Nelson Cruz came up to the plate and mashed the first pitch of the at-bat, a 97 miles-per-hour fastball to center field to win the game for the Minnesota Twins. In total, Aroldis Chapman threw just 9 pitches, allowing 4 runs on 4 hits and giving the Minnesota Twins the win. Another Injury for the Home Team In a season that has largely been defined by injuries for the Minnesota Twins, yet another player fell victim to the injury bug in Thursday night’s game, Alex Kirilloff. Kirilloff was forced to leave the game after fielding Gio Urshela’s triple in the first inning. Per media, Kirilloff has what has been diagnosed as a left low-grade ankle sprain. Another Big Night for Nick The injury to Alex Kirilloff forced the Minnesota Twins to move Gilberto Celestino to right field and thrust utility infielder, Nick Gordon, in center field. Gordon pleasantly more than held his own out in centerfield and did not look overmatched at all, a huge development for the future career of the Twins former first round draft pick. At the plate, Gordon went 2-for-3 and raised his batting average to .435. Twins Bullpen Usage View full article

As the Minnesota Twins continue to lose, selling at the trade deadline has gone from a possibility to an inevitability. How do the Twins’ most tradable assets stack up in terms of trade value? When a team deems itself to be a seller at the trade deadline, the first names to go on the trade block are that team’s impending free agents. After all, if a team is declaring the current season to be a lost one, the best move for a team is to recoup as many assets as possible for the players who will be gone at the end of that season anyways. The Minnesota Twins have 7 players on their roster who are set to become free agents at the end of this season. When the Twins ultimately decide that it is time to trade present for future, these 7 names will be the ones that everyone points to as the obvious names that need to be moved. Let’s take a look at how these 7 players rank in terms of trade value. 1. Nelson Cruz While he has not been the same Boomstick that Minnesota Twins fans have grown accustomed to watching over each of the last two seasons, Nelson Cruz is still having a very strong year at the plate. Through 51 games, Cruz owns a .858 OPS and is hitting 43% above league average according to OPS+. The designated hitter is leading the Twins in home runs (10) and RBI (25). A middle of the order bat like Cruz’s is the type of player that is always going to be coveted by teams pushing for the playoffs at the trade deadline and will certainly generate many phone calls from buying teams this Summer. The issue for Cruz at the trade deadline is the same issue that he faced this past winter in free agency, which is the fact that he is a designated hitter. After MLB brought the designated hitter position back to just the American League, the potential number of suitors for a Nelson Cruz trade is much less than it would be if all 30 teams adopted the rule. Teams that could be interested in trading for Cruz at the deadline are the Blue Jays, White Sox, or as Twins Daily’s Cody Christie recently wrote, the reigning American League Champions. 2. Michael Pineda Even more so than a middle of the order bat, the most coveted position that teams target at the trade deadline is starting pitching. Because of injuries that occur during the year along with the scarcity of position, there will always be the demand for starting pitching. The best starting pitcher that the Minnesota Twins have as an impending free agent this Summer is undoubtedly Michael Pineda. Since joining the Twins rotation in 2019, Pineda owns a 3.80 ERA over 220 innings while nearly striking out a batter an inning. The problem with Pineda, and the reason why his trade value isn’t as strong as Cruz’s, is that recent performance suggests that Pineda may be on the way down rather than the way up. Over his last 6 starts, Pineda has posted a 4.85 ERA with an opponent OPS of .802. Pineda has allowed loud contact all season, and underlying numbers suggest that things might get worse before they get better. To top it off, Pineda has been dealing with injuries to his leg and forearm over the past few weeks, which will make teams nervous to pull the trigger. Even with all of the concerns listed above, starting pitching fetches value, and if Pineda can string together a few good starts before the trade deadline, he could bring a decent haul back to Minnesota in a potential trade. 3. Andrelton Simmons When the Minnesota Twins signed Andrelton Simmons this offseason, they signed an elite shortstop glove with an average-at-best bat. While Simmons’ defensive numbers suggest that he has fit that bill in the field, his numbers at the plate have been rough, hitting just .233 with a .601 OPS in his 127 PAs after coming off of the COVID-19 injured list. In addition to the poor numbers at the plate, the issue with Simmons’s trade value is that there are just not a lot of contending teams out there in need of a shortstop. One team that could make a lot of sense as a trade partner for Simmons is the Oakland Athletics who rank 29th in baseball in terms of fWAR provided by the shortstop position. 4. Hansel Robles The Minnesota Twins signed Hansel Robles early in free agency as a player they really liked out of the bullpen, and that signing has worked out well for the Twins up to this point. In 26.2 innings pitched so far in 2021, Robles owns a 3.04 ERA and owns a K/9 of 9.5. Contending teams are always looking to add arms to the back of their bullpen at the trade deadline, and there will be no shortage of interest in the Twins’ reliever. As is typically the case with relievers, especially ones on an expiring deal, the return on these trades is never too great. So while Robles will have a lot of trade interest, his return will almost certainly be less than the players named ahead of him on this list. 5. Alexander Colomé There is definitely a drop-off in terms of trade value after number 4 on our list and the drop-off starts with Alexander Colomé. Colomé was a big name free agency signing for the front office this winter that has gone about as poorly as anyone could have imagined. Through 20 innings, Colomé owns a 5.31 ERA and is securely sitting at the bottom of all of baseball in terms of win probability added. In addition to the poor performance (putting it lightly) that Colomé has shown on the field in 2021, the other thing holding back the right hander’s trade value is the mutual option on his contract for 2022. If the Twins (or the team Colomé gets traded to) wishes to decline Colomé’s option of $5.5M in 2022, the team will be on the hook for paying Colomé a $1.25M buyout. With how poorly Colomé has pitched in 2021, any team will decline that $5.5M and be forced to pay the buyout. Maybe the Twins can attach money to a Colomé trade to ease that financial burden, but at that point, what are you receiving back for the reliever that would bring back any type of value? 6. J.A. Happ Yet another miserable offseason signing for the Twins’ front office, J.A. Happ has been atrocious for the Minnesota Twins thus far in 2021. Through 10 starts, Happ owns a career worst 5.61 ERA and a career low 6.5 K/9. Opponents are hitting .260 off the left hander, and with each start Happ looks worse and worse, posting a 10.17 ERA over his past 5 starts. Could Happ put together a run of 3 or 4 quality starts and a team takes a flyer on him as a veteran with playoff experience? Maybe. The most likely scenario is that he either just sticks with the Twins for the balance of the season and eats innings on an injury-riddled roster, or Happ gets DFA’d for a minor league arm. 7. Matt Shoemaker Zero trade value. None. Nada. Zilch. Not going to happen. Do you agree with the above list of impending free agents and the amount of trade value that they possess? Leave a comment below and start the conversation. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Voting for the 2021 MLB all-star game opened on Thursday morning. While the Minnesota Twins have hardly had many all-star-worthy moments up to this point, the Twins do have 4 solid candidates for an all-star berth. MLB all-star voting this season will be handled the same as the past two seasons, where the starters will be voted in via a fan vote over two rounds. The first round of fan voting will decide the top-3 candidates at each position and the second round will consist of voting between the top-3 vote-getters at each position to determine the starters. The all-star reserves will then be selected via player ballots as well as selections by the Commissioner’s office. As always, every MLB team must have at least one representative in the MLB all-star game, which means that no matter what the Minnesota Twins will have someone represented in the mid-summer classic. Let’s look at the candidates. Honorable Mention: Mitch Garver Mitch Garver was looking like one of the best candidates on the Minnesota Twins to earn a trip to the all-star game prior to his injury and subsequent surgery on Tuesday night. Up to that point Garver had posted a .833 OPS, second best amongst American League catchers, and was playing his best baseball of the young season. While we don’t have an exact timetable for the Twins’ backstop, Rocco Baldelli indicated that it will be “at least a few weeks” for Garver to recover, which all but removes Garver from all-star contention. Candidate #1: José Berríos Résumé: ERA: 3.36 ERA (10th among AL SPs) WHIP: 1.09 (11th) K/9: 9.65 (11th) fWAR: 1.3 (10th) While Berríos hasn’t taken that next step forward and broken out for the Minnesota Twins in 2021 like many hoped he would, the Twins’ right-hander has again been putting together a strong and steady season very similar to those of the past 4 years. Berríos’ numbers this year show that he is teetering on the edge of being a top-10 pitcher in the American League, which is right on the cusp of all-star candidacy. Berríos has been elected to the all-star game two years previously, and in a year in which the Minnesota Twins will need to send someone to the game, Berríos could nab his 3rd all-star appearance this year. Candidate #2: Taylor Rogers Résumé: ERA: 2.82 ERA (33rd among AL RPs) WHIP: 1.16 (35th) K/9: 12.49 (14th) fWAR: 0.5 (13th) In a 2021 season that has been miserable for the Minnesota Twins’ bullpen, Taylor Rogers has been the lone bright spot. After a down season in 2020, Rogers has been extremely effective this year, striking out more batters than ever before in his career. Rogers’ numbers lag behind other relievers in the American League, but in a scenario where the Minnesota Twins need to have one all-star, it’s easy to see a scenario where Rogers gets the nod above lesser known relievers. Candidate #3: Nelson Cruz Résumé: OPS: .849 (7th among AL DHs) HR: 10 (6th) RBI: 25 (9th) fWAR: 0.9 (6th) Nelson Cruz is having another strong year at the plate with an OPS of .849 and is leading the Minnesota Twins in home runs and RBIs. Because of his strong name recognition, Cruz could earn himself a starting spot via the fan vote, but his most likely path to an all-star berth would be more of a “legacy” nod from the players or Commissioner's office as a reserve with the stiff competition this year at the DH spot. Candidate #4: Byron Buxton Résumé: OPS: 1.180 HR: 9 RBI: 17 fWAR: 2.6 Through the first month of the 2021 season, Byron Buxton was playing like a lock to be an all-star starter, as he was pacing the field in just about every offensive metric along with his always-stellar defensive play, en route to capturing the American League Player of the Month award for April. Unfortunately for Buxton, a hamstring injury has kept him off the field since May 6. The question that all-star voters, players, and the Commissioner's office will have to wrestle with is how few games can someone play to still earn an all-star bid. Up to this point, Buxton has appeared in just 24 games with still no rehab assignment having been announced yet. If Buxton can get into games by the middle of June, he would have about 45 games under his belt by the time the all-star game is played. Is 50% of games played at an elite level enough to earn an all-star bid? We will find out. Which Twin(s) do you think will earn an all-star bid for the Minnesota Twins this summer? Are there any other candidates who weren’t listed? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! To vote your favorite players to the all-star game, click here! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Despite a 2-homer performance from Josh Donaldson, the Twins lost yet again. This time to the Kansas City Royals. The Minnesota Twins are now 22-34 and as lost as ever. Box Score Happ: 5.0 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 2 K Home Runs: Donaldson 2 (7) Bottom 3 WPA: Happ -.345, Celestino -.174, Larnach -.155 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) The Minnesota Twins set a strong tone early right away on Thursday night, when Josh Donaldson belted a solo home run in the top of the 1st inning to give the Twins an early 1-0 lead over the hometown Kansas City Royals. Maybe today would be the day that the Twins turned their fortunes around? After the Kansas City Royals got two runs of their own in the 1st and 3rd innings, the Minnesota Twins tied the game again in the top of the 4th inning on a Nick Gordon RBI single, the first RBI of the infielder’s major league career. After trading the lead back and forth in the middle innings, the Minnesota Twins found themselves down 5-4 in the 7th inning when Josh Donaldson blasted a tying solo shot to center field for his second home run of the game. The home run marked Donaldson’s first multi-homer game in a Minnesota Twins uniform and his first multi-home run game since August 25, 2019 with the Atlanta Braves. The home run capped off an excellent night for Donaldson who went 3-5 with a double, two home runs and 2 RBI. The momentum didn’t last long though, as the Twins gave up what ultimately ended up being the deciding run in the bottom half of the 7th inning when Gilberto Celestino and Trevor Larnach misplayed a routine fly ball to left center before Celestino had a mind fart and threw the ball to first base, allowing Kansas City’s Jarrod Dyson to score from 3rd base. On the mound, J.A. Happ was extremely inconsistent, allowing loud contact, highlighted by the 3 home runs combined from Salvador Perez and Hunter Dozier. The Minnesota Twins bullpen pitched better than we’ve been accustomed to seeing, but in the end the Twins couldn’t overcome the lackluster start from Happ or yet another miscue in the field and the Minnesota Twins fell to Kansas City Royals 6-5. The Twins are now 10 games into their 13-game run against the lowly Royals and Orioles and are a meager 5-5 over that stretch. The Twins What’s Next The Minnesota Twins will attempt to turn things in the right direction on Friday evening against the Kansas City Royals with Matt Shoemaker taking the hill against Brad Keller. View full article

The Minnesota Twins offense looked completely lifeless in game one, but awoke in a big way in game 2, leading to a split doubleheader for the last place Minnesota Twins. Game 1: Twins 1, Angels 7 Box Score Thorpe: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K Home runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Thorpe -.317, Larnach -.101, Donaldson -.100 Win Probability Chart (Via FanGraphs) Game 2: Twins 6, Angels 3 Box Score Berríos: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K Home Runs: Sanó (7), Garver (7), Larnach (1) Top 3 WPA: Sanó .230, Garver .090, Rogers .088 Win Probability Chart (Via FanGraphs) Game 1: More of the Same The first half of the double header for the Minnesota Twins largely followed the same script as every Minnesota Twins game this season. The bats were quiet, their starter only went 4 innings and the bullpen again allowed the walls to cave in. The Angels wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in game one Thursday afternoon, as Lewis Thorpe served up a solo home run to the second batter of the game, Phil Gosselin. After the Twins tied up the game on a sacrifice fly in the second inning, the Angels kept their foot on the gas and didn’t let up, pushing across runs on extra base hits in the 2nd, 5th and 7th innings while the Minnesota Twins didn’t hit a single extra base hit after the 2nd inning. The Angels took the game 7-1 with the result of the game never in doubt. Apart from the silent bats, the most concerning part of Game 1 was the discouraging start from Lewis Thorpe. The southpaw’s fastball topped out at a meager 91.5 MPH, though for the majority of the game it was in the 80s. Thorpe only generated 2 swings and misses in his 4 innings of work and was unable to strike out a single batter. What the Twins do with Thorpe will be something to monitor, as it has now been 2 full years since he has shown legitimate stuff and the more time that goes by the more it appears that this is the real Lewis Thorpe. Additionally, it was another discouraging appearance for Tyler Duffey who went from one of the best relievers in all of baseball to an absolute trainwreck for the Minnesota Twins out of the ‘pen this year. Duffey served up 3 runs on 4 hits in just 1 inning, raising his ERA on the season to a massive 5.87. Game 2: The Sanó Storm Continues The Minnesota Twins wasted no time turning their fortunes around at the plate in the latter half of the double header. To start the first inning the Twins followed up a leadoff groundout with a Donaldson walk, followed by a Kepler double and a Polanco walk before Miguel Sanó cleared the bases with a grand slam to give the Twins an early 4-0 lead. The 413-foot shot was Sanó’s 7th home run of the season and 5th in his last 7 games. The home run parade continued for the Twins in the 3rd inning when Mitch Garver took Hunter Strickland deep for a solo home run, his 7th of the season and ended with Trevor Larnach connecting on his first career home run as a big leaguer, a 397-foot shot to right field in the 7th. On the mound, José Berríos turned in a solid, yet not spectacular start for the Minnesota Twins. Berríos tossed 5 innings, allowing just 3 hits, however those hits were costly as Berríos allowed a solo home run in the first and a double in the 2nd inning on his way to allowing 3 earned runs on 84 pitches. After faltering in game 1, the Twins bullpen was up to the task in game 2 with 2 scoreless, hitless innings from Taylor Rogers and Hansel Robles, who converted his second save of the 2021 season. Suspensions Handed Down As game 1 of the double header began, news came out of the suspensions handed down from the Duffey situation in Tuesday night’s ball game. Tyler Duffey was suspended two game and Baldelli three, although Duffey was said to be appealing his 2-game suspension. News later came out that Duffey’s suspension was lessened to 2 games and that he would begin serving it starting in game 2 of the double header. Nelson Cruz Injury After being hit by a pitch in the first game of the double header, Nelson Cruz was scratched for the second game with a left wrist contusion. What’s Next The Minnesota Twins will fly out of Los Angeles tonight before kicking off a 3-game series in Cleveland on Friday. Following the game, the Minnesota Twins announced that Randy Dobnak would be making his first start of the season for the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. The Minnesota Twins now find themselves 15-28 and 11.5 games back of the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Lost in the bottom of the standings with postseason odds in the single digits, the Minnesota Twins have no choice but to be sellers at the deadline. Most of the moveable names are obvious, but José Berríos is more controversial. The time to trade the Twins’ ace is now. When a baseball team deems itself a seller at the trade deadline, the names that most often pop up are the players who are on expiring contracts. For the Twins, those names are Nelson Cruz, Andrelton Simmons, J.A. Happ and Hansel Robles, among others. Those players will undoubtedly be in trade rumors all trade season, as they are bound for free agency at the end of the year anyways. While it makes a ton of sense to trade expiring players, the lack of team control that comes with those players suppresses the return that can be expected in those trades. Greater assets can be had when players are traded who bring with them multiple years of team control such as Minnesota Twins’ team ace, José Berríos. Berríos has this year and next of arbitration before becoming a free agent after the 2022 season. Already there is national speculation that Berríos could be dealt, as Jon Morosi from MLB Network tweeted yesterday that he could be a name for which the Twins field offers. Over each of the past few offseasons, the Minnesota Twins have worked with Berríos to get an extension done to keep him in Minnesota past 2022, but Berríos and his camp have turned down those team-friendly deals in favor of working Berríos toward free agency. With his free agency now just 18 months away, the odds of getting an extension done with the right hander are next to nothing. Berríos is now already making serious money in arbitration, and his free agency is so close that the Twins no longer hold any type of leverage over José. This will leave the Minnesota Twins in a situation where they will be bidding against 29 other teams for the right to sign Berríos, where realistically they will likely get outbid and lose out on their 2-time all-star. Operating under the above assumption, that means that the Minnesota Twins have a year and a half left of Berríos’s services. The 2021 season for the Twins is already a lost cause, leaving only the 2022 season for Berríos to bring value to this club. The only reason that the Twins would hang onto Berríos at this point is if they truly believe that 2021 is an outlier and that they expect to compete for a division title and World Series in 2022. How realistic is that, though? After all, the Twins have the worst record in Major League Baseball with the 5th worst run differential. The Twins have the second worst pitching staff in the American League, and after the season the Twins will lose 3/5 of their rotation, their home run leader, their starting shortstop and their second best bullpen arm to free agency. There are reasons to think that with better luck and injury fortune things could get better, but acting as if everything will turn around in 2022 when the numbers suggest that this isn’t a good team, could be detrimental. That is what happened with the 2011 team, and it led into a 8-year rebuild featuring some of the worst Minnesota Twins teams in team history (Aaron Gleeman wrote an excellent piece about this a couple of weeks ago). On the flipside, the Minnesota Twins could take advantage of this opportunity where they have a true asset with massive trade value that they could flip to bring back a big return, fueling the Minnesota Twins’ next run in 2023, 2024 and beyond. This 2021 season has shown that the Twins have legit young talent joining the fold in Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach, with pitching prospects soon to come. Gaining more future assets to pair along with the young core the Twins have could lead into their next competitive window, not far off. The Morosi tweet above mentions the Toronto Blue Jays, who boast a top-10 farm system in all of baseball with massive prospect names such as Nate Pearson, Austin Martin and Nate Groshans. Whether it’s the Blue Jays or another team, Berríos possesses the talent and the years of control that should bring back a top-100 prospect (and then some) in return. That return could be what gives the Twins their next ace, cleanup hitter, or gives them the trade ammunition to make a veteran deal down the line. Next deadline, Berríos could be struggling or injured, and his team control of just 3 months at that point will hugely suppress the return that he will bring should the Twins decide to play things out. The difference in trade return between now and then could set the Twins back years. Berríos’ trade value is as high as it is ever going to be until he becomes a free agent and the Twins are as low as they have been in a while, with no guarantee they will claw themselves back anytime soon. The Time to Trade José Berríos is Now. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email — Follow Matthew Taylor on Twitter here View full article

The Minnesota Twins fell once again on Thursday night, capping off another sweep and pushing their record down to a lowly 12-23. Box Score Pineda: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K Home Runs: Kepler (3) Bottom 3 WPA: Arraez -.179, Garver -.124, Donaldson -.110 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) After the Twins allowed the White Sox offense to go wild on Wednesday evening, Michael Pineda did a much better job keeping the bats at bay on Thursday afternoon. Through the first five innings, Pineda only allowed two runs on solo shots from Tim Anderson and Jake Lamb in the first and third innings, respectively. While fans have criticized Baldelli all year for pulling his starters too early, Rocco trotted out Pineda for the sixth inning where he quickly found himself in trouble, walking the first two batters of the sixth inning. Baldelli then turned the ball over to Hansel Robles and the Twins bullpen, who again allowed an inherited runner to score after Andrew Vaughn connected for an RBI single to push the White Sox lead to 3-1. On the offensive side of the ball, the Minnesota Twins struggled early to get anything going, connecting on only two hits through the first seven innings, though they were able to generate base runners via the base on balls, walking five times in the game. The Twins finally found a spark at the plate in the eighth inning, led off by a solo home run from Max Kepler, cutting the lead down to 3-2. Following the home run, the Twins strung two consecutive singles together before manager Tony La Russa decided to go to his closer and former Minnesota Twins, Liam Hendriks, to attempt a five-out save. Hendriks was successful in doing so, as he shut down the Minnesota Twins with no trouble, taking them down in order to close out the game 4-2 following Yermin Mercedes' insurance RBI single in the eighth. Trevor Larnach Finding Success After achieving his first career Major League hit on Wednesday night, Larnach again found success at the plate on Thursday, connecting on a fourth-inning double with a 105 MPH exit velocity, where he would in turn come around to score the Twins first run of the game. In the fifth inning, Larnach demonstrated terrific plate discipline, drawing a nine-pitch walk off of Lance Lynn. In a season that has been disappointing on so many levels, being able to get performances like these from rookies are big-time wins for the long-term outlook of the Minnesota Twins. More Trouble with RISP In what has been a consistent theme throughout the season for the Minnesota Twins, the team once again was unable to come through with runners in scoring position. Today, the Twins went 0-for-10 with RISP, lowering their average to .230 in those situations on the season. For a team that is already struggling in so many different areas, they cannot afford to melt down with runners in scoring position, but that is exactly what they have done time and time again all year. Bullpen Usage Chart Click here to see the bullpen usage over the past five days (link opens a Google Sheet). What’s Next Things don’t get much easier for the Minnesota Twins as they will now return to Target Field to kick off a 3-game series against the 1st place Oakland Athletics. View full article

They did it again. The Minnesota Twins once again blew an early lead and once again lost in extra innings. The Minnesota Twins dropped three out of four in their home series against the Texas Rangers.Box Score Pineda: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K Home Runs: Kepler (1) Bottom 3 WPA: Sanó -.276, Donaldson -.138, Robles -.107 Win Probability Chart (via Fangraphs) Download attachment: twins.png The Minnesota Twins wasted no time getting on the scoreboard today as Max Kepler finally broke through with his first home run of the season on a middle-middle fastball from Jordan Lyles. The leadoff home run marked the 10th leadoff homer of his career and it was a no-doubter: The Minnesota Twins quickly allowed the Rangers to tie the game back up, though, when Michael Pineda served up a solo home run to Joey Gallo, his second home run and fourth RBI in the four-game series. After Texas tacked on another run later in the second inning, La Tortuga put the Minnesota Twins back in front with a two-run single to give the Twins a 3-2 lead. Michael Pineda finished his day after six innings pitched, logging his third quality start of the season. Pineda finished his day allowing two earned runs on six hits, with two walks and five strikeouts. After Pineda called it a day, the Minnesota Twins’ bullpen struggles continued, as reliever Hansel Robles surrendered a tying home run to Rangers’ backup catcher, Jonah Heim, just the second home run of his career. Staying deadlocked through the high leverage innings, the Minnesota Twins found themselves in an all-too-familiar position, extra innings. Entering today’s game the Minnesota Twins were 0-6 in extra innings. It didn’t take long for things to work themselves out how they usually do. The Texas Rangers scored the go-ahead run on the first at-bat of the 10th inning, a RBI single from Willie Calhoun off of Tyler Duffey, to give the Rangers a 4-3 lead. In typical 2021 Twins fashion, the Minnesota Twins came up empty handed in the bottom of the 10th inning, not even putting up any fight whatsoever. The Twins went down 1-2-3 in the 10th with consecutive strikeouts from Astudillo and a pinch-hitting Donaldson, before Joey Gallo made a diving catch off the bat of Miguel Sanó and the game was over. The Minnesota Twins are now 0-7 in extra inning games. They are 11-19 and on pace for a 103-loss season. Oh yeah, and Byron Buxton looks to have injured his leg late in Thursday's game. Things are bad. Nick Gordon's Unforgettable Debut To not ruin your entire afternoon on the sourest of notes, let’s end this article with the best part of Thursday’s ballgame, Nick Gordon. After being drafted fourth overall by the Minnesota Twins seven years ago, Nick Gordon finally made his MLB debut and boy did he show out! Gordon drew a walk in his first plate appearance, later connected for a single, and stole two bases along the way. It was a day to remember for a prospect who has not had many things go his way. Congratulations to Nick on an unforgettable debut! Byron Buxton Update Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Click here to see the bullpen usage over the past five days (link opens a Google Sheet). MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins bullpen is in dire straits and changes need to be made. There are four relievers that the Twins should try to trade for right now.Nick Nelson of Twins Daily wrote on Tuesday night about the potential paths the Twins can take to improve their bullpen, one of those paths included making an early-season trade. While trades typically aren’t made until closer to the trade deadline when teams have a better idea as to whether or not they are sellers, time is not on the Twins’ side, and there are already some teams that figure to be in a sell-now mindset who have quality arms to offer. Richard Rodríguez, Pittsburgh Pirates Rodríguez was a popular name in the offseason as a potential trade target for the Minnesota Twins after he posted a 2.70 ERA in 23 1/3 innings for the Pirates in 2020. Now 12 games into the 2021 season, Rodríguez has been even better. Through 12 1/3 innings this season, the right hander has yet to allow a run, and has only allowed one hit and one walk thus far. While Rodríguez relies heavily on only one pitch (Throws his fastball 89% of the time), players have yet to prove that they can hit it, and coming from the National League he would face a new batch of hitters who have little exposure to the pitch at all. Because of his elite performance and his younger age of just 31-years-old, acquiring Rodríguez might require some additional prospect capital, but the value that the right-hander would bring the Twins figures to be worth the cost. The Pittsburgh Pirates have the second worst run differential and baseball and figure to be active this trade season. César Valdez, Baltimore Orioles After he was outrighted to the minor leagues by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2017, Valdez opted to leave Major League Baseball for the Mexican League where he spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In 2020, Valdez returned to the United States to pitch for the Baltimore Orioles and he has been outstanding ever since. In the 28 innings since coming back to Major League Baseball in 2020, Valdez owns a 1.29 ERA with a 0.86 WHIP. The right-handed reliever relies primarily on his changeup and fastball which allows him to have success against batters from both sides of the plate. At 36-years-old, Valdez certainly won’t require much prospect capital to acquire, but his strikeout ability and whiff rates would be welcomed additions to this struggling Minnesota Twins bullpen. The Baltimore Orioles already find themselves in last place in the American League East and shouldn’t be hesitant to begin trading away their assets. Gregory Soto, Detroit Tigers The southpaw closer for the Detroit Tigers has shown that he has the stuff to shut down batters late in games as his fastball velocity is up to 98 MPH this season with a K/9 in double digits. The flamethrower owns a 3.89 ERA in 34 2/3 innings since the start of 2020 and at the young age of 26, could be acquired with multiple years of control still remaining. The Minnesota Twins could certainly use a left-handed reliever as Caleb Thielbar has looked shaky to this point in the season and Brandon Waddell has looked...did you watch last night’s game? The Detroit Tigers have been the worst team in baseball up to this point and have no reason to push for success in the present. Intra-division trades are never common, but given how far off the Tigers appear to be, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them send their lefty to Minnesota in the right trade package. Ian Kennedy, Texas Rangers The final player who could make sense for the Minnesota Twins as a reliever trade target is Ian Kennedy, from the Texas Rangers team that the Minnesota Twins just lost to on Tuesday night. A long-time AL Central starter with Kansas City, Kennedy has found success since moving to the bullpen in 2019 where he owns a 4.08 ERA (3.83 FIP) and a K/9 of 10.5. Thus far in 2021 in his first season with the Rangers, Kennedy owns a 2.08 ERA and is striking out more batters than he ever has in his career, thanks to increased usage and velocity on his four-seam fastball. At 36-years-old, Kennedy should be cheap to acquire, and the Texas Rangers figure to not be going anywhere in 2021. Maybe after the 4-game stand against the Rangers, Kennedy can just stay back with the Twins rather than leave with his current teammates? Which of these four reliever options do you think would be the best for the Minnesota Twins to trade for? Is there another name you think who could be better? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article