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This offseason, the Minnesota Twins will again find themselves in the pitching market. They'll need to replace a pair of departures to establish depth that had them owning one of the best rotations in baseball. Could they do it through the trade market? Image courtesy of © Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports While the headliner leaving Rocco Baldelli’s pitching staff is Sonny Gray, it should be noted that Kenta Maeda is on his way out as well. Derek Falvey will need to restock the group that now includes Pablo Lopez and Chris Paddack, but finding a higher-caliber arm to join them seems like a must. Playing in the free agency market may not be the most straightforward way to reduce payroll. That could bode well for a Twins organization that has done well with pitching trades, and when Gray turns into a compensatory draft pick, they’ll have seen their best work come full circle. Here are five options Minnesota could consider: Alek Manoah - Toronto Blue Jays Toronto has some serious soul-searching to do when it comes to Manoah. He was a Rookie of the Year candidate in 2021 and finished third in the Cy Young voting in 2022 while also being an All-Star. Then, last season, everything fell apart. He made just 19 starts at the major league level, most of which were bad. He didn’t show up to the minors when demoted initially and was sent on a journey that had him pitching in Single-A. Maybe the relationship is tarnished with the Blue Jays, or maybe Toronto doesn’t think they can fix him. Either way, plenty was going on mentally and physically with Manoah. A change of scenery could be a good opportunity for him. Minnesota previously matched up with this front office when sending Jose Berrios to Canada for Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson. Max Kepler could join him to play with George Springer and Daulton Varsho in the outfield. Manoah is under team control through 2027, so the ask will be steep even if his stock is down. Proposed trade - Manoah for Kepler and David Festa (Trade Value Simulator says: Slight advantage TOR) Logan Gilbert - Seattle Mariners One of the most talked about names this offseason has been the 14th overall pick from the 2018 draft. Seattle has pitching coming out their ears with Robbie Ray, Luis Castillo, and George Kirby. Maybe they will move Gilbert to address some other issues on their roster. He has posted numbers similar to Pablo Lopez at this point, and with the Twins making some tweaks, unlocking another level for the 27-year-old could turn him into a frontline starter. With Seattle exploring options for a second baseman, this would be a match where Minnesota may find Jerry Dipoto looking fondly at Jorge Polanco. That won’t be near enough to headline a deal for a guy who doesn’t hit free agency until 2028, but the Twins may be inclined to build a package around him. Gilbert could immediately slot in as a top-three starter for Baldelli, which would do wonders to replace Gray. Proposed trade - Gilbert for Polanco, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Trevor Larnach, and Connor Prielipp (TVS says: Significant disadvantage SEA) Paul Blackburn - Oakland Athletics Having been in Oakland for seven years, it only seems fair that Blackburn deserves saving. He will be 30 years old in 2024 and is a free agent following the 2025 season. He should be in line for only modest raises each of the next two years, which is enticing to a team not keen on writing checks like Oakland. The Athletics would certainly want prospects in return for Blackburn, and Minnesota’s depth could play beneficial there. Named as a token All-Star in 2022, Blackburn actually had a better season last year. His 4.43 ERA was nothing to write home about, but the 3.96 FIP suggests there is something to work with. He isn’t a durable arm and is not someone who will rewrite who he has been thus far in his career at this stage. Still, if the Twins want to lengthen their rotation and do it without a substantial cost, Blackburn should be available for a back-end top-30 prospect. Proposed trade - Blackburn for Jovani Moran and Josh Winder (TVS says: Advantage OAK) Mitch Keller - Pittsburgh Pirates A former second-round pick, Keller has Twins Territory ties in that he’s the pride of Cedar Rapids. Taken out of high school, he debuted at 23 and will be 28 in 2024. He’ll make a bit more money in the next two seasons, but he is still plenty cost-effective and doesn’t hit free agency until 2026. Keller’s secondary numbers are better than his ERA in the past two seasons, and his 3.84 FIP is something to dream on with a better developmental staff. He posted a career-best 9.7 K/9 last year and was just shy of 200 innings. Named an All-Star, his addition to the Twins staff would be no worse than their third-best arm. Keller would definitely come with a higher cost than Blackburn, but probably less than Manoah and Gilbert. Maybe Derek Shelton and Baldelli can team up for a deal here. Proposed trade - Keller for Matt Wallner and Yasser Mercedes (TCS says: Neutral) Corbin Burnes - Milwaukee Brewers There’s no denying that the Brewers are looking for less ways to spend. That has been the case for years, and they may now enter a period of transition with manager Craig Counsell leaving for Chicago. Burnes is in the final year of team control and’ll be north of $11 million after arbitration. Milwaukee isn’t going to want an expensive asset back, but a prospect trade could work. Burnes isn’t the same pitcher he was in 2021 when winning a Cy Young, but he’s still exceptionally talented. The Brewers will try and hope someone pays a king’s ransom, and while Minnesota needs to avoid that, a top-10 prospect package doesn’t seem ridiculous when you could be getting a true ace out of the deal. Putting Burnes at the top of a rotation with Lopez gives Minnesota a one-two punch anyone in the league should envy. Proposed trade - Burnes for Marco Raya, Kody Funderburk, and Jose Miranda (TVS says: Slight disadvantage MIL) Which of these starters are you most inclined to trade for? Does the expected cost turn you off for one more than another? View full article

The Minnesota Twins are going to play postseason baseball for the first time since the 2020 season. It will be the first time fans are in attendance since the Bomba Squad existed during 2019. We don’t yet know the opponent, but the Seattle Mariners are among the possibilities. Image courtesy of Brock Beauchamp & Twins Daily In winning the American League Central Division, the Minnesota Twins will host a wild card team on October 3rd and 4th, with a decisive Game 3 on the 5th, if necessary. They get the advantage of home field in each contest, and they’ll have some level of familiarity with whomever they wind up squaring off against. Should the Seattle Mariners come to town, here’s a tail of the tape: Record: 81-67 Against Minnesota: 4-3 (-2 run differential) Road: 40-35 September: 5-10 The Rotation: It should be expected that Mariners manager Scott Servais will put a trio of Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, and George Kirby on the mound to start a game. Rookie Bryce Miller could also be in contention for a starting spot. Castillo is the known veteran for Seattle, and he has consistently been among the best starters in baseball. Acquired at last year’s deadline for a package that included top prospect Noelvi Marte, the former Cincinnati Reds starter has been every bit as dominant in the American League. Both Gilbert and Kirby are still young, but have seen plenty of major league action to bring quality stuff on a nightly basis. Both are strikeout arms, and it’s Kirby that does especially well limiting walks. The Seattle starters as a whole don’t issue free passes, and each of them are hard to build a consistent threat against. Each is somewhat susceptible to the longball, but none of them should be seen as a cakewalk. The Bullpen: Seattle decided to be sellers at the trade deadline, and the greatest piece they parted with was closer Paul Sewald. Andres Munoz, a hard-throwing righty, has since taken over as the closer. Matt Brash is a former top prospect that has found more success in relief, and his strikeout numbers are certainly noteworthy. Veteran Justin Topa has had a breakout season for the Mariners after coming over from the Brewers this season, and while he doesn’t strike many out, he also limits damage well. The notable lefty in relief is Gabe Speier, and he’s not just a soft-tossing southpaw. Servais can mix and match a bullpen group that has high upside. The Lineup: Obviously the superstar here is youngster Julio Rodriguez. The man known as J-Rod has put up a 30 home run season along with 30 stolen bases and 30 doubles. He’s one of the most talented athletes in baseball, and can do it all both in the batter’s box and in the outfield. Beyond Rodriguez, there are some notable power hitters in the lineup. Cal Raleigh, otherwise known as Big Dumper, is a home run threat behind the plate. He has 28 to his credit this season, and Teoscar Hernandez is just behind him with 25 of his own. Former star prospect Jarred Kelenic has flashed at times this season, and J.P. Crawford has been a consistent bat from the shortstop position. Aside from Rodriguez, the Mariners lineup is not a standout-based collection. They rank in the top 10 across Major League Baseball in terms of fWAR, but they’re middle-of-the-pack when it comes to wOBA and slugging. What to Know: The Mariners have seen virtually everything this year. They have led the division and they have been 10.5 games out. They sold at the deadline for a reason, and they came into the year believing the postseason was within their grasp for one as well. September has not been kind to Seattle, and playing sub-.500 baseball in the final month is certainly not a good look. On one hand, maybe the Twins should be welcoming a team that has struggled to win when it matters most, but on the other, the Mariners have already gotten it done against Minnesota this season. The Mariners will attempt to pitch their way through a series with starters, and they’ll hope that a lineup with capable producers can provide early leads. Avoiding Rodriguez in key spots is a good plan of action, and making others beat you from there is how you’d draw up a game plan. How do you feel about the Twins facing the Mariners in the playoffs? Is there a pitcher you’re worries about, or someone in the lineup (aside from Julio) that Minnesota should look to avoid? View full article