Minnesota Twins: Winter Meetings are over, what’s next for the Twins?

Minnesota Twins starters

While Pineda will bring a boost to the 2019 rotation, the Twins are likely not done pursuing options for their 2018 rotation, with many options still available both in free agency and trade that the team has expressed interest in.

Yu Darvish
The Twins’ primary target appears to be Darvish, and they have made significant overtures to the top free agent arm in the class this season. Darvish’s previous relationship with general manager Thad Levine could carry some weight, as could reported positive discussions with catcher Chris Gimenez, who is a free agent, but did play with the Twins in 2017.

Jake Odorizzi and Chris Archer
The Tampa Bay Rays are actively shopping two of their starters, primarily due to a significant amount of depth in their rotation and a hope to receive a significant return in exchange for both pitchers. Archer would cost more, though there are plenty who question whether that cost would be warranted. Odorizzi would be a more reasonable cost, but he doesn’t have the same level of ceiling as Archer does.

Gerrit Cole
The Pirates have been publically non-committal about whether they will put Cole on the market, but the Twins have reportedly inquired and been quoted a high price in prospects, though to gain a pitcher that could be a front-line starter, prospects could be a minor price to pay.

Lance Lynn, Alex Cobb, Jake Arrieta
The Twins have had reported interest in all three starters, but their focus has been heavy on Darvish in the free agent market, so there has been much less information out there on the other members of the top 4 starters on the market this season.

Danny Duffy
The Royals made overtures during the winter meetings that they are now intending to go into a rebuild cycle, and Duffy could be a piece that they utilize to expedite that rebuild. While no real rumors have been out on any team in relation to Duffy, the Twins could certainly inquire on Duffy (and other Royals pitchers, but we’ll explore that on the next page).