Minnesota Twins: Looking at the Lance Lynn and Zach Duke trades

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The Minnesota Twins have officially raised the white flag and are looking toward the 2019 season.

Over the last few days, the Minnesota Twins have made a flurry of trades. Eduardo Escobar was traded to the Diamondbacks, while Ryan Pressly was shipped to the Astros recently. Yesterday, Minnesota dealt Lance Lynn and Zach Duke in separate trades further strengthening an already stellar Minor League system.

Minnesota signed both Lynn and Duke during the offseason with hopes they could help spur another postseason run. However, things have gone off the rails for the Twins and the playoffs are all but out of the question at this point.

Lynn started his Minnesota Twins career about as bad as any pitcher could. I’ve already covered his early numbers here, so I’ll spare you the disappointment. However, he has looked like the pitcher he was while pitching for the Cardinals of late and that helped Minnesota find some value in a trade.

For the season, Lynn is 7-8 with a 5.10 ERA across 20 starts. Although that ERA seems high, it’s a far cry from when he was sitting in the mid-sevens two months ago. He has 100 strikeouts averaging 5.5 walks per nine innings in 102 1/3 innings pitched. For once Twins fans should appreciate the Yankees for giving them more than a bag of baseballs for Lynn’s services.

Duke, on the other hand, has been pretty much what the Twins should have expected. He’s little more than a LOOGY at this point of his career, but he still provides a ton of value to any bullpen. Duke has been in MLB for 14 seasons and there is very little that he hasn’t witnessed happen on the mound.

Duke has a 3.62 ERA while appearing in 45 games out of the bullpen for the Twins during this season. He averages 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings with a less than stellar 3.6 walks per nine innings in 37 1/3 innings pitched. However, Duke has allowed zero home runs so far this season and that’s where his true value lies.

Duke is the type of pitcher that will come in during high-leverage situations to face a tough left-handed hitter and has excelled in this role. Usually, there will be runners on base and by not surrendering many home runs, Duke has been effective. Duke is exactly the type of pitcher that helps a contending team reach the playoffs.

Although seeing Minnesota in the position of selling off assets is disappointing for Twins fans, this won’t be the worst thing in the world. Outside of Pressly, and maybe Escobar, these players didn’t have a clear role for the future with the team. By trading these veterans, along with whoever may be next, this team is well positioned for the future. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the deals involving Lynn and Duke.

Minnesota Twins acquire first baseman/outfielder Tyler Austin and RHP Luis Rijo

New York Yankees acquire RHP Lance Lynn and cash

Austin is the headliner in this deal. The Minnesota Twins have uncertainty at first base with Joe Mauer eligible for free agency following the 2018 season. Austin has a chance to help the Twins solve the riddle that will soon come.

He has a chance to make his impact on this season as well. Byron Buxton has been either injured or in Triple-A for the majority of this season. Minnesota has been trotting out the likes of Jake Cave, Ryan LaMarre, and Taylor Motter to help cover for Buxton’s absence and that has not gone well.

Motter and LaMarre are no longer with the Twins, while Cave has been nothing special and still needs time to develop. Austin has played in 85 games with the Yankees in MLB during his short career and should see time in the Twin Cities down the stretch.

Austin has hit .230 with 15 home runs and 43 runs batted in across 268 career plate appearances. The 26-year-old has shown very little during his brief time in MLB but a change of scenery can sometimes help jumpstart a career.

Rijo is a bit more unknown than Austin. He’s the type of prospect a team acquires as a secondary asset but he has played well during his Minor League career. He has a 2.80 ERA in 29 games, 18 starts, during his Minor League career.

The 19-year-old has far exceeded expectations to this point in the Minors and his future gets brighter every time he toes the rubber. The Venezuelan has seen time at three levels of the Minors for the Yankees this season and he has been impressive.

Rijo has a 2.77 ERA in seven games, five starts, during this season. He has allowed only three walks while striking out 32 batters across 39 innings pitched so far this season. In the end, Rijo could end up being the steal of this trade. Now, let’s take a look at the Duke trade.

Twins acquire RHP Chase De Jong and infielder Ryan Costello

Mariners acquire LHP Zach Duke and cash

This trade likely won’t move the needle much around MLB. However, this is a good deal made by the Minnesota Twins front office as De Jong has a chance to make a real impact down the road. Although he has been a starting pitcher throughout the majority of his Minor League career, his future could lie in the bullpen.

De Jong has been solid to this point of his Minor League career. The 24-year-old has a 3.80 ERA with 89 strikeouts and 34 walks innings pitched during this season for the Mariners Double-A affiliate. However, he has an unspectacular 6.6 strikeouts per nine innings across 120 1/3 during this season.

The thing that stands out about his stats is his ability to limit walks. He has hovered between 2.5 and 3.0 walks per nine innings during his time in the Minors and should continue that success as he develops. However, to say De Jong’s performance was brutal during his short time in the Majors would be an understatement.

He appeared in seven games, four starts, surrendering 20 earned runs in just 28 1/3 innings pitched during the 2017 season. De Jong walked 13 batters while striking out only 13 and allowed a staggering five home runs during his brief stint in MLB.

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Without question, De Jong still needs time to develop and become a more complete pitcher. He has a chance to develop into a back of the rotation type of pitcher. Costello, on the other hand, has a long road ahead of him in order to reach MLB.

The 22-year-old has 578 plate appearances while playing in 145 games during his Minor League career. Although he has a solid .285 career batting average, Costello has done most of his damage against younger competition in the Minors.

The Central Connecticut State University product is hitting .266 with 16 home runs and 70 runs batted in while playing in Low-A ball. He has 82 strikeouts with a respectable 51 walks with 42 total extra-base hits on the season.

Defensively, Costello has played both corner infield positions during his brief time in the Minors. After struggling with .938 fielding percentage with five errors while playing the hot corner, Costello has shifted over to first base primarily during the 2018 season. He has been solid, if not unspectacular, and does show some pop from the left side of the plate.

However, as a player drafted in the 31st round, the odds are stacked against him reaching the Majors. That being said, Minnesota has had tremendous success in developing players in their Minor League system and Costello could benefit from the tutelage he will soon receive.

Next. Some forward thinking for the trade deadline. dark

All in all, Minnesota did well in acquiring four intriguing prospects for two players who don’t figure into the future for this team. The Twins are not far from being a real threat in the American League and trades like these can help keep the window of contention open longer. However, only time will tell if any of these players will make an impact in the Twin Cities.

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