The Minnesota Twins should be calling the Seattle Mariners about a trade
By Nate Palmer
The Minnesota Twins are setup to make a significant addition through a trade and the Seattle Mariners have some players that should be considered.
The Minnesota Twins are positioned well to make some trades to help construct a competitive roster as the team moves into the 2019 season. As we survey the landscape of baseball, the Seattle Mariners have already traded away one valuable asset in starting pitcher James Paxton to the Yankees. Now the Mariners look prepared to trade a few more assets and the Twins need to be first in line.
The Philadelphia Phillies have already taken the lead on this and the Twins should take note. One of the first players the Twins should be asking the Mariners about is shortstop Jean Segura. The Twins could really strengthen their infield by finding a shortstop so they can move Jorge Polanco over to second base, and Segura represents a very good option to doing so.
Segura regularly hits for around a .300 batting average, hits double digit home runs, and can steal bases at a good rate stealing 20 and 22 bases the past two seasons. His defense has some mixed results but he did turn in a 5 in defensive runs saved this past season. The past three seasons Segura has had a fWAR of 5.1, 3.0, and 3.8.
Not only would Segura be a significant addition to the Twins roster, but it would be worthwhile for the Twins to see if they could grab a couple of players from the Mariners. The other big name on the block for the Mariners is Edwin Diaz. Diaz has turned himself into one of the top closers in the game of baseball the last couple of seasons.
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In 2018 Diaz appeared in 73 games, logged 73.1 innings, 57 saves, a 1.96 ERA, and a 15.22 K/9. Along with those numbers, the Mariners closer also had a 44.3% K-rate and an 18.9% swinging strike rate. Those are pretty much video game numbers, and in the real world video game numbers cost a lot. In case the cost for Diaz is simply astronomical, the Mariners do have another reliever the Twins could ask about in Alex Colome.
Colome came over to the Mariners mid-season and after his arrival in the Pacific Northwest threw 46.1 innings and had a 2.53 ERA over that period of time. Before coming to Seattle Colome served as the Tamba Bay Rays closer and has generally been a good strikeout pitcher and had a 9.53 K/9 and 25.5% K-rate in 2018. So not Diaz level numbers, but still very good numbers.
Now a package of two of these players will certainly take a very good package from the Twins, but it is the type of deal that can add two high level players to the roster. It is the type of deal that is worth making the Twins consider the inclusion of anyone besides Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff including major leaguers such as Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler.
Next. Rumor has it the Twins have inquired on Sonny Gray. dark
The Phillies may have beat the Twins to the punch on the idea for this deal, but if I was in the Twins front office this is a call I would be making to see what it would take to acquire one if not two of these players. What is your dream blockbuster trade for the Twins?