Minnesota Twins 2018-2019 Offseason Trade Partner Profile: San Diego Padres
By Nate Palmer
The Minnesota Twins 2018-2019 offseason is here. Here we explore who could be their trade partners as they look to return to the playoffs.
The Minnesota Twins need to make some moves with the offseason now upon us. Free agents will attract a lot of the attention over the next several weeks as there are several big name free agents potentially looking for a new team and new big and shiny deal.
The Twins should very much be able to be in the conversation with many free agent names, but what will be just as if not more important for the Twins is the trade market. The Twins front office has pointed to the Twins minor league assets as a strength to help them acquire some additions to their roster. We will attempt to work through each team in baseball and find some trades that work for both sides.
We have already explored possibilities with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, and the PIttsburgh Pirates. Next up is the San Diego Padres.
Padres 2018
The Padres have been in the middle of an organizational teardown. After years of selling off assets and having signed Eric Hosmer to a franchise player type contract, the team is ready to make moves towards contention. Which sounds strange for a team that just went 66-96 and finished last in the NL West, but it is true.
The Padres offense was hallmarked by two outfielders who recorded an OPS over .800. Hunter Renfroe slashed .248/.302/.504 and a .805 OPS with 26 home runs. Then the 22-year-old Franmil Reyes hit .280/.340/.498 and a .838 OPS with 16 home runs over 87 games.
The pitching side of things for the Padres was rough. Clayton Richards pitched the most innings for the Padres with 158.2 innings. Kirby Yates emerged as a dominant relief pitcher holding down a 2.14 ERA and a 90/17 K/BB.
Possible Trade Interest
Padres may want: The Padres are ready to launch themselves into contention. They have been rumored to be in on some big names. Especially anything that will improve their starting rotation and replenish some of the bullpen help they traded away last season.
Twins may want: Twins still need to add bullpen help and an impact bat. It may be difficult but we will see what might workout between the two teams.
Trade Proposals
Trade Proposal #1: LHP Matt Strahm for LHP Stephen Gonsalves and Andrew Cabezas
Matt Strahm has developed into a very good relief pitcher. He very much has the potential to be a good multi-inning reliever. The Padres have used Strahm in a variety of roles including 5 starts in 2018 as he held a 2.05 ERA with a 10.1 K/9.
Strahm is still under team control and doesn’t hit arbitration until next season. So while it is never a great idea to pay a lot for relievers he will likely have a decent price tag. In this deal, the Twins send Stephen Gonsalves who could figure into the Padres rotation and Andrew Cabezas who they could continue to develop as starter for further down the road.
Next. Twins sign veteran slugger Nelson Cruz. dark
Trade Proposal #2: 2B/SS Luis Urias for SS Jorge Polanco, SS Wander Javier, LHP Stephen Gonsalves, LHP Andrew Vasquez
This trade has a bit of sticker shock to it. Urias was recently ranked as the No. 27 prospect in baseball by MLB.com and the top second base prospect which adds to the price tag. Urias has some similarities to Polanco in he is likely going to be better defensively long term at second base but has the ability to play shortstop well enough to stay there for a period of time.
Urias would also add some much need on-base ability to the Twins lineup. He would then eventually be paired with other top prospects Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff. All three of which are considered to be some very good hitters which would form a core group of young players the Twins could build upon for years to come.
Polanco then slides into Urias’ role with the Padres as they wait for Fernando Tatis Jr. to arrive in the majors. Gonsalves like before can add to their rotation next season. Vasquez also will be able to give immediate reinforcements to the Padres bullpen as the final piece of this trade.