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, PIttsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, and the Seattle Mariners. Next up is the San Francisco Giants.
Giants 2018
The Giants looked ready to try and make a playoff run once again with a veteran heavy lineup after trading for third baseman Evan Longoria and outfielder Andrew McCutchen. That didn’t happen as the team struggled with injuries and finished 73-89 which was good for 4th place in the NL West.
First baseman Brandon Belt stands as one of the best players on the Giants roster as he hit .253/.342/.414 and 14 home runs. Buster Posey still is the face of the Giants franchise even amidst struggles to stay on the field. In 2018 he played in 105 games and hit .284/.359/.382 with a .741 OPS.
Former Twins farm hand Dereck Rodriguez stepped up with a great major league debut for the Giants as a starter. Rodriguez started 19 games, logged 118.1 MLB innings with a 2.81 ERA. Madison Bumgarner made 21 starts for 129.2 innings with a 3.26 ERA.
Possible Trade Interest
Giants may want: The Giants are stuck in that awkward place where they need to decide whether to tear this thing down or make one more push for a championship. Corner outfield and second base are needs as well as moving money off of the payroll.
Twins may want: Have we mentioned pitching before? There are some pitchers that could help the Twins moving into 2019.
Trade Proposals
Trade Proposal #1: LHP Madison Bumgarner for OF LaMonte Wade and RHP Andrew Cabezas
Madison Bumgarner is the big trade chip that is sitting on the Giants roster. He is still only 28-years-old but also has only one year left on his current contract. He has the potential to be a top of the rotation starter for the Twins and would give them a left-handed starter as well.
In a quest to get younger but maybe still compete, LaMonte Wade provides the Giants with a solid corner outfield option. It feels like a lot to give up for one year of Bumgarner but with all the outfielders in the Twins system it may be worth it. One player may not be enough for Bumgarner so Cabezas is also included in this deal. I could see the Giants asking for a higher level prospect like Brent Rooker in this deal.
Trade Proposal #2: LHP Will Smith for OF Zack Granite and LHP Tyler Jay
Back-end bullpen arm is the other piece the Twins need. Will Smith could certainly become that even though he hasn’t been talked about in rumors the way Bumgarner has. With only one year remaining of arbitration, if the Giants aren’t already in extension talks with Smith they may be willing to find some value for him on the trade market.
You may be able to argue for a Wade-Smith swap like in the Bumgarner deal. Another option could be Zack Granite and Tyler Jay. Granite gives the Giants an outfielder that could be a solid MLB contributor for them. Jay could become a lefty in their bullpen eventually as well.