Minnesota Twins: Ranking the Twins’ potential targets at the trade deadline
By Chris Schad
2. SP Marcus Stroman (Toronto Blue Jays)
Along with Ken Giles, the Twins are interested in making Marcus Stroman a part of a potential package deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. With playoff experience, a strong season and control beyond 2019, he blends enough short term and long term gains for the Twins to be interested over the likes of Bumgarner.
Stroman’s 5-10 record doesn’t inspire confidence, but a lot of that hasn’t been his fault. The 28-year old has put together a 3.25 ERA this season and instead of relying on strikeouts (he has 88 in 110 2/3 innings this season), he uses a sinker that pitches to contact and earns a 57.9% ground ball ratio.
The pitch to contact aspect of Stroman’s game is going to give Twins flashbacks of Yankee Stadium failures in the 2000s, but a key difference is that Stroman’s sinker is actually good. FanGraphs’ Craig Edwards points out that Stroman’s sinker actually has movement that keeps it out of the zone, which makes the right-hander so coveted as the trade deadline approaches.
With another year of control and an affordable $7.4 million salary, Stroman has enough to help the Twins this year and down the road.