Minnesota Twins rumors: Twins have talked to Mets about Noah Syndergaard
By Chris Schad
The Minnesota Twins have yet to take action at the trading deadline but have talked to the New York Mets about a potential blockbuster.
The Minnesota Twins have had a couple of long weeks as they approach the MLB trade deadline. While the team has slumped on the field, everybody knows that the Twins would like to add an arm prior to the July 31 deadline and have been linked to almost every available pitcher on the market so far.
The Twins’ web of rumors has extended to New York as according to La Velle E. Neal of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, they have had discussions with the Mets about acquiring Noah Syndergaard. While the Mets would love to move the 26-year old hurler, they also want a solid haul for him that would include taking either Royce Lewis or Alex Kirilloff in return.
Lewis would add some potential star power to the future of the Mets as the top overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. After a slow start at Low-A Fort Myers, the 20-year old shortstop has seen his bat coming around after battling an oblique injury at the beginning of the year. Lewis is hitting .304/.375/.536 with 4 HR and 10 RBI in July and is also listed 21st on Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list.
Kirilloff has followed a similar path in 2019 as he’s began to tear up Double-A Pensacola. The 21-year old outfielder was the first-round pick for the Twins in the 2016 MLB Draft and has hit .284 with four home runs and 22 RBI in 62 games for the Blue Wahoos this season. As the top-ranked prospect in the Twins system according to Baseball America, he’s likely one of the first names any team suggests when the Twins call about pitching.
As the trade deadline drama has unfolded, it’s been reported that the Twins are reluctant to trade Lewis, Kirilloff or top pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol in a package. With the Twins continuing to struggle on the mound, it might just be time to bite the bullet and take a risk on a pitcher like Syndergaard.
Syndergaard has struggled this season with a 7-5 record and a career-high 4.33 ERA, but the 26-year old still has an impressive repertoire including a 98.2 MPH fastball (via FanGraphs). What might be a bigger selling point for the Twins is that he won’t be a free-agent until after the 2021 season. That might make him more attractive than other mentioned starters such as Madison Bumgarner, who will be a free agent after this year, and Marcus Stroman, who will be on the market after the 2020 season.
Next. Ranking the Twins potential trade deadline targets. dark
That kind of long-term move might make it more palatable to get rid of a top prospect and might even come down to whether the Twins want to go all-in on the 2019 season. Unlike past deadline deals for Jaime Garcia and Matt Capps, this could be a move that could pay off down the road, which may entice the Twins to finally pull the trigger.