No. 5: Minnesota Twins’ Miguel Sanó
Reasons for Untouchable Status: New Contract, Value, Position
The first reason Miguel Sanó makes this list is the brand new contract extension he signed with the team earlier in the season worth $41 million and $30 million guaranteed. The Twins clearly have plans to keep Sanó around for a while.
Though Sanó isn’t without his struggles (below-average defense and batting average, lack of speed), he is a very productive run producer and slugger. He’s also just turned 27, meaning he has just entered his prime. For a team with very few first base options, Sanó also provides value there.
The Twins expect a lot from Sanó and he has mostly produced, all the while being a fan-favorite and well-liked clubhouse guy. Because of all these factors, seeing a Miguel Sanó trade any time within the next two years would be stunning.
No. 4: Minnesota Twins’ Taylor Rogers
Reasons for Untouchable Status: Value, Position
Taylor Rogers probably has the most interesting case on this list. Rogers plays a position that normally isn’t valued highly, but with analytics related baseball becoming more popular, relief pitchers have earned more respect.
Rogers has been one of the Twins’ top relievers for each of his past four years and took over as the closer in 2019, saving 30 games. In addition to that, Rogers has posted an ERA under 2.70 in each of the past two seasons, boosting his value.
Despite sometimes not being considered as valuable as his teammates, a strong bullpen is key to a deep playoff run, and Rogers is a key part of the Twins’ dominant relief corps. This makes him essentially untradable.
No. 3: Minnesota Twins’ Nelson Cruz
Reasons for Untouchable Status: Value
If the Minnesota Twins were to try and trade Nelson Cruz, that would mean everything in 2020 had completely fallen apart, the season was in shambles, and a team desperately needed a reliable DH. This is a very unlikely.
The only reason Cruz is on this list is because he is about to turn 40 and his contract ends at the end of the season. Cruz was extremely valuable to the Twins in 2019, proving to the best all-around bat on the roster and a valuable leader in a young clubhouse.
If the Twins are in contention in any way, the team would likely not even listen to an offer for the aging DH, as in just a season he has become a key member of the team. A trade would require that to no longer be the case, and we don’t see that happening soon.