Grading all of the Minnesota Twins Trade Deadline Deals (and No-Deals)
Minnesota Twins Trade Deadline Non-Move No. 1: Holding on to RHP Michael Pineda
Grade: D+
We start off with the most surprising move the Twins didn’t make. Michael Pineda is a free agent at the end of 2021, and for a team that’s completely out of the playoff hunt, Pineda’s 3.86 ERA and 64-16 K-BB ratio should have been attractive to a contender.
His departure was seen as an almost certainty, so why, when the trade deadline is over, is Pineda still here? Maybe the Twins feel they can ship him out through waiver trades or believe he will re-sign this offseason. If either of those things happen, this grade will change.
Neither of them are likely, meaning that the Twins likely just held Pineda for nothing, and as one of the best rental arms available, they should have been able to move him. The fact that he wasn’t was easily the worst move the team made.
Minnesota Twins Trade Deadline Non-Move No. 2: Holding on to SS Andrelton Simmons
Grade: C
This move seems a little more plausible. Andrelton Simmons is slashing just .214/.284/.279, so the fact the team couldn’t find a suitor for him isn’t extremely surprising. His defense has declined as well, so it’s no surprise that teams were hesitant.
Despite this, it’s still a little surprising he wasn’t moved. Simmons should have been shipped out earlier in the year, but he still would have offered value to a playoff team as a depth player who could defend well. The A’s were the best fit, but they added Josh Harrison.
Trevor Story is a rental too though, and with the Rockies being unable to move him, it suggests the Twins wouldn’t have had a market for Simmons either. Finally, the team really didn’t have a replacement for him other than Nick Gordon, so just holding onto him doesn’t wind up hurting the team.
Minnesota Twins Trade Deadline Move No. 1: Trading LHP J.A. Happ for RHP John Gant and LHP Evan Sisk
Grade: A+
In a deadline where the Twins made several really good moves, this one was clearly the best. J.A. Happ currently has a 6.77 ERA and a -1.9 WAR, and the Twins were not only able to move him, but get a real return with some upside.
John Gant has struggled in 2021 despite his 3.42 ERA. He’s walked 6.6 batters per nine innings and has a 5.71 FIP with only 6.6 strikeouts per nine. With that said, he was an excellent pitcher in 2019 and 2020, so with one year remaining after this year, the Twins have a chance to find that again.
Evan Sisk is a 16th round pick from 2018, but he’s has been a very good reliever (12.6 K/9 in 2021) at the Double-AA level. If the Twins can help Sisk and Gant with their command, they’ll have two solid relievers for two months of an awful starter. That’s an excellent deal
Minnesota Twins Trade Deadline Move No. 2: Trading RHP Hansel Robles for RHP Alex Scherff
Grade: A
Similar to the Happ deal, sending out a struggling pitcher in Hansel Robles (4.91 ERA/4.82 FIP) and getting anything in return is a great move. The Twins made such a return here, bringing back relief prospect Alex Scherff.
Scherff has more pedigree than Evan Sisk, as he was a Red Sox fifth round pick in 2017, but he’s had an even better season as well. He has a 2.47 ERA, 14.1 K/9 rate, and four saves, showing great potential value for a bullpen that could use some help.
He’s also at the Double-AA level, so if Gant, Sisk, or Scherff provide value going forward, these two trades will be worth it. If they don’t, Twins fans can still say that the Robles and Happ weren’t just disasters that blamed the Twins for their troubles (looking at you Matt Shoemaker).
Minnesota Twins Trade Deadline Non-Move No. 3: Holding on to 3B Josh Donaldson
Grade: B
I can’t fully grade this without knowing what the Twins were offered for him, but we do know that the Twins would have had to eat a lot of salary. By keeping Donaldson (and a few of the other players I’ll mention), the team still has an outside shot at competition in 2022. That’s worth a B, especially when Donaldson provides value both in terms of production and entertainment.
Minnesota Twins Trade Deadline Non-Move No. 4: Holding on to RHP Kenta Maeda
Grade: A
Selling on Kenta Maeda right now would have been a bad move. He’s having a tough, injury-filled season, and though he was starting to bounce back, the Twins still would have been selling low. With two and a half years of control remaining, holding onto Maeda (at least until his value rebounds) was the best choice.
Minnesota Twins Trade Deadline Non-Move No. 5: Holding on to Byron Buxton
Grade: B-
Trading Byron Buxton right now while injured would have meant taking a loss in terms of value, but definitely less of loss than trading Maeda. Buxton has said he wants to complete his career here and is still young enough to last through a re-tooling, but if he doesn’t re-sign, the team may have missed a golden opportunity.
Minnesota Twins Trade Deadline Move No. 3: Trading DH Nelson Cruz and RHP Calvin Faucher for RHP Joe Ryan and RHP Drew Strotman
Grade: A
The first move that the Twins made in deadline season feels like forever ago, with the team shipping out Nelson Cruz last Thursday. While it always hurts to trade away a beloved clubhouse leader and elite hitter, the Twins got a solid return given the circumstances.
For starters, Cruz is 41, can only play as the designated hitter, and is scheduled to hit free agency at the end of the year. That severely limited the Twins’ options. Bringing back two solid Triple-AAA starters and only adding on a low-level reliever can’t have been easy.
Joe Ryan is the main prize in this trade. He may be 25, but he’s shown everything you want to see out of a future starter. High strikeout numbers, limits walks, and has two strong pitches and is working on his curveball and changeup to have a solid four-pitch mix.
Ryan also has the added benefit of being the ace for the U.S. Olympic team, so Twins fans can see him before he even pitches an inning for the farm system. It’ll be a good preview, because he should see the Major League field in 2021.
Drew Strotman checks in as the Twins’ No. 15 prospect, but make no mistake: he can end up as a solid starter. He’s 24, and missed large chunks of time due to Tommy John surgery, but he’s appeared to successfully have recovered from that and could be a good starter.
He has a five-pitch mix and was in the midst of a strong season at Triple-AAA. I wonder if he may end up more in a long reliever role, especially given the starting pitching prospects the team has ahead of him, but he definitely has the ability.
Bringing back both Strotman and Ryan for Cruz is a big win for the Twins, and if even one of them ends ends up in the rotation for a couple seasons, this trade is a huge win. The only negative is both pitchers don’t have a ton of upside, but that’s nitpicking at best.
Minnesota Twins Trade Deadline Move No. 4: Trading RHP Jose Berrios for OF/SS Austin Martin and RHP Simeon Woods-Richardson
Grade: A+
The Twins told the fanbase that they wouldn’t trade anyone under contract for 2022 or beyond unless they were blown away by an offer, and that included the team’s best pitcher in Jose Berrios, who is under contract for an additional year.
Well they got that blow-away offer. The Twins sent Berrios for the Blue Jays for two prospects, Austin Martin and Simeon Woods-Richardson. Why is this such a good package? Well, the Twins added two Top 100 prospects, including one of the Top 20 prospects in all of baseball.
Martin was the No. 5 pick in the 2020 draft and was seen as one of the best collegiate hitters available. In his first season in the minors, Martin hasn’t quite lit it up as expected, but his speed and hitting skills are clear.
Woods-Richardson has struggled a bit with command in 2021, but he’s striking out batters at a 13.3 K/9 clip. The pedigree is definitely there though, and I expect him to bounce back with a change of scenery. The Twins added two very good prospects who should hit the majors by the end of 2022, which earns this deal top marks.
Next. Minnesota Twins Front Office Reality Check: Better Will not be Enough. dark