Minnesota Twins: 3 proposed trades to upgrade the rotation

In case you hadn’t heard, the Minnesota Twins are in need of starting pitching this offseason. If they want to be a contender in 2022, they’ll probably have to add at least two solid arms to the starting rotation. How will they go about doing this?

In a previous post, we took a look at how this might be done through free agency. There are a lot of big-name starting pitchers hitting the free agent market, but filling the holes in the starting rotation via this route alone will be difficult, even if they are able to get Michael Pineda to come back. Remember bringing in Matt Shoemaker and J.A. Happ last winter? That was a disaster.

Minnesota Twins: Trades might be a better option.

As we pointed out before, most of the biggest names are likely off the table either because they will re-sign with their current team or they will command too much money. Therefore, some mid-level additions are more likely. In the post above, we suggested Anthony DeSclafani (two years, $30 million) and Steven Matz (one year, $15 million). Both are coming off nice seasons, but both pitchers had a terrible 2020.

While those are not long-term deals, it’s still a lot of money to pay what are essentially mid-rotation starters — if indeed they are able to repeat their success of 2021 (and that’s a big if). Perhaps, instead, the Twins could investigate some trade possibilities for some starters who, though they are not guarantees to pan out either, at least won’t cost as much money. Here are three possible scenarios by which that could happen.

Minnesota Twins: Send Simeon Woods Richardson and Drew Strotman to the Oakland Athletics for Frankie Montas.

Are the Oakland Athletics going to rebuild this offseason? After a hot start to the season, they had a disappointing finish to 2021 that saw them miss the playoffs. If their history is any indication, their management might decide it’s time to start over again. If so, they have a lot of potential trade chips, including in their starting rotation.

The biggest name might be Frankie Montas. The 28-year-old right-hander is coming off a season in which he made 32 starts and pitched 187 innings, earning 13 wins while posting a solid 3.37 ERA. He had a strong finish to the season, as he was named American League Pitcher of the Month for September.

At the same time, I can understand why some Twins fans may have some reservations about Montas. The 2021 season was the first in which he made it to at least 100 innings pitched. He was having a great 2019 before he was suspended for violating the league’s drug policy, while he didn’t have a great 2020 season.

It’s because of this that I would be hesitant to give up boatload for Montas. Montas is likely due for a big raise this offseason, so if the A’s see trading Montas as a cost-cutting move, perhaps it wouldn’t take a boatload, either. Simeon Woods Richardson and Drew Strotman are two arms that could contribute in the future, though it’s hard to know who in the Twins’ farm system the A’s would be interested in.

If you’re among those who is hesitant to trade for Montas, perhaps Sean Manaea or Chris Bassitt would be more appealing options. Manaea, 29, is coming off a season in which he made 32 starts and posted a 3.91 ERA. Bassitt, 32, was hit in the head by a line drive and had to miss some time, but when he was on the mound he was solid. He made 27 starts and posted a 3.15 ERA. These two pitchers are both under team control for two more seasons.

Minnesota Twins: Send Austin Martin to the Detroit Tigers for Matt Manning.

This would be a classic bet trade: my top prospect for yours and let’s see who wins. The 23-year-old right-handed Manning made his big league debut with the Detroit Tigers in June, and while it still appears that he has a bright future, the results in his first season were mixed. Overall, he was 4-7 with a 5.80 ERA. He’s still a work in progress, so it would be a bit of a gamble for the Twins as to whether he’d be an immediate help in 2022, but there’s a potential high reward as well.

The Twins, meanwhile, would be trading from a minor league position of strength. They have both Royce Lewis and Austin Martin at shortstop in their farm system, and while it’s no guarantee that both (or either) will work out, it may be worth considering trading one of them for a chance to land a highly-regarded pitcher who could be a solid contributor in 2022 if he shows enough improvement.

One big question with this trade is, will the Tigers be in win-now mode in 2022? They made a lot of progress at the big league level this season, and they have been rumored to be in on free agent-to-be Carlos Correa, as shortstop is a need for them at the major league level. If they think they can compete in 2022, they may not want to be patient enough to wait around for Martin. However, if they are aiming to compete in 2023, he might be a good fit for their future and it wouldn’t cost them potentially $200 million or more in free agency, especially as young starting pitching is a strength for them.

Yes, trading away Martin might sting, especially if he goes on to star with the Tigers. But you have to give up quality to get quality, and this would be one way to do that.