Minnesota Twins: Top SP Trade Candidates for the Twins to Target

Minnesota Twins Starting Pitching Trade Target No. 2: Luis Castillo, Cincinnati Reds

We’ve finally reached the pitchers on this list that are tried and true aces. These two pitchers are guys that the Twins would be adding and expecting them to start Game One of the playoffs and help end the playoff drought.

The first pitcher of this pair is Luis Castillo. The ace for the Cincinnati Reds for the last few years (with that one Trevor Bauer stint excluded), Castillo is (in my opinion) the most talented starter on the market this season.

Armed with a lively fastball and a great four pitch mix, Castillo has posted excellent numbers year in and year out striking out batters at a rate of at least 9.2 K/9 every year for the past four years and posting ERA, xERA, FIP, and xFIP numbers sub-4.00 in every category in every season.

He’s been worth a total of 11.7 fWAR over that time and is under contract through 2023, so it would cost a king’s ransom to bring him to Minnesota (one that I don’t know if the Twins can pay), but if they can pull it off, the team would have a truly fearsome playoff rotation.

Minnesota Twins Starting Pitching Trade Target No. 1: Frankie Montas, Oakland Athletics

The final pitcher on this list has been the number one trade target for the majority of teams ever since Oakland began their big sell-off during the offseason: Frankie Montas. Despite thinking Castillo may have more talent, Montas has been a monster over the past two seasons and has turned himself into a legitimate ace in a league where are only a few of them.

Montas doesn’t allow a lot of baserunners, goes deep into games (averaging 5.94 innings per game), and leads the league in games started over the past two years. He’s everything you’d want in a starter and it’s easy to see Montas being a good fit here.

The Twins have long been linked to the Oakland starter, and have a willingness to go get him. The only issue comes down to assets. The Twins don’t have many top prospects that are performing at a high level right now, and the team would have to give up Spencer Steer as a START to get the conversation going.

If the Twins can land any of these starters, the team can make themselves a better contender come playoff time. If they can get Castillo or Montas, they can start thinking about making a real run in 2022.