Three weeks ago, Yahoo’s Jake Mintz included the Twins as one of the ‘4 teams in the sleepy middle’ in “MLB trade deadline: Sorting out the 30 buyers and sellers.” Mintz pointed out that the Twins are usually conservative at the deadline and named two Twins who could be traded if Minnesota falls out of contention.
Now that the Twins are 5 games under .500 and sit 4 1/2 games back for the third American League Wild Card spot, it has become increasingly more likely that the Twins will be sellers at the trade deadline.
Baseball writer says Harrison Bader and Chris Paddack could ‘attract attention’
Bader and Paddack are both set to be free agents this offseason, making them clear trade candidates if Minnesota has no hope of making a playoff run.
Bader, who signed a one-year contract worth $6.25 million with the Twins last February, is having his best season since 2021. In 223 plate appearances this year, Bader has slashed .251/.336/.410 with seven homers and 27 RBIs. Bader’s defense has been among the best in the game this year, as he has provided five outs above average (95th percentile) while mostly playing left field. The Twins probably wouldn’t receive any top-20 prospects in exchange for Bader, but they could receive one or more young players with potential if they traded their star left fielder.
Paddack, who is earning $7.5 million this season, had an impressive 11-start run, posting a 2.25 ERA after his first two outings of the season. However, he has struggled since then, surrendering eight earned runs to the Houston Astros on June 13, allowing four runs against the Cincinnati Reds on June 19, and giving up four earned runs against the Mariners last Tuesday. A team that doesn’t want to give up any top prospects in need of a back-of-the-rotation pitcher would undoubtedly be interested in Paddack.
Although the Twins hope they don’t have to sell at the trade deadline, there is a very good chance that will happen. There is still plenty of time for Minnesota to turn its season around, but if it doesn’t, the team will likely want to get as much value as possible out of its impending free agents. If the Twins aren’t close to being a playoff team near the deadline, Bader and Paddack will most likely find themselves on different teams.