The Twins currently possess the top American League Wild Card spot with a 35-30 record, tied with the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays. The Cleveland Guardians trail those three teams by ½ a game, and the Seattle Mariners and Kansas City Royals are behind by 1 ½ games. The Twins are in a prime position to make a postseason run, but they may need some help on offense and possibly even pitching after the injuries to Pablo López and Zebby Matthews.
Who is the most likely Twins prospect to get traded at the deadline?
MLB’s Matthew Leach predicts shortstop Kaelen Culpepper is the Twins’ most likely top prospect to be traded at the deadline
Culpepper, the Twins’ No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline, would generate a lot of interest if made available at the trade deadline, given his position and elite numbers with High-A Cedar Rapids this season. In 205 plate appearances with the Kernels this year, Culpepper, MLB’s 21st overall draft pick in 2024, is slashing .309/.400/.517 with eight homers, nine doubles, three triples and 28 RBIs.
The Twins would likely only trade Culpepper, who previously played for Kansas State, if they received a top-tier rental player in return, such as Tyler Mahle or Ryan O’Hearn. Even then, it would be difficult to move on from Culpepper due to his potential, and the Twins might even want someone with multiple years of control if they trade him.
Leach noted that the Twins’ biggest strength is their young starting pitching. If López didn’t get hurt, it’s possible that Minnesota would entertain the idea of trading either Matthews, who is also now hurt, or David Festa in exchange for offensive help. But now, the Twins might need another starting pitcher. However, Leach included pitching prospects Dasan Hill, who has a 1.50 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 24 innings across eight starts with Low-A Fort Myers, and Connor Prielipp, Minnesota’s No. 5 prospect, as other potential trade pieces at the deadline, as both will likely not make their MLB debuts anytime soon.