3 ways Twins can free up 40-man roster space for Carlos Santana and Jay Jackson

Make a 3-for-1 trade

This one is the most unlikely option, but it’s on the table until it’s not. After trading Jorge Polanco, it feels like the Twins still have one more big move left in them before settling in for Spring Training.

Max Kepler has been closely tied to trade rumors this winter, and Minnesota could find a pair of players elsewhere on the 40-man roster to package with him and acquire another starting pitcher. There are a few problems with that plan, not the least of which being it sounds like the Twins are happy with the way the rotation looks now. Fans seem to feel differently — and they’re not wrong — but the front office doesn’t seem interested in adding another starting pitcher.

The other challenge is that if the Twins were going to land a star pitcher like Jesus Luzardo, it would likely cost Brooks Lee. He’s not on the 40-man roster right now, so that doesn’t really do much in making a trade to open up a roster spot.

However, that would work in Minnesota’s favor. Lee is the second-highest prospect in the farm system behind Walker Jenkins and he projects to get called up at some point this season. Emmanuel Rodriguez is the third Top 100 prospect the Twins have, so perhaps he could be packaged with Kepler and another player to land a top starter.

Trading E-Rod is still a tough pill to swallow and it’s also a very convoluted plan for trying to free up 40-man roster space. It does fall in line with the Twins making one more big move, though, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility — even if it seems highly unlikely this is the route the team will go.

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