The excitement around the MLB trade deadline is heating up, with just days to go before it arrives.
There is hope the Minnesota Twins will be buyers, especially since they seem on the cusp of being a truly special team. That's easier said than done, though, as fans are being prepped for more disappointment amid rumors the Twins will have to let players go to bring in others. Minnesota will be exhausting all of their options at the deadline as they look to improve their roster and compete for the AL Central which is well within their reach.
To do this, it is thought that they will need to give up some top prospects. Top names like Zebby Matthews, Luke Keaschall, and Emmanuel Rodriguez should be off limits, but a handful of guys who used to be in that category could find themselves being used as currency at the deadline.
2 Twins players who could be dealt at the trade deadline
Alex Kirilloff, OF
Kirilloff had high expectations coming into 2024 after a solid 2023 season, but the 26-year-old struggled to start the season. He was only hitting .201 with five home runs before getting injured, which put him at the center of some drama as well.
Kirilloff claimed he had been injured during his rough stretch of games this season and Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said he needs to work on communicating better. Since that moment, Kirilloff hasn’t seen the field.
Due to this, it might be best for him and the Twins to part ways. He won’t have a lot of value at the moment, but a team will look at him and think they can get him back to his best and he could be used as a sweetener in a deal.
Edouard Julien, 2B
Similar to Kirilloff, many fans are wondering what happened to Julien? The once-promising 25-year-old hit .263 with 16 home runs as a rookie, but 2024 has been a disaster.
He looks lost at the plate, striking out 74 times in just 181 at-bats, and only hitting .204.
Julien was sent down to Triple-A to try and recover what he lost, but he is even struggling at that level, batting just .233.
It seems he might have lost his job to Brooks Lee, who has taken some big first steps since making his MLB debut. With Luke Keaschall flying through the minors and impressing at every turn, it looks like Julien's time with the Twins could be at an end and a change-of-scenery could be in order.
If the Twins want to make a deal at the deadline, Julien could be a prime candidate to net a decent return without Minnesota needing to dip too deep into the farm system. It would be a tough move to make, but at this point Julien's value might be in what he can bring back in a trade package.
He showed promise in his rookie season, and he is still young, a struggling team might be willing to bring him in to see if they could get the best out of him. Much like Kirilloff, teams won’t be lining up to bring him in, but they might be interested in bringing him along in a bigger trade package.
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