4 pitchers on expiring contracts the Twins should have as top trade targets

We're less than a week away from the MLB Trade Deadline, and things are starting to heat up across the league. Already big names like Randy Arozarena and Luis Arraez have been traded (the latter having been dealt months ago), and the action is only going to get more chaotic the closer we get to the deadline.

It appears the Minnesota Twins will at least entertain the idea of getting involved. A need for pitching, both in the rotation and the bullpen, has vaulted the Twins into the deadline conversation, but the team is already tempering expectations.

Just like this winter, the Twins are unwilling to add too much money and are looking to avoid any deal that adds future payroll. That narrows the potential list of targets, but doesn't eliminate Minnesota from being able to land some pieces that could help them make a World Series run.

Yusei Kikuchi, Toronto Blue Jays

There have been a handful of names tossed out as potential targets for the Twins, but Yusei Kikuchi seems to be the most consistent.

Dan Hayes named him as someone the Twins could target and Aaron Gleeman had Minnesota as a potential landing spot for him in a trade deadline primer. Toronto isn't going to strip its roster for parts the way everyone thought it might earlier this season, but the Blue Jays are having a sale that the Twins might be able to get in on.

Kikuchi is in the final year of a $36 million contract, of which Minnesota would only be on the hook for $3.3 million. He's a rental in every sense, but one that would bring a 26 percent strikeout rate and proven ability to be reliable along with him. He checks just about every box the Twins are looking for in a starting pitcher target, and it's to the point where it might be surprising to not see him in Minnesota after the deadline passes.

Where it gets tricky is what the Twins would have to give up to get him. Kikuchi fits nicely as a No. 3 starter for a playoff team, which means Minnesota will have competition. The Twins farm system has been praised in just about every prospect ranking this year, but the scars of what happened in 2022 might scare the front offce off from sticking around a bidding war.

Michael Lorenzen, Texas Rangers

There's an element of comedy to this one if the Twin end up pulling off a trade for Michael Lorenzen.

Amid the cold and quiet winter Minnesota's front office had, Lorenzen popped up more than a few times as a potential low-risk free agent option. The Twins opted to stand pat and make zero meaninfgul moves -- partly why they're in the situation they are at the deadline. Meanwhile, Texas gave Lorenzen an $8.5 million contract and have been nicely rewarded.

So far this year Lorenzen, who was an All-Star with Detroit last season before pitching a no-hitter for the Phillies, has a 3.53 ERA and 1.7 WAR. That's the highest wins above replacement rate among anyone on this list, which goes to show just what the Twins missed out on by being frugal this offseason.

Rather than money, the Twins will need to fork over prospects to land Lorenzen. He's not someone who will command a huge return, but the Rangers aren't going to do anyone any favors at the deadline. Lorenzen makes a ton of sense as a No. 3 starter option, but it also serves as a bitter reminder of how Minnesota's payroll cowardice a few months ago is costing them more now.

Luis Severino, New York Mets

His strikeout rate has taken a bit of a concerning dip over the last stretch of the season, but there's still a lot to like about what Luis Severino could add to the Twins rotation as a No. 3 starter.

Severino owns a 3.58 ERA and also boasts a 1.6 WAR, paired alongside a 1.202 WHIP. He gives up early contact, but the Twins have proven at times to have one of the best defenses in baseball and an infield that when healthy is among the strongest in the league.

Theoretically the defense of guys like Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa, and Brooks Lee can help negate any contact that Severino gives up. The Mets aren't exactly world beaters, although they've bounced back thanks to the supernatural powers of Grimace, but even with a so-so defense Severino has managed a 7-3 record.

If the Mets have been able to back him up on defense and with run support -- something Minnesota has had in droves lately -- then it's not a stretch to see him working out for the Twins.

Frankie Montas, Cincinnati Reds

This is a tricky one for the Twins, as it's a tightrope that will have fans on edge if a deal ends up coming together.

On the one hand, Montas is a top target on the trade market and is one of the more affordable options Minnesota can add. He has a 5.01 ERA that isn't exactly lighting anyone on fire, but he's a high-upside starter who also fits the very narrow mold the Twins are looking for in terms of being a guy on an expiring contract.

Just a few years ago Montas was on Minnesota's radar as a potential option before being traded to the Yankees. Had the Twins landed him he would have fit in with the other trade disasters from that season, as was so-so for New York before arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder wiped out almost the entirety of his 2023 season.

He's a guy who won't bump either Pablo Lopez or Joe Ryan out of position in the rotation, but he has a 19.1 percent strikeout rate and a 9.7 percent walk rate that could go a long way in October. Above all else he won't add to the payroll next year which unfortunately a refrain that will follow the Twins through the deadline.

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