MLB insider tosses out a stunning trade target for Minnesota Twins

It's officially Trade Rumors SZN, which means from now until the deadline passes we're all going to be subjected to half-truths and smokescreens. That's the nature of this time of year, which makes it both so chaotic and fun.

Usually the Minnesota Twins sit the action out, scarred from the times the team did get in on some deals only to have them blow up. The deadline deals from 2022 still haunt Minnesota, as the team shipped out a slew of good prospects in return for essentially nothing.

Tyler Mahle barely played before needing Tommy John surgery and Jorge Lopez was gone within a calendar year. A reduced payroll is also working against the idea of Minnesota making any deals this summer, but if they do then it might be the sort of splash that makes the lack of movement earlier this offseason worth it.

Randy Arozarena listed as potential trade target for Twins

Take it with a grain of salt, as nothing is being reported so much as it's being linked, but The Athletic's Jim Bowden listed Tampa Bay Rays slugger Randy Arozarena as a potential target for the Twins.

"The Twins are looking for a platoon type corner outfielder who hits right-handed. Like most teams, they also want to add some pitching depth, especially to their starting rotation, to protect from injuries," Bowden wrote.

That's all pretty spot-on, and obvious to anyone who has watched the Twins streak their way through the season so far. Where Bowden throws a curveball is including Arozarena as a potential trade target. To be fair, he has both Luis Robert and Erick Fedde as targets and it's highly unlikely that either one is in Minnesota after the deadline.

Both Fedde and Robert are definitely fits, but the idea of the Twins and White Sox doing business doesn't really make a lot of sense. Minnesota is still dealing with the embarassment of how trading a ton of prospects at the deadline two years ago blew up in everyone's face, and the added twist of that happening at the benefit of a division rival is too big of a gamble.

Arozarena, on the other hand, is a deeply intriguing candidate. The Twins and Rays have worked together before, notably on a trade that landed Joe Ryan in Minnesota. Landing him would instantly add power to the lineup and be the type of move that a team serious about winning the World Series this season would make.

There's extra emphasis on this season, as Arozarena is arbitration-eligible this winter and could get pricey. Unless the Twins are planning on giving him a long-term deal, which is unlikely, it's a tough sell to give up too much for what could be a short stay.

That being said, the Twins adding Arozarena to the core for the next few seasons is an outrageously awesome move, one that could help soothe the pain of watching the team do nothing this past winter. If the payoff to slashing the payroll by $30 million over the offseason and not making any meaningful additions is trading for Arozarena then that seems worth the wait.

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