3 rental starters the Twins could target at the trade deadline

The MLB Trade Deadline is quickly approaching, but the storm of trade rumors has already started to roack and roll throughout the league.

Unlike last year, the Minnesota Twins are in the cone of silence, smack-dab in the middle of the chaos. Whether or not the team actually makes a move is yet to be seen, but it sounds like the front office is more willing to do something that they were a year ago.

The Twins need starting pitching help if they want to be serious contenders in October. It's a problem that could have been solved back in the winter, but the gamble was made to roll the dice and see where the chips fell in terms of what Minnesota already had.

It turns out they don't have enough, and now a move that could have been made with straight cash must be made involving prospects as currency.

Given how things went two years ago, the Twins might back off if the price gets too high but for now it sounds like they're monitoring the market for a rental starter and there are a few intriguing options out there.

3 rental starters Twins should target at the trade deadline

Jack Flaherty, Detroit Tigers

• 6-5 | 3.13 ERA | 2.3 WAR
• Remaining Contract: 1-year, $14M

The Twins trading for Jack Flaherty would contain a dark element of humor to it. Minnesota could have landed Flaherty this winter had the team not decided to slash payroll by $30 million and opt to not meaingfully add to a playoff-caliber roster.

Now the Twins would have to trade prospects to land him, and deal them to a division rival looking to build for the future. It's not quite as painful as trading with the White Sox or Guardians, but Flaherty is in demand and Minnesota won't get any sort of discounts from Detroit.

That being said, he could be the difference between a deep playoff run and potentially winning a World Series. Flaherty would comfortably fill the No. 3 starter role, and if Pablo Lopez can find his groove again the Twins will have three dynamite starters in their playoff rotation.

Detroit is no t a good team, yet Flaherty has managed to keep his ERA low and has a 2.3 WAR that the Twins would absolutely love to add. Come October, a rotation of Pablo-Joe Ryan-Flaherty is one that Minnesota can have confidence it hasn't had before.

Yusei Kikuchi, Toronto Blue Jays

• 4-8 | 4.42 ERA | 0.5 WAR
• Remaining Contract: 1-year, $10M

The Athletic's Dan Hayes tossed out Kikuchi as a potential trade target for the Twins when he mentioned the team being interested in rental starters. His name has come up before, specifically in trade rumors over the winter that ended up going nowhere.

Noticing a theme here?

Kikuchi isn't lights out on paper, but he's a reliable starter who offers just enough more than what the Twins have in Bailey Ober as the No. 3 starter. It's not a wide gap between the two, but if the object is adding depth then trading for Kikuchi does exactly that.

While his numbers don't obviously jump out at anyone, Minnesota would be adding a guy who has a 26 percent strikeout rate and a 5.8 percent walk rate, both of which are improvements the rotation could use.

Alex Cobb, San Francisco Giants

• Hasn't pitched yet this year
• Remaining Contract: 1-year, $10M

There are a few names that could fill this spot on the wish list, but Alex Cobb feels the most like a classic Twins acquisition. He's on the older side but has a track record of success, and more importantly he's hurt.

For some reason the Twins love trading for guys who are toeing the line between being great or totally cratering -- something that has already happened this year. Trading for Anthony DeSclafani is a check that has already bounced, as he was ruled out for the season before Opening Day rolled around.

He's still on the IL, which is a firm non-starter in terms of his availability. He has started a rehab assignment, though, and if he's activated before the deadline he'd be perhaps the cheapest option the Twins could hope for. The Giants have almost zero leverage since he's hurt and the risk is so great, which would mean Minnesota wouldn't have to send back as rich a package of prospects as it might for Kikuchi, Flaherty, or someone else.

To be clear, this is a very narrow margin for this to happen, and it might be the longest shot the Twins have. It's also cheapest which, sadly, might be the motivating factor in trying to make it happen.

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