Twins Rumors: 5 hitters Minnesota could target at trade deadline
If the Twins decide to make a move before the deadline on Aug. 1st, there are a few decently priced hitters who could give the offense a boost.
Baseball is all about trends, and the Minnesota Twins have been known to go after big bats when they're in a position like they are now heading into the deadline. The Twins can very much win the AL Central, even without making a trade, but it's no secret that the lineup is lacking some power and production.
To be fair, things are starting to turn around after the All-Star Break but that doesn't mean the team can't use the deadline to secure help that will ensure the bottom doesn't fall out on them like it did last year. After all, we've already seen the team fumble away momentum a few times this year, notably after starting 10-4 before falling into a hole they're still trying to climb out of.
Adding some firepower to the offense seems like a good idea, but Minnesota is going to cautiously approach the deadline. Derek Falvey has already said he believes the team has the tools to win already in place as long as those players get on the right track -- and he's not wrong. A lineup with Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton should be grooving, and if that happens it'll be better than anything Minnesota can acquire.
That being said, there are some potential bargain buys at the deadline that could help the Twins beef up their offense and fortify the lineup for a potential run in October.
Twins Rumors: 5 hitters Minnesota could target at trade deadline
Turner. . Contract: Player Option in 2024. Justin Turner. player. . 1B/3B. Justin Turner. 5. 14
Trading for Justin Turner feels like a classic Twins move, the kind the team would make back during their last competitive streak. Whether it was bringing in Jim Thome, Josh Willingham, or as recently as Nelson Cruz, Minnesota has either signed or traded for a big bat when they're in this sort of competitive position.
Turner fits that classic mold: he's near the end of his career, has World Series experience, and is hitting extremely well.
Right now Turner has a .836 OPS and a modest 15 home runs, but he's absolutely obliterating left-handed hitters this season. Not only would he fit offensively with the Twins but he also fills some potential defensive holes after the team has been forced to navigate injuries.
While he's primarily been the Red Sox designated hitter, he's played a quarter of his games this season at first base and a handful at third base. Alex Kirilloff is finally back, but the Twins have been thin at first base all season and could use some extra protection in the event Kirilloff goes down again. The same can be said about the situation at third base, where Royce Lewis is still weeks away from returning and Jose Miranda has been unreliable both in terms of his offense and his health.
Turner also has a player option for next season and the Twins had interest in him over the winter, so this could be a case where he's more than just a half-season rental.
. . Teoscar Hernández. 4. player. Teoscar. OF. Contract: Free Agent in 2024. Teoscar Hernández. 62
We're nearing the 11th hour where front offices need to decide what they're going to be at the deadline. For the Mariners, it sounds like selling isn't off the table -- in fact general manager Jerry Dipoto said as much recently when asked about his plans.
Seattle is only about five games out of the AL Wild Card race, so their season is far from being cooked. Dipoto mentioned thinking about ways to get better in 2024, which could mean trading a guy like Teoscar Hernández. Not only is he a trade chip, but he's not exactly lighting things on fire the way the Mariners might have hoped he would.
Hernández is slashing .243/.296/.428 which isn't putting him in any awards races, plus he's already set a career-high for strikouts. Much like Turner, though, Hernández is an absolute menace against lefties which is exactly what the Twins need in their lineup. For all his faults, including not being that great defensively, what Hernández could give Minnesota's lineup outweighs just about everything that could be used in an arguement against the team trading for him.
He's also a free agent at the end of the season, which means he won't be particularly expensive in terms of a trade package. There's no doubt that he's a gamble, but he's one that wouldn't cost the Twins much and has the sort of upside that could pay off big in October.
OF. Tyler O'Neill. 3. 33. O'Neill. . . Contract: Arbitration Eligible in 2024. Tyler O'Neill. player
There's been a lot made about the Twins potentially going after a St. Louis Cardinals player, but how about one that's not Paul Goldschmidt.
Tyler O'Neill has never been more available than he is now, and the Twins might want to take advantage. We're just a few years removed from O'Neill being a hot preseason MVP prediction, but he's followed that hype up with two bummer seasons. Go back a few years and try to tell someone that he'd be a buy-low candidate at the deadline this year and some eyebrows would be raised.
That's his upside, and the Cardinals have a few different motivations to move O'Neill. He still has trade value and could help with a reload rather than a rebuild, and trading him would help alleviate overcrowding in the outfield.
He's another candidate who would provide the Twins with some power against lefties, slahsing .238/.300/.538 against lefties so far this season. Defensively he allows the Twins to do a few different things, not the least of which is put him out in left field and platoon with Joey Gallo. He could also help with the Byron Buxton problem and fill the DH slot which allows the team to give Buxton time off to heal or take the role when he's ready to return to center.
O'Neill is a buy-low candidate with some nice upside that could turn into a longer stint with the team thanks to being arbitration eligible this winter.
Bellinger. . 1B/OF. 2. player. . Contract: Mutual Option in 2024. Cody Bellinger. Cody Bellinger. 9
Not terribly unlike what the Twins might have been trying to do with Carlos Correa last season, the Chicago Cubs brought in Cody Bellinger in what appeared to be a win-win situation. Either the team was competitive and the former MVP was a part of that, or he would be a nice trade chip to flip at the deadline as Chicago attempts to piece together its rebuild.
Their season isn't officially over, but the Cubs are in third-place and five games under .500 -- prime seller territory for the front office.
Bellinger would add a left-handed hitter to the Twins lineup as well as another option to move around defensively. As mentioned, the situation at first base is a bit thin and Bellinger could help add some depth there as an option for Rocco Baldelli to put in the lineup. He also adds another option in centerfield, which is increasingly more valuable with the struggles of Byron Buxton and his inablity to play the field.
Minnesota came into this season hoping an MVP-type player would be able to platoon with Michael A. Taylor in center, it just might turn out that the player ends up being Bellinger and not Buxton. It fills the Twins quota for centerfielders with last names that start with 'B', though.
Kidding aside, Bellinger is a high-quality option for the Twins who wouldn't be as expensive as other potential options. He certainly wouldn't be cheap, but he's a free agent next year with a qualifying offer attatched, which is probably what the Twins would need to match and then potentially sweeten to get a guy who could help continue to steer the offense in the right direction.
Let's not gloss over his postseason experience, something of an added value to acquiring him. Bellinger was central to many Dodgers teams that went on runs in October, specifically, the one that won the World Series, which is something that can't be overlooked.
OF. Contract: Free Agent in 2024. 1. 102. Renfroe. . Hunter Renfroe. Hunter Renfroe. player.
Almost everyone in baseball is waiting with bated breath to see what happens with Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani. It's highly unlikley the Twins make a move to trade for him before the deadline, assuming he gets moved at all, but one of his teammates might end up being a fit for Minnesota.
Hunter Renfroe is the defintion of a rental, as he's putting together an extremly solid season against righties and lefities and is a free agent at the end of the season. He's also on a team that is slowly fading from contention, although the Angels are just five games back of the Wild Card.
The Twins probably wouldn't have to pay that high of a price to bring him in, and he'd add an instant boost the offense once he arives. So far this season Renfroe has a .730 OPS against lefties and a .745 against right-handed pitchers, which makes him perhaps the best all-around hitter the Twins can target at the deadline without needing to make a splashy move.
That's key here, as the Twins have made it clear they don't want to dip into the prospect pool the way they did last year in trading for Jorge Lopez and Tyler Mahle. The way those deals turned out have understandably scarred the front office, and even if they're not playing scared there's good reason to be cautious.
Renfroe checks a lot of boxes for the Twins, including the one about postseason experience, and might be worth taking a gamble on at the deadline.
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