4 potential trade destinations for Max Kepler
Max Kepler might be used as a trade chip this winter, and a few teams make sense as potential destinations.
Among the many important decisions the Minnesota Twins need to make this offseason is what to do with Max Kepler.
The Twins picked up his $10M option, but all along the way the indication has been the team might try to use him as a trade chip.
Another important question is whether the Twins will flip Kepler more for assets or to help with creating space on the payroll to spend? Initial indications seemed to be that Kepler and Jorge Polanco would be valuable trade chips to use for improving the roster, but news that the payroll is being slashed by around $20 million might alter those plans.
Despite the payroll drama, it still seems as though the expectation is Minnesota will use its positional depth to add pieces -- which suggests Kepler might be traded for assets.
Either way, the Twins will have no shortage of potential trade partners around the league if Kepler is indeed on the trade block.
Twins Rumors: 4 trade destinations for Max Kepler this offseason
Toronto Blue Jays
Max Kepler helped end the Blue Jays season, but he might be in Toronto to help them get a new one started next year.
There will be some interesting changes coming to Toronto, a team that held its own in a competitive AL East and needs to ensure no ground is lost. The Yankees and Red Sox look poised to bounce back next year, and the Orioles and Rays don’t appear to be getting significantly worse this winter, which puts pressure on the Blue Jays to keep pace.
Adding Kepler solves a few challenges that face the team entering the winter. Witt Merrifield is gone — and potentially headed to Minnesota — and George Springer isn’t getting any younger. Kepler would slot in as the everyday right fielder from Day 1, and is an instant offensive upgrade over Springer’s 104 wRC+ (Kepler finished the season with 124 wRC+).
New York Yankees
Could the Twins-Yankees pipeline see some action this winter? Kepler certainly wouldn't be the first outfielder New York has grabbed from the Twins but he might have the highest upside of any player the two teams have traded back-and-forth.
New York has needed corner outfield help for a while, and Kepler would instantly give the Yankees one of the best baseball groups. There were rumors last winter that Kepler might be bound for the Bronx, but nothing came from those talks. A year later the same situation exists, as the Twins might be shopping Kepler to improve the roster elsewhere and the Yankees need outfield help that he can provide.
Kepler's offense was a major question mark last season, but he started to find a groove and turn things on late in the year. Imagine what he was doing for the Twins alongside Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton in the Yankees outfield -- it's not fun to think about if that lineup stands between Minnesota and a World Series next October.
For all that has been said about his offense, having him with the short porch at Yankee Stadium might turn him into a home run monster that might make him another in a long line of Twins players fans regret seeing go.
San Diego Padres
A few years ago it felt like the San Diego Padres were about to be the next team to arrive as a perennial World Series contender. They had a roster of young talent all coming together at the right time and made huge splashy moves to try and buy their way to the top.
It's a plan that has so far failed spectacularly, but all hope is not lost. This past season was a true bottoming out, as clubhouse drama led to a managerial change and the general indication that all hell was breaking loose in all the wrong ways. Still, the team has talent like Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts, and Juan Soto, as well as some young talent to throw around in other positions.
Kepler could help unclog a situation in the outfield.
Last year Tatis manned right field and seemed to settle into an outfield role rather nicely. San Diego trading for Kepler would allow the Padres to move Tatis to center and move Trent Grisham elsewhere. It would create an outfield trio of Soto-Tatis-Kepler, which seems pretty good on paper and might be even better if things all fall into place.
Kepler doesn't have to be pinned down in right field, either. If the Padres want to keep Tatis there, Kepler can move around the outfield or slot in as the DH if the team wants to play Manny Machado in the field. San Diego has options if they make a move for Kepler, and given the progress the team needs to make it seems like a wise decision to make.
Seattle Mariners
One big addition the Mariners made last year was Teoscar Hernandez, who posted a pretty average 105 wRC+. That was down from his production a year before when he posted a 130 wRC+ season, but that didn't stop the Twins from entering the chat during the trade deadline as a potential team that could land Hernandez and use him as part of a postseason run.
Seattle hung onto him and tried to pull off something similar, although it ended up on the outside looking in. Hernandez is a free agent this winter and likely to sign somewhere else, which creates an immediate need for a starting right fielder.
Cade Marlowe was called up this past season to help with depth, but if they want some instant impact then trading for Kepler is a perfect fit. He’s an upgrade over Hernandez, bringing a 124 wRC+ with him after the season he put together in Minnesota, and could become the everyday right fielder as Marlowe and others add depth behind him.
Kepler can move around the outfield too, if that’s something the Mariners wanted to experiment with in terms of lineup possibilities. On any given day, though, Seattle would last Julio Rodriguez, Jarred Kelenic, and Kepler in its outfield, plus the ability to have Kep hit in the DH spot.
Atlanta Braves
While the Twins had un unexpectedly great October, the Atlanta Braves crashed and burned out of the postseason in the NLDS. It was an embarassing collapse, as a team that won over 100-games last year was so bad when it counted that a brief conversation about the fairness of the playoff format was raised.
That’s a loser’s way of approaching what happened, and the Braves have a much easier way to avoid another potential disaster. Atlanta has superstars all over the lineup, which is why it’s collapse was so shocking. Adding Kepler isn’t some splashy move that takes them from one place to the next, but it does add a reliable hitter and solid defensive option to the outfield.
Braves expert Fred Owens outlined the idea of Atlanta adding Kepler, noting that he brings exactly what the team needs in terms and won’t be relied on to do more than he can.
“The Atlanta Braves don’t need a superstar left fielder. The club already has stars all over the diamond. Putting a Gold-Glove caliber defender in left who showed no significant L/R this year, costs only $1M more than Rosario, swings from the left side, and hits 20 homers a year is fine,” Owen’s wrote.
Eddie Rosario — another former Twins player the Braves used effectively — is a free agent and replacing him with Kepler is a low cost option with high upside potential. Kepler’s status as a rental would be fully realized with the Braves, who wouldn’t need to acquire him with the intention of making him part of the long-term plan, but could end up going down that road based on what happened.
Atlanta has a stacked outfield, with Ronald Acuna Jr., Michael Harris III, and Vaughn Grissom all locked in as key pieces of the core moving forward. Kepler would provide depth at all three positions, as well as the option to slide into the lineup as DH on any given day.
As could be the case if Kepler lands in the Bronx and has a great season, it might not take long for Twins fans to feel some regret about trading him as he contributes to a contending team in Atlanta.
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