Twins Rumors: The Athletic predicts two trades for Minnesota ahead of deadline

With the MLB Trade Deadline quickly approaching, the Minnesota Twins need to figure out what the plan is. It should be rather easy on the surface, but there are layers to the situation that get more complicated the deeper you dig.

Look no further than the question of whether the Twins should trade Sonny Gray before the August 1st deadline arrives. Optically it would appear to be a maniacally stupid move for a first place team to trade its best starter, but it's a real debate around Twins Territory.

Should the Twins cash in their golden trade ticket or continue on a serious path of contention -- assuming it's even that serious.

There's drama to boot as the deadline aprpoaches, but it's starting to feel more likely that Minnesota makes a move. They have a surplus of left-handed hitters who are reportedly drawing trade interest, and there are a few holes on the roster that could be filled by flipping one or two of them in a deal.

That's what The Athletic thinks the plan should be.

Twins Rumors: The Athletic predicts two trades for Minnesota at the deadline

In a piece that looked at moves each team should make at the deadline, The Athletic's Steven J. Nesbitt looked at the landscape and earmarked Teoscar Hernández and Brooks Raley as acquisitions for the Twins.

Hernández is currently having a mediocre season for the Mariners but is crushing left-handed pitching, while Raley is part of a Mets bullpen that is very much for sale.

Nesbitt writes:

Raley gives a left-handed look and won’t be as costly as closers David Robertson and Jordan Hicks. As for a right-handed bat, outfielders Tommy Pham and Randal Grichuk are smart and safe plays, but buying low on Hernández could pay big dividends over the next few months. He has 30-homer power and his strikeout rate should recede to some degree.

Both of these guys have been linked to the Twins by folks like Aaron Gleeman, who has them in separate pieces about pitchers and hitters Minnesota could target as fits. Tommy Pham, also with the Mets, has been mentioned more than a few times as a potential target as well.

Raley would be a bit of a full-circle guy, as he briefly spent time with the Twins back in 2014.

Buying low is the key takeaway from this and any conversations about what the Twins might do at the deadline. The front office isn't playing scared, but it's hard to see what happened at last year's deadline not inspiring a cautious approach. Minnesota has a healthy farm system to mine if it wants to pull off a trade, but Hernández and Raley feel like low-risk gambles to take as the Twins attempt to fortify a contending roster.