The MLB trade is this Thursday, and yet, if Minnesota Twins president of baseball operations, Derek Falvey, is to be believed, teams aren't ready to make deals. In speaking with reporters over the weekend, Falvey indicated that teams are still in the information-gathering stage of trade talks.
“There are a lot of discussions, don’t get me wrong,” Falvey said. “There are a lot of calls back and forth. But in terms of actual proposals and offers, this stuff tends to come as you get much closer to the deadline. In some of these conversations, they’re not advanced yet, because it’s just timing.”
That doesn't exactly match what has taken place across Major League Baseball over the weekend. There have been two notable trades with Josh Naylor going from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Seattle Mariners and Ryan McMahon going from the Colorado Rockies to the New York Yankees. There have also been a pair of smaller moves with the Baltimore Orioles moving a relief pitcher to the New York Mets, and the Yankees also adding Amed Rosario.
Derek Falvey’s trade deadline plan is confusing just about everyone
The movement over the weekend would suggest that teams are moving past the information-gathering stage of talks. With the deadline on Thursday, Falvey should have all the information he need.
It remains unlikely that Joe Ryan will be moved at the deadline, but the Twins have several rental players who could be targeted by contending teams. Willi Castro figures to be a valuable trade chip for the Twins, considering his ability to play in the infield and the outfield. Of course, larger deals loom with a growing expectation that one of Jhoan Duran or Griffin Jax could be on the move as well.
With a sale of the team looming, the fear was that Falvey's front office wouldn't have an urgent approach to the deadline this season. After his comments over the weekend, it's hard to say that won't be the case. That would be a near worst-case scenario for the Twins, considering there is a path for them to return to AL Central relevancy with the right deals before Thursday.