As is normally the case ahead of the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline, it would seem that pitching will be at a premium. The teams at the top of each respective league--Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers--all likely will be in the market for improvements to their pitching staffs this season. Complicating matters is that only the Chicago White Sox, the Athletics, the Colorado Rockies, and the Miami Marlins have the clear impression of a seller ahead of the deadline.
The Twins are among the teams that will need to decide in the coming weeks if they should make a push for the postseason or cash in on what should be a seller's market. It's also possible that we see the Twins thread the needle between keeping their postseason hopes alive while benefiting from the price teams will be willing to pay for starting pitching help ahead of the deadline.
The name that immediately comes to mind is veteran starting pitcher Chris Paddack. A free agent after the season, Paddack would likely be a target for teams looking to improve the backend of their rotation.
If the Twins sell, Chris Paddackâs name will be the first to surface
The Miami Marlins will have a high asking price for their starters--Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera. The Atlanta Braves don't appear to be interested in trading Chris Sale, and the Arizona Diamondbacks haven't put up the selling flag either. When examining the pitchers who could be available at the trade deadline this season, there may not be a clear top-of-the-rotation arm. Even Alcantara, a former Cy Young Award winner, has struggled in his first season back from Tommy John Surgery.
That is important context to keep in mind for why Paddack may be a desirable trade target for teams in the market for a starting pitcher. Through 16 starts this season, Paddack has an ERA of 4.64. Paddack has had a rough go of things in his last four starts, but before that, his ERA on the season was under 4. For teams who may not want to part with top prospects, Paddack could be an ideal fallback option. Current injuries notwithstanding, the Twins have the depth to move Paddack without taking a significant step backward in their starting rotation.