The Minnesota Twins are back from the All-Star break and apparently open for business leading up to the Aug. 1 non-waiver Major League Baseball Trade Deadline.
There’s no question the Twins are sellers this time with the worst record in the American League at 32-56, and according to general manager Terry Ryan, the Twins are willing to deal.
The big questions right now are who can the Twins move and what will they get for them?
Twins blogger for MLB.com Rhett Bollinger thinks the biggest trade chip the Twins have is right-handed starter Ervin Santana.
“Several contending teams are in need of pitching help, such as the Rangers, Orioles, Blue Jays and Red Sox, and Santana would give them a dependable mid-rotation option. Texas, which saw Santana first-hand on July 1 when he limited the Rangers to two runs over 6 1/3 innings, has a deep farm system and the teams seem to match up well for a trade.”
The good: Santana has posted a 1.63 ERA over his last four starts before the All-Star Break.
The drawback: No matter who the Twins trade with they’ll probably have to eat some of his $27 million remaining over the next two seasons.
Other pitchers that could be dealt: Ricky Nolasco, but his $25 million price tag on his 5.22 ERA are a tough sell. Relievers Fernando Abad and Brandon Kintzler could also be on the move.
Position players who could be moved
Brian Dozier is another name that could garner some interest on the trade block.
The good: Dozier is 29, and as Baseball Prospectus’ Aaron Gleeman notes he’s signed for just $6 million in 2017 and $9 million in 2018.
The bad: He’s a team leader and still quite a popular member of the team, making any trade involving Dozier a tougher pill to swallow.
Other position players who could be on the move include All-Star Eduardo Nunez or third baseman Trevor Plouffe, but a broken rib is likely to keep him sidelined until August making any trade for Plouffe difficult.
