The July 31 MLB trade deadline is fast approaching, and it appears the Minnesota Twins are ready to start trading some of the biggest names on the team.
MLB.com’s John Paul Morosi reports that the Twins have “offered signals” to teams around the league that they are “open to trading their pending free agents.” Those players include:
- Brian Dozier, second baseman
- Eduardo Escobar, infielder
- Lance Lynn, starting pitcher
- Zach Duke, relief pitcher
Morosi says the Dodgers, Cubs, Cardinals, Indians, Red Sox and Brewers are teams that could consider trading for Dozier or Escobar.
Dozier, set to become a free agent after the season, is mired in a season-long slump that has him batting just .221 with 12 home runs and 34 RBI, and his .704 OPS is the lowest its been since he was a rookie in 2012.
Related: Brian Dozier is killing his trade value for the Twins.
Escobar has slumped the past two weeks but is still hitting .276 with 12 homers, 49 RBI and an MLB-leading 34 doubles, which is seven more than anyone else.
Lynn has shown flashes of success he previously had with the St. Louis Cardinals, but he’s walked 50 batters – second most in the American League – in 80 1/3 innings and has a 5.49 ERA in 16 starts.
Duke has gotten better with each month this season, posting a 3.52 ERA in April, 2.70 ERA in May, and a 1.64 ERA in June.
The Twins have lost nine of their last 11 games and have fallen 10 games behind the first-place Indians in the Central division and 17 games back in the wild card race.
