An obscure report out of Baltimore suggests the Twins have contacted the Orioles to see if they can trade Justin Morneau for young pitching. At 31 years old, Morneau returned to relevance last season, hitting 19 home runs in 134 games. He has been plagued by injuries since suffering a concussion in 2010.
Another name reportedly on the trade table is center fielder Ben Revere, according to John Paul Morosi of Fox Sports. Revere led the Twins and finished fifth in all of baseball with 40 steals last season. He is expected to replace Denard Span in the leadoff spot.
However, La Velle Neal III of the Star Tribune was told by a source that Revere won’t be traded.
Neal III also maintains the Twins have offers on the table for pitchers Francisco Liriano, Joe Saunders and possibly John Lannan.
Joe Blanton was rumored to be on the Twins’ radar, but he signed with the Angels on Wednesday.
How much are the Twins willing to spend on a top-notch starter? Nobody knows for sure, but general manager Terry Ryan is against eating up the majority of the team’s payroll with three or four players. Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Josh Willingham currently eat up $45-million of the payroll.
