Of the 101 best prospects in the newly-updated list from Baseball Prospectus, 21 of them are shortstops – and three of them are in the Twins’ farm system.
Brooks Lee, ranked 37th overall, is a shortstop the Twins drafted in 2022 out of Cal Poly. He’s a hitting machine who could be in the big leagues next year, according to MLB Pipeline.
Royce Lewis, the first overall pick in 2017 is a shortstop and is ranked 40th on the top 101 list. As long as he doesn’t have a setback in his recovery from his second torn ACL, he could be playing for the Twins this summer. And if he lives up to his potential, he could be a star.
Then there’s Jose Salas, the 19-year-old shortstop the Twins received along with Pablo Lopez and another prospect for Luis Arraez on Friday. He is ranked 93rd on the list and was the No. 5 prospect in Miami’s system prior to be dealt to Minnesota.
And don’t forget about Austin Martin, who can play shortstop and center field. Martin was dealt to Minnesota in the Jose Berrios trade in 2021 and at the time he was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in the 2020 draft class. He struggled at Double-A Wichita last season but lit up the Arizona Fall League by hitting .374/.454/.482 in 21 games.
With Carlos Correa inked to a six-year deal that could extend to 10 years, the Twins have no need to hoard shortstops. Lee, Lewis, Salas and Martin could all evolve into players capable of starting different positions, but their value may never be greater than now and that makes trading them for frontline starting pitching worth considering.
Minnesota’s starting rotation right now would feature a blend of Pablo Lopez, Sonny Gray, Tommy Mahle, Joe Ryan, Kenta Maeda and Bailey Ober. All six of them are good but none are great. Is that good enough to be a serious contender in the American League?
If the Twins don’t think it is, then they should use their farm system – specifically the shortstops – and shop them for a big-time starting pitcher.
Who’s out there? One of the first names that comes to mind is Shane Bieber. He’s 27 and one of the best pitchers in baseball, but after agreeing to a one-year deal with the Guardians to avoid arbitration there’s no pressure for Cleveland to move him before the summer trade deadline. And the obvious potential sticking point is whether Cleveland would dare trade Bieber within the division. Bieber is up for arbitration against next winter before becoming eligible for free agency in 2025.
Dodgers right-hander Dustin May is 25 years old and has electric stuff. His fastball averaged 98 mph (after Tommy John surgery). He’s not an ace yet but he has the potential to get there as he enters the prime of his career. He’s up for arbitration in 2024 and 2025 before becoming a free agent in 2026.
And perhaps the most tantalizing pitcher out there is Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow. The 29-year-old had 123 strikeouts in 88 innings and was dominating opponents before needing Tommy John surgery in 2021. He returned late last season and pitched in a couple of games and looked the same, striking out 10 batters and allowing just one run on four hits in 6.2 innings. Glasnow is under team control for another two seasons.
The iron is hot and it’s time for the Twins to strike. They just need to be willing part with unproven, high-potential prospects and find a team that’s willing to send them a star pitcher.
