Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Royals puts the Twins 9 1/2 games behind Cleveland in the division, meaning the odds are higher now than ever that Minnesota will be sellers before the July 31 MLB trade deadline.
Players with expiring contracts – Brian Dozier, Eduardo Escobar, Fernando Rodney and Lance Lynn – could all be traded over the next week, and if they are the Twins would be fortunate to get some talent that pans out for a change.
Historically, the Twins have had very little success developing prospects they’ve received when selling top players in the past. In fact, Eduardo Escobar is arguably the only solid player the Twins have received when selling at the deadline since 2006.
Here’s a look back at the players they’ve traded and who they got in return.
2006: Kyle Lohse
The Twins traded Lohse, then just 28 years old, to the Reds for right-handed pitcher Zach Ward. Three years later Ward was pitching in the Independent League and Lohse was on his way to another decade of solid pitching for the Reds, Phillies, Cardinals and Brewers.
2007: Luis Castillo
The Twins sent Castillo to the Mets for Dustin Martin and Drew Butera. While Butera spent four seasons as a backup catcher in Minnesota, Martin never made it past Triple-A. Castillo still had some juice left in him and hit .302 in 142 games with the Mets in 2009.
2011: Delmon Young
Minnesota sent Young to the Tigers for a pitcher who never made it beyond Single-A (Cole Nelson). Young then went on to finish strong in 2011 and was the MVP of the American League Championship Series in 2012.
2012: Francisco Liriano
The deal that sent Liriano to the White Sox is looking better every day, all thanks to Eduardo Escobar’s fantastic 2018 season. Minnesota got Escobar in the deal, and he’s developed into a dangerous hitter since the second half of the 2017 season.
2013: Justin Morneau
Morneau’s glory days were pretty much over with at this point, although he did go on to win a batting title with the Colorado Rockies, whom he joined after the Twins traded him to the Pirates for outfielder Alex Presley and a player to be named later. Presley never did much.
2014: Kendrys Morales
Morales hit just .234 with the Twins before he was traded to the Mariners, where he struggled before joining the Royals and helping them win a World Series when he hit .290 with 22 homers and 106 RBI in 2015. He’s racked up 58 more in 2016/2017 with the Royals and Blue Jays, respectively. The Twins received a pitcher named Stephen Pryor, who is now out of baseball.
2014: Josh Willingham
Willingham hit 35 homers for the Twins in 2012 before slowing down with just 13 homers in 2013 and 12 when he was traded to the Royals at the deadline in 2014. He played in just 24 games with the Royals before retiring. The player the Twins got for him? Jason Adam, who never advanced out of the minors.
2017: Brandon Kintzler
Kintzler, an All-Star for the Twins, was traded to the Nationals for Tyler Watson, who is still just 21 years old and pitching at Class A Cedar Rapids. The jury is still out on Watson.
