The offseason is a time to dream about huge free agent signings and blockbuster trades. The Twins have had their name come up in both of those scenarios. In this first article I will be focusing on the trading aspect for pitching. The Twins currently have a need to some degree for a pitcher or two to bolster the rotation and/or the bullpen. Below are some possible mock trades I built up using Baseball Trade Values. Some of these would make sense for the Twins to make, but others make you think if it would really be worth it for the big name. Disclaimer: Some of the lower end prospects/ players are interchangeable, I just used what I thought a team may want and factored in a player's value from the website.

Pitching

The Twins are in a tough spot with their pitching right now. Do they really want to pay Carlos Rodon $30+ million a year for the next 5-7 years, trade for a frontline starter, or do they want to go with internal upgrades? If nothing changes, this year they will likely go into spring training with a rotation consisting of Mahle/Gray/Ryan/Maeda/Ober, but after this season, Mahle, Gray, and Maeda are all free agents, creating a need for controllable pitching. These are some mocks I created below.

Twins get - Pablo Lopez 

Marlins get - Luis Arraez, Max Kepler, David Festa

The Twins recently announced they would make 2022 AL Batting Champion Luis Arraez available for high-end pitching. I believe that caught the Marlins attention. The Marlins have expressed a desire to add to their Major League offense, and what other way to do it than with Luis Arraez. Moving Arraez would definitely draw mixed reactions within Twins territory, and rightfully so. I do believe the Marlins would hold out for Arraez, and if I were the Twins I may think long and hard about his long term future, including a possible contract extension, his defensive home, and his injury concerns. If they think the time is right, they may do this. As for Kepler, he provides the Marlins with great defense for a reasonable cost, and a possible bounceback offensively. Festa would give the Marlins another solid pitcher in the Minor League ranks, with a chance to fill a future void in the rotation. Lopez is under team control for 2 more seasons, giving the Twins a bit more rotation certainty in future seasons. Depending on who you ask, Lopez probably passes the “Sonny Gray Threshold.” It seems he pitches like an Ace in the first part of the season, but cools off as the season goes on. It would be a high risk, high reward move for the Twins.

Twins get - Brandon Woodruff

Brewers get - Luis Arraez, Royce Lewis, Simeon Woods-Richardson

Woodruff is a better pitcher than Pablo Lopez, with the same amount of control. That would naturally mean his acquisition cost would be higher. The Twins would be giving up a high-end controllable major league hitter in Arraez, a possible franchise shortstop in Royce Lewis, and a very promising young arm in SWR. I personally don't think this is a great trade to make for the Twins. They have no track record of paying top end pitchers, and that is exactly what Woodruff is. He is under team control for 2 more seasons, projecting to make $11 million in arbitration this year, and even more next year. After that, he will likely command $30+ million a season in free agency. Don't get me wrong, Woodruff is a great pitcher, and there is no denying his talent, I'm just not sure I’d be willing to give up a huge part of my future talent and payroll. Even if they are willing to do this, the Brewers leadership would have to give it the okay, as they have said recently they don't plan on moving him, along with a few others this offseason. That brings me to Burnes. Burnes is arguably a top 5 pitcher in the MLB, if you wanted him, you’d only have to add another couple top 5 prospects from your system, or just Brooks Lee.

Twins get - German Marquez

Rockies get - Jordan Balazovic, Aaron Sabato

The Rockies would be trading Marquez at his low, which is what the Twins would be doing with their prospects here. Nobody knows for sure if the Rockies would even trade Marquez, or what they would trade him for. They were reportedly interested in Nimmo before he signed, and they signed Kris Bryant to a big deal last offseason, even though they are still aways from competing in a stacked division, creating more confusion about their current standpoint. Marquez has posted much better road stats than home stats during his career, making him a piece with possible upside. He fits the bill of a back end starter better than a 2 or 3 right now, which is not really what the Twins need. He is also quite expensive, making $15 million this year with a $16 million club option in 2024, knocking down his acquisition cost. He would be an interesting addition, but not really what the Twins need at this point in time, unless they don't believe in Kenta Maeda or Bailey Ober being a rotation contributor in 2023. The Twins would be giving former top prospect Jordan Balazovic, who struggled last year, and former 1st round pick Aaron Sabato, who hasn’t done a whole lot in the pro’s. It would be an odd trade for both sides, so I would be shocked if a trade was made, but the offseason is a time to think out of the box I guess.

Twins get - Liam Hendriks

White Sox get - Max Kepler, Noah Miller

Hendriks is the only relief pitcher on the list, and he sure is a good one. The Sox have said they have floated the idea of trading Hendriks, and they have also expressed interest in Kepler. I don’t know how likely an in-division trade would be, but it could be a way for the White Sox to shed some payroll to get some spending money if they have a free agent they like. Hendriks is on the last guaranteed year of a 3 year, $54 million pact signed with the Sox 2 offseasons ago, so the Twins would be taking on a good chunk of cash, but they would be getting a legit closer. The Sox would gladly take Kepler to strengthen their rather bleak defensive outfield. I don't think Kepler is enough to do it, so the Twins would have to throw in a prospect, so I said Noah Miller. He hasn’t been great with the bat thus far in pro ball, but there are encouraging signs. He is also a great defender. I think that would be enough to get the Sox to trade away the main guy from their very strong bullpen, but it would all rely on the Twins interest in such a deal.

As I mentioned above, there will be mixed reactions to these proposals. In my personal opinion I don't think some of these should be made, it is just providing a baseline of what to expect if an actual trade was done. This is the first part of my mock trades, with the second part involving position players. I just figured it would get very long if I added the position players onto this article. I would love to hear any feedback you may have in the comments, and what you like or dislike about these proposals. Thank you for reading!