10 Relievers Minnesota Could Target

I don't see a rebuilding team trading for a 26 year old minor leaguer. That doesn't seem like it fits within a realistic timeline at all to me.

I agree. If the Twins are serious about acquiring pitching help they are not starting negotiations with Jake Cave.

I don't think trades within a division for a reliever is a good idea. We could very well be sending top prospects that could come back and haunt us for many games during the season. Will Smith + Bumgarner trade please.

So? don't try to win the world series because a prospect might come back to haunt us? I disagree with that. But I can agree with Smith/Bumgarner.

Well they already did it once this year, and for a guy without a position. With the Twins no less.

 

I don't know about realistic timelines, but it looks like many if not most teams these days, even rebuilding ones, want controllable MLB ready players they can run out to the field to show the fans they aren't actually rebuilding. Seems like there is a Jake Cave or two in most trades these days involving multiple players moving from one club.

I think trading Cave is a mistake because if Rosario, Buxton or Kepler get hurt the Twins are going to have another hole to fill.

I look at TD's top 20 prospects (I would swap Rooker and Duran) and there is only two outside of the 6 that I would even think twice about trading (Enlow and Rortvedt), the odds are the rest aren't going to make the Twins or going to end up casualties of the 40 man crunch.

I think trading Cave is a mistake because if Rosario, Buxton or Kepler get hurt the Twins are going to have another hole to fill.

I look at TD's top 20 prospects (I would swap Rooker and Duran) and there is only two outside of the 6 that I would even think twice about trading (Enlow and Rortvedt), the odds are the rest aren't going to make the Twins or going to end up casualties of the 40 man crunch.

Marwin can and has played OF. Indeed, statistically, he’s far better in the OF than infield. Lamonte Wade is still around too. He hasn’t done much at AAA other than draw walks, but it is better than not being able to do so.

I doubt Cave adds anything to trade talks, but if someone is willing to give up something for him, there should be zero hesitation in pulling that trigger. Back up outfielders aren’t difficult to acquire.

So? don't try to win the world series because a prospect might come back to haunt us? I disagree with that. But I can agree with Smith/Bumgarner.

There's also a big picture to all this too. Is giving up top prospects to a division rival worth a rental relief pitcher, who is not guaranteed at all to put up the same numbers as before he was traded? I don't think so. Plus if the Twins don't win the WS then we just gave up those prospects for basically nothing. There's less risk for giving up those prospects to a team in the NL or in a different division. There's good reason why intra-division trades aren't all that common. 

Marwin can and has played OF. Indeed, statistically, he’s far better in the OF than infield. Lamonte Wade is still around too. He hasn’t done much at AAA other than draw walks, but it is better than not being able to do so.

I doubt Cave adds anything to trade talks, but if someone is willing to give up something for him, there should be zero hesitation in pulling that trigger. Back up outfielders aren’t difficult to acquire.

I love me some Marwin, I  think having him be a starter in the outfield actually diminishes his value, and possibly opens a hole in the utility role. I like Wade but not on a championship type team. But, yes if some team has to have Cave to complete a trade I make the trade, but I think offering up anybody outside the top six prospects would get the deal done as well.

I think Cave and Gordon would have a lot of appeal for Cleveland.   Kipnis is batting .218 and that is better than what two of their regular outfielders are doing.    

I love me some Marwin, I think having him be a starter in the outfield actually diminishes his value, and possibly opens a hole in the utility role. I like Wade but not on a championship type team. But, yes if some team has to have Cave to complete a trade I make the trade, but I think offering up anybody outside the top six prospects would get the deal done as well.

Filling in for an injured player is exactly why you have a guy like Gonzalez. Adrianza is a quality bench player, but that is what he is - a bench player. Adrianza can play and even be somewhat productive. But Gonzalez is just far better offensively. He is essentially Gonzalez’s back up. Sure, the deeper you have to dig into your depth, the lower the quality. But you don’t hold on to Cave (if as I said someone will give you something worth acquiring for him) just in case you lose two starters and a back up.

The Diamondbacks have the 3rd best run differential in the NL. Plus no team in MLB has played more games against teams above .500 than them. A wild card seems well within their sights especially if their schedule evens out. I think they need to go for it unless things change drastically.

I agree they should go for it,100%. My thoughts on them potentially being sellers revolve entirely around what their organization would do should they have a couple bad weeks that drops them from contention. The division they play in has 4 teams at or above .500, and with how many divisional games each team plays, their schedule won't even out unless the Rockies and Padres both dip below .500.

The Twins might not make a move until closer to the deadline, considering the large lead the Twins have in the central. At that point, the sellers on the market will be more clear. The Diamondbacks could be one and they might not. Just thinking of other possible options here.

I agree that they aren't in a full-on sell mode, but depending on how the next few weeks play out, they will figure out if they are contenders or not, and that changes things for their front office. If they play well leading up to the All-Star break, I doubt they would be sellers, but if they struggle, maybe they look to make a deal?

 

Much like our discussion on the Mets last week, it is a lower probability of a deal happening between these two teams than the other possibilities discussed on this site, but it is something different to consider.

Got me thinking...

With so many teams still in wild card contention, and no August waiver trades anymore, I wonder if we don't see a bunch of "Jaime Garcia" deals in late June and early July?  By that, I mean teams like Colorado, Texas, Arizona, etc... on the periphery of the playoff chase acquire some guys desperately trying to stay in it.  Then, when inevitably a good share of those teams fall out of it by July 31st they'll re-sell those players by the deadline.  Much like the Twins did with Garcia a couple years ago (albeit in a much more condensed time frame).  

Twins could pick up some of these re sales at 75 or 50 cents on the dollar.

I like the idea of trying to get Giles and Stroman.  With all the Twins Minor Leaguer's on the IL it kind of makes swinging a deal tough.

I'm in the mindset that you trade prospects for proven major league ballplayers. If Toronto is interested in Lewis, I think you have to listen. 

I'd rather have a World Series than Royce Lewis in the system.

Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic on Bumgarner's asking price.

 

“From what industry sources are telling me, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi already has had a dialogue with some contenders, including the New York Yankees, and he made it clear the Giants will not treat Bumgarner as a yard-sale item that must be cleared off the driveway before moving day,” Baggarly writes. “The Giants will get the value they are seeking or they won’t move him.”

Dang.   I was hoping he was one of those GMs that negotiate by saing "Yeah, he doesn't fit in our plans for the future so we will give him up for a song."    Bumgarner is a free agent at the end of the year and the Giants are in last place.    They will move him They also have a lot of really bad performing infielders and outfielders.     

I agree. If the Twins are serious about acquiring pitching help they are not starting negotiations with Jake Cave.

Correct.  Could see Cave being a 3rd or 4th piece in a deal.  Definitely not the headliner.

FWIW, Arizona was actually trying to acquire Mike Leake last week. I think they have said they are buyers, for now. Although that could change.

Could actually see a team like Arizona (among others) being buyers....and then sellers later.

I don’t care what prospect capital they spend to get there but I do care about the bullpen at the deadline.

The low bar is acquiring two relievers. One can be a player like Will Smith - a late inning reliever on an expiring contract. The other is an emerging reliever around age 27 with at last one more year of control.

Pay in prospects whatever the market demands.

Why are people so turned off by Stroman? He’s young with a track record of above average to excellent performance—exactly the kind of player the Twins should be targeting for their rotation. I’m genuinely curious why some people don’t want him.

I tend to avoid him in fantasy baseball because of the low strikeout rates and the unremarkable velocity. I like the look of his slider though. I think there's a possible Gerrit Cole/Charlie Morton/Martin Perez situation where he could change his pitch mix somehow and go from solid to great. I'd be more interested in doing that as an off-season acquisition though.