4 Veteran Players the Twins Can Trade

If we are looking to improve we do not trade our best player who fills a critical defensive hole.  Everything looked good until Correa.  This might have worked if Lewis was available, but not now - Palacios and Gordon do not fill that spot and thus we go backwards trying to go forward.  

Package the rest of them and get that pitcher.  It is a nice haul for a team like Oakland. 

21 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

If we are looking to improve we do not trade our best player who fills a critical defensive hole.  Everything looked good until Correa.  This might have worked if Lewis was available, but not now - Palacios and Gordon do not fill that spot and thus we go backwards trying to go forward.  

Package the rest of them and get that pitcher.  It is a nice haul for a team like Oakland. 

Oakland would have zero interest in any of these players.  Oakland / Beane has followed a practice of trading players wit 1 to 1.5 years of control for near MLB ready or players that have some MLB experience like Kirilloff / Ryan / Duran / Ober / Celestino.  Tampa and Cleveland have also been good at executing this strategy which has made them far more successful than other teams in the bottom half revenue.

Urshela and one of Bundy / Archer are the most likely to be traded as I see it.  If Lewis was pounding on the door, trading Correa would plausible.  I don't see it unless we collapse.

Package Kepler and Sano together and see if it brings anything back?  I wouldn't expect much, but its worth the F.O. putting it out there.

I would hold onto Correa as long as possible unless the Yanks want to trade Cole. Kirilloff, Larnach, Kepler, being left handed hitters, then, trading Kepler could make sense. I enjoy having Kepler on the team. Sano~ trade him or release him. I would be very hesitant to trade Urshela .

I agree with prior comments, we can't trade CC and get anyone close to him. We can't any of these in a trade with OAK because outlook is rebuild with prospects, But we can trade with a team that wants to compete and is strong in one area but weak in another, teams like MIA, TB or AR could be tarkets. MIA who's very strong in pitching IMO makes them very good targets. 

We can still trade w/ OAK and IMO makes the most sense but prospects and players with high availibity will come into play. Veterans are traded more in the off season.

I don’t see us getting anything for Sano, but trading him makes the most sense, there really isn’t a place for him anymore.  I’m also ok with letting Kepler go. He should get a good return as long as he stays healthy.  Urshela has quickly become a favorite, but if it’s a really, really good deal…I’ll still be pissed.  But I’ve been there before and got over it. 
 

Please just let me enjoy our one year with Correa. I don’t think anyone is dealing anything worth giving him up. 

I think the best-case scenario for getting value out of Sano is that he clobbers a few big home runs in St Paul on a rehab stint and someone trades us an OK middle reliever for him.

I think the Twins should play this all the way to the deadline. This team is an enigma with great offense (that sometimes doesn’t show up), two frontline starters (but the rest are sketch), and a weak bullpen (that at times has over performed). Right now- they are probably the ninth or tenth best team in the league, and we need more information on where this team will go before we push the chips in. 

That being said, if we can open up long term extension talks with Correa, I would be all for it. 8/280 I would think would get the deal done and he’s young enough where we will get plenty of prime years.

No to all

I agree with those who say don’t trade Correa and would add they must sign him to a long term deal. IMO just as important or more (due to Correa’s relative durability) than signing Buxton last offseason.

I would not trade Urshela because he provides somewhat of an iron wall with Correa on the left side.

I would trade Kepler and think the Twins OF would be just fine with Kirilloff, Larnach, Buxton, Celestino, Garlick.

And the no brainer is that Sano is getting passed by, perhaps by Miranda.

So I’ve got Kepler as the main trade chip and they could tap the minors for the extra ingredients.

1 hour ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

Prospects are the currency of trades for contenders to trade for established major leaguers.

I don’t really get where trading away established major leaguers improves a contending team.

This exactly. It only makes sense if you're replacing a borderline starter with a rare next-level talent (e.g. trading Doug M to get Morneau into the lineup). With Lewis healthy, that might have been the case at 3B but otherwise, just no.

If you are taking about making a trade from a position of strength, what about Polanco?  Trading Jorge would assure more ABs for Arraez and potentially Miranda.  He likely has more trade value than the others mentioned (except Correa who I would not move).

Note I am not advocating this and would only do this if the Twins were able to get good value back.

Lastly I'd rather DFA Sano than have him come back and take away ABs from Arraez, Miranda, Kirilloff, Larnach or even Garlick, Sanchez and Urshela.

The one player that they might move at the Deadline would be Sano.  Given the offensive options at their disposal they likely don't have room for him next year and what value does he bring if he is only going to play for the team a couple of months and be a marginal difference maker at the plate and detriment in the field.  I think there is good chance they move on without him this year.

I don't think the Twins are going to mess with team chemistry at the deadline so I don't see any of the others being traded.  While possible it seems very unlikely the Twins would be out of the running for at least a wild card spot so why not keep a guy like Urshela as good veteran depth. There is no one better defensively in right field than Kepler and his bat has been OK this year.  If they trade Correa it better be a monster deal as that would really hurt this teams chances.

If the Twins add odds are it will be relievers and they have some prospect capital that they can use and I would guess they will.  In the offseason yes I could see Urshela, Kepler and Correa all gone but unlikely at the deadline IMO.

Trading Polanco would be an error. 9 innings of defense out weight 3-4 ABs in a game where only 1 or 2 of those turn into a single.

1 hour ago, Unwinder said:

I think the best-case scenario for getting value out of Sano is that he clobbers a few big home runs in St Paul on a rehab stint and someone trades us an OK middle reliever for him.

You nailed it. Sadly, I always hoped there was at least one truly great season left in his career, but if there is, it may have to come elsewhere after he's traded to an NL team with DH needs..

Stop with the trading and focus on keeping Correa and "buy" a #1-2 starter.  With the money they saved by throwing away Berrios they can afford both and more.  I don't have much excitement about Martin and Richardson.  Both doing just okay if that in AA.  Part of it is the wait and the other part is we are always waiting on prospects.  Few have lived up to their ranking and usually shipped off before they are due to be paid.  We have been waiting on prospects since 2010,  Buxton is the only one that paid off.  I still have a little faith in Sano but would like to see him go to a team that could help him and value him.

Polanco
Arraez
Kepler
Correa
Buxton
Gray
Paddack

That's a full list, in order, of players on the Twins who might be considered "veterans" and have any significant trade value on Baseballtradevalues.com

Miguel Sano? If he's back on the field with enough time to prove he's healthy prior to the trade deadline, he'd have to absolutely rake to attract even a nibble, and even then, the Twins would have to eat his contract entirely to get anything at all. Keep in mind, this isn't like the good 'ol days when players could be traded after the deadline subject to clearing waivers. Sano will have a maximum of 2 weeks to prove he's not washed up. Sano would have to go to a contender who need help at DH or 1B which is all of about 5 teams... only 3 of which are outside our division.

Astros - 1B, Cardinals - DH, White Sox - DH, Dodgers - DH, Guardians - DH.

Sano being traded seems very far fetched right now.

 

Me winning the lottery without playing is more realistic than the Twins signing Correa to a long term contract. 

I can see no circumstance that the Twins trade Correa. Trading Correa indicates raising a white flag and the Twins whose attendance should be better than it is will not trade him. The Twins FO would be chased out of town if they traded Correa and rightly so.

If you want to compete this year you could trade any of the top 3 mentioned and still compete, however, depending on the return, I think you make the team worse.  First, with Lewis out, we would have either Arraez, Miranda, Gordon, or call up Steer to play 3rd.  Gordon offers less on offense, and most likely about same on defense.  Arraez and Miranda are most likely upgrade on offense but both worse on defense.  Steer is a wildcard as we only have minor numbers to go off of.  

Kepler is great on defense, and good enough on offense that putting Larnach or Alex into that stop would need big enough consistent steps forward at the plate to know what you got.  It could work out, but not sure what Kepler nets in trade.

Sano will net nothing in return as no rebuilding team will take him for a rental, and no competing teams will want to slot him in as everyday guy at this point.  Maybe, a mid-rebuilding team may take a flyer on Sano for the rest of the year to see if they want to pick up option, but best we get is rental of pen arm, and we most likely will need to either eat the money Sano is owed, or give up a prospect to. 

No way does trading Correa this year help us this year.  No competing team will give up enough MLB talent to help us this year.  Outside of Yankees, I do not see anyone competing that needs a SS right now and has MLB talent ready to give up.  Houston maybe, because their starting SS is injured, but doubt they would give up much.  Toronto may be willing, but again, what do they send us that helps us this year?  Then who plays SS?  It would be huge downgrade there and really closes this year as a window to compete. 

What value does Sano~ bring to the Twins? A big headache!

The "positions of strength" are going to be needed to snap the post season losing streak. Swapping out major league talent for a zero net gain, is not adding to the value of the team. Swapping out prospects is what I think should be used.

And Sano can be DFA'ed just for his roster spot. There is enough value there just for that.

I suppose it's been a couple days since we've discussed trading Carlos Correa, so it's ripe for discussion.  ;/

But the idea of trading Kepler, Urshela or Polanco and holding on to prospects is palpable.  However, it's hard to conceive of actual trading partners that will net us the pitching we need, and we'll also zap our major league depth, which we've been pushing the limits of all year. 

Can any one propose any actual trades that make sense involving the players listed in the article?    

I don't in any way support trading away Correa, but the Twins are back to potentially needing a SS for next season.  Enter the St. Louis Cardinals who thought they had a nice SS in Edmund Sosa, but who has struggled this year with the bat but did pretty well last year.  The Cardinals regularly turn out pitching, so they could include a young controllable starter and a decent reliever with Sosa and it gets them Correa.  Again not supporting it but the FO regularly makes deals with the future in mind.

1 hour ago, chpettit19 said:

Urshela: Maybe a contender throws the Twins a random middle reliever for him? That doesn't help the 2022 Twins as their entire pen is made up of random middle relievers already.

Kepler: Maybe San Diego would want to get out from under some money and would be willing to give up Snell or Clevinger? Neither of those guys moves the pitching needle enough to make up for Kepler's defense alone.

Sano: He's not worth anything. Maybe a 13th man on a pitching staff? Again, doesn't help the Twins in 2022.

Correa: There's no feasible way trading Correa helps the 2022 team. There's no contender that would trade major league pitching for Correa. I don't even understand how his name gets on a list that's supposedly supposed to be trading from positions of strength (who's the other player that makes SS a strength for the 2022 Twins?) to add pitching depth (what pitcher that would be equal to Correa's value is a contender trading away?). He makes no sense on this list at all.

Really the whole list is pretty shaky (to be kind). Contenders generally don't trade away pitching. No matter what people may think about a team's pitching depth, contenders don't trade good pitching. That's what this article is supposedly suggesting the Twins would be looking to get in return. If you're going to get a pitcher that improves the staff for 2022 you have to go to non-contenders and they want prospects, not these guys.

I would assume Correa is off the table unless someone decides to overpay.  The Twins showed this past season they were willing to make multiple moves to improve the team.  With Lewis getting hurt its much less likely,  but not completely unfeasible or unthinkable.  I think you are too focused on what teams are willing to give up in trades rather than what the Twins would be willing to accept.  I think the Twins would prefer this trade deadline to be a wild wild west of trades.  

My expectations of this deadline are I really have no clue in what direction they want to go right now.   This series against Cleveland will tell us better what type of team we have.  I will be cheering them on Thursday with my family.  

Trade Sano, sure. Probably for an A-ball medium prospect.

Trade Kepler, worth discussing, though a Larnach/Celestino (or Gordon)/Kiriloff outfield seems like quite a downgrade on the days Buxton is out.

Assuming Correa's contract even allows him to be traded, and assuming we had anyone else who could play a great shortstop and hit 300 or so, trading him now would probably end all hope of ever getting a big-time free agent here. What kind of signal does this send to the future marketplace?

Other than those small concerns, I have no problem with it.