The Relief Pitcher Trade Market

First, let's discuss the merits of making a deal. I've seen many people suggest that giving up prospects for temporary relief help is an ill-advised and short-sighted strategy, and to some extent, that's true. The Twins absolutely must avoid anything resembling a Wilson Ramos-for-Matt Capps swap, where a valuable future piece was forfeited to bring in a rather ordinary bullpen arm.

However, that trade is not exactly the standard. The Twins, like many other teams, have been able to add quality relievers in July (and August) without giving up too much. Minnesota also faces an interesting situation with its stacked system leading to potential overcrowding on the 40-man roster. While protecting the A-level prospects shouldn't be a problem, there are numerous second-tier guys in the minors that might be appealing to other clubs, and the Twins would benefit from moving those youngsters for a return before being forced to risk losing them for nothing.

One other player to keep an eye on as a trade chit is Oswaldo Arcia, who has turned it on in Triple-A recently with six home runs in his last nine games but has no clear path to playing time in Minnesota. He'll be out of options next year.

As the trade deadline approaches, it's a seller's market with so many teams theoretically "in the race" due to the close groupings of W/L records and the presence of four wild-card spots, but there are a lot of relievers out there who could be available and some might not cost all that much.

Here's a breakdown of some stand-out names:

Neal Cotts - LHP, MIL

Right now the Twins are relying on Brian Duensing, who has a 6.00 ERA and 11/10 K/BB ratio, and Ryan O'Rourke, who has two major-league appearances, as the lefty options in the pen, so the allure of an established veteran southpaw is obvious. Cotts fits that bill: the 35-year-old is averaging more than a strikeout per inning and holding left-handed batters to a .533 OPS. He's an impending free agent for a last-place club, making him an obvious trade candidate.

Will Smith - LHP, MIL

If the Twins want to target a younger player with more long-term appeal, Smith is an intriguing option in the Brewers bullpen. The 25-year-old has been a dominant force over the past three seasons, averaging 11.6 K/9 and holding opponents to a .224 average. He would obviously take more to get, but he's under team control for a couple more years and could be a fixture. Would an Arcia-for-Smith swap make mutual sense?

Francisco Rodriguez - RHP, MIL

Rounding out our look at Milwaukee's relief corps is the club's closer, a five-time All-Star who is enjoying another exceptional year. In Perkins-like fashion, K-Rod has converted every save chance this year, carrying a 1.41 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 37-to-9 K/BB ratio in 32 innings. With those numbers, and his closer status, he'll be a pricy acquisition, but the club could use a dominant right-handed setup man with Casey Fien and Blaine Boyer failing to impress. Rodriguez is signed through next year, with an option for 2017.

Alexi Ogando - RHP, BOS

Once a talented young starter for the Rangers, Ogando saw his stock drop off a cliff during an injury-plagued 2014 campaign and had to settle for a one-year, $1.5 million deal with Boston. He has made good, and is holding opponents to a .223/.289/.439 slash line in 31 appearances out of the Red Sox bullpen.

Joaquin Benoit - RHP, SD

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday that the Twins are interested in Benoit, a long-time excellent reliever who recently pitched for the Tigers. The 37-year-old is enjoying a characteristically stellar year for the Padres, with a 2.25 ERA and .133 opponents' batting average, and could be the lockdown eighth-inning guy that Minnesota needs as a bridge to Glen Perkins. He's making $8 million this year, with another $8 million option for 2016.

Zach Putnam - RHP, CWS

The Sox are mired at the bottom of the Central and would likely be open to moving players for young talent, even if it means doing business with a division rival. Putnam has moved around quite a bit -- he's with his fourth organization since 2011 -- but has really found a late-inning groove over the last two seasons, with 2.62 ERA and 87-to-33 K/BB ratio in 82 innings. He is 27 and has four years of team control remaining.

Mark Lowe - RHP, SEA

Lowe signed with Seattle on a minor-league deal in the offseason and has been doing tremendous work out of the Mariners bullpen since being called up in early May. In 27 innings, he has allowed only 21 hits, and zero homers, for a 0.67 ERA. He has 23 strikeouts in 14 innings since the start of June.

Tyler Clippard - RHP, OAK

Trading an impending free agent closer for prospects at the deadline after falling out of the race early is exactly the kind of move you'd expect from the Athletics, so Clippard seems highly likely to go somewhere. Will it be Minnesota? The bespectacled righty offers the performance, track record, and bat-missing stuff that the Twins are likely seeking in a late-inning upgrade, but with free agency approaching, he probably wouldn't care for being dealt to a destination where he can't add to his saves total.

LaTroy Hawkins - RHP, COL

Hawkins debuted with the Twins 20 years ago, in 1995, and at age 42 he is still somehow getting big-league hitters out. Since returning from an early-season stint on the disabled list, Hawk has a 0.84 ERA with 10 strikeouts and one walk over 10 2/3 innings. Reuniting him with bullpen coach Eddie Guardado would be a fun story, and the price to acquire Hawkins couldn't be that high.

Christian Friedrich - LHP, COL

The former first-round draft pick fizzled out as a starter in Colorado, but has found his niche as a lefty specialist out of the Rockies bullpen, where he is holding same-sided hitters to a .203/.262/.271 line. Just 27 and not yet in his arbitration stage, Friedrich is a guy who could stick around for a while.

Steve Cishek - RHP, MIA

Not only is Cishek's last name similar to Pat Neshek's, his quirky delivery and historical dominance are also reminiscent of the former Twins reliever in his prime. Over the past four years, Cishek has posted a 2.70 ERA with 281 strikeouts in 253 innings for the Fish. He's currently going through his toughest season, and was actually sent to Double-A at the beginning of June, but he has looked much more like himself since returning from the brief demotion.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald stated earlier this month that the Marlins are willing to move Cishek, adding that he's unlikely to be tendered in arbitration this winter.

Jim Johnson - RHP, ATL

Johnson has never been a big strikeout guy but has always been effective late in games, and led the league in saves as Baltimore's closer in both 2012 and 2013. He endured a messy 2014 campaign but has bounced back this year with the Braves, putting up a 2.14 ERA and 1.23 WHIP over 43 appearances as an oft-used setup man. Johnson hasn't allowed a run since June 6th. He just seems like the kind of guy Minnesota would target.

What do you think? Do any of the names listed above appeal to you? Are there other names potentially on the market that intrigue you? Sound off in the comments.