Twins Must Make Difficult Choices To Make Trades With Impact

admin | November 28, 2023 | Other Clubs | No Comments

In 2023, three young players made their major league debuts for the Twins. To fill in gaps at other positions on the roster, would the front office think about trading a young player?

In order to meet the various needs of the club this winter, the Twins will need to be resourceful. In order to replace Sonny Gray in the rotation and Michael A. Taylor in center field, Minnesota needs a starter who can compete for a postseason spot. While upgrading the bullpen and adding a right-handed bench bat would be nice, the team may not be able to afford those extravagances while reducing payroll. The front office is in a difficult position, but they have demonstrated in the past that they can be resourceful.

This winter, the team has been the subject of numerous trade rumors, including the club shopping for veterans with longer contracts, such as Kyle Farmer, Christian Vazquez, and Jorge Polanco. Unfortunately, there won’t be much of a return on trade for those player types. To maximize their value, the front office may instead try to trade some of their young, experienced MLB players. To add impact players to positions that are in need and free up payroll, a combination of moves is probably required.

Three young players that the Twins might think about adding in trades this winter are shown below. Baseball Trade Values is the source of each player’s excess trade value.

Edouard Julien, 2B
Surplus Trade Value: $35.3 million

Julien has been an intriguing prospect over the last two seasons, and fans saw the value he provides at the plate. In 109 games, he hit .263/.381/.459 (.839) with 16 doubles and 16 home runs. His defense made strides at second base, but he’s still considered a below-average defender.

Minnesota traded Luis Arraez last winter, when it was clear the club wasn’t confident in his ability to play second base. Julien might be in a similar position, and he has more years of team control than Arraez did last winter. If Polanco was traded, the assumption was that Julien would take over the second base duties. If Julien was also dealt, the Twins have other young options who might be ready to step into the role, including Austin Martin and Brooks Lee.

Matt Wallner, OF
Surplus Trade Value: $23.3 million

Like Julien, Wallner is supposed to be the heir apparent at a position occupied by a current veteran. If the Twins trade Kepler, Wallner can slide over to right field and be part of the team’s line-up for most of the next decade. In 2023, Wallner hit .249/.370/.507(.877) with 11 doubles and 14 home runs across 76 games. The Twins can also look to include Wallner in a trade because his value might never be higher.

Wallner’s offensive profile will come with many strikeouts and inconsistent contact. Other corner outfield options include Trevor Larnach, Nick Gordon, and Austin Martin. Wallner has been a great story as a Minnesota native, but the timing might be suitable for the Twins to maximize his value on the trade market.

Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF
Surplus Trade Value: $19.7 million

The Twins might consider other top prospects untouchable, like Lee and Walker Jenkins. Rodriguez is the team’s other consensus top-100 prospect, which can make other teams value his potential upside. Rodriguez was added to the team’s 40-man roster this winter and is projected to spend next season at Double-A. It’s interesting to consider that Baseball Trade Values believes Rodriguez has much lower value than the other more established players, but that might be reflection of his extreme high-risk/high-reward profile.

There are no indications that the Twins want to part with Rodriguez, but the organization will likely need to trade multiple prospects to acquire a frontline starting pitcher. Minnesota’s winning window is open right now, which might force the front office to be aggressive.

Minnesota obviously has other highly valued players at or close to the big league, but some of those options might be untouchable in the eyes of the Twins. Will the front office consider trading any of the players mentioned above? Do you agree with the trade values? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.