Jim Bowden is Trying to Blow Up the Twins’ Future for Pete Alonso

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Pete Alonso
Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY SportsCredit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Twins have positioned themselves to be buyers at the Major League Baseball trade deadline, but where they could add remains something of a work in progress. If former general manager Jim Bowden has anything to say about it, he’d love to drop a bomb for rental Pete Alonso.

Among those formerly employed within their respective sports by The Athletic, its former MLB general manager Jim Bowden, who is often penning his thoughts as to which teams should shuffle around which players. Who should buy, who should sell, etc.

This certainly lends itself into the mind of someone that once had a job intended to do just that, but his latest suggestion for the Minnesota Twins probably lands him in the role he currently has, rather than the one his X (formerly Twitter) handle is tied to.

Jim Bowden REALLY wants Minnesota Twins to trade for Pete Alonso

Multiple times over the past few weeks, Bowden has connected the New York Mets in a deal that would send home run king Pete Alonso to the Minnesota Twins. Monday, in a ‘5 deals teams should make at the trade deadline’ piece, he went there again.

In this trade proposal, I have Alonso going to the Twins, who could put him in the middle of their lineup between Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis. Acquiring Polar Bear Pete would give Minnesota (40-32), which currently sits in the American League’s third wild-card spot, a much better shot of overtaking the Guardians and Royals and prevailing in the AL Central.

Jim Bowden – The Athletic

That all sounds great, in theory. But there’s a problem. Well… a couple of problems. First, Pete Alonso is having one of the worst seasons of his career, slashing just .232/.310/.461. His .771 OPS is by far the worst of his career, currently outpacing his .817 from the shortened 2020 season by nearly .50 points.

Bowden, however, is undeterred. Jim wants the Twins to give up the farm for Alonso. Not only does he have them trading away Alex Kirilloff, but also top pitching prospect David Festa AND 21-year-old top hitting prospect, Luke Keaschall, who has absolutely destroyed high-A and Double-A pitching this season (.335 BA, .447 OBP, 8 HR, 17 SB).

Related: Alex Kirilloff Demoted; Minnesota Twins Call Up Another 1st Round Pick

In return, the Mets would get first baseman Alex Kirilloff, who has dealt with wrist and other nagging injuries during his career but still has a sweet swing and upside. Last year he slashed .270/.348/.445 with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs over 88 games and 319 plate appearances.

This year he’s struggled, hitting .201 with five home runs before a recent demotion to Triple A. However, he’s still only 26 years old. David Festa would be the key component of the trade for New York. The 24-year-old righty has posted a 3.50 ERA over 13 starts this year at Triple A, striking out a staggering 81 batters in 54 innings. The final piece of this deal would be infielder Luke Keaschall, who can play second, shortstop and third.

Jim Bowden – The Athletic

It makes sense for Steve Cohen’s pet franchise to sell off some assets before the deadline, given they have failed to meet expectations yet again. With that said, it makes no sense for Derek Falvey to pay a king’s ransom for Alonso, when the Twins would only have him for a few months this season, before he hits free agency this fall.

Kirilloff has been a frustrating first round pick that has had his development stunted by injury. Minnesota would be selling low on his services, but it could be determined that he has been overtaken by both Trevor Larnach and Alex Kirilloff.

Throwing in the organization’s top pitching prospect, and a player in Keaschall that could be considered top five, would get a quick dead tone on the line, from me, and hopefully Derek Falvey too. Three months of mashing and an outside chance at a World Series run isn’t worth that.

Starting pitching over Pete Alonso makes more sense for the Minnesota Twins

It would be great for the Twins to add Alonso to their lineup, and even Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would be a good fit. That said, Carlos Santana has produced an .895 OPS over his last 46 games for Minnesota, and is a better defender than both. Either could slot into the designated hitter role, but Baldelli has left that as a rotating spot in his lineup.

Related: Matt Wallner to Twins: Promote Me, or Trade Me

Ultimately the Twins are far more likely to pay a king’s ransom for a starting pitcher that helps them in the sprint that is Major League Baseball’s postseason. The lineup is in a good spot, and someone like Matt Wallner, Emmanuel Rodriguez, or Brooks Lee could be inserted if they aren’t part of a package for a pitcher.

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