With the calendar turning to July, the Minnesota Twins are in the thick of a race to repeat as American League Central Division champions. Chasing down the Cleveland Guardians could require some reinforcements, though. The MLB trade deadline is just three weeks away and the Twins have needs. But what does this team need most?
Ranking 2024 Minnesota Twins MLB Trade Deadline Needs
Rocco Baldelli watched his batting lineup sputter out of the gate. Now relatively healthy (and getting healthier), the lineup is now producing on a near-nightly basis. That means, if the Twins really want to improve their team at the trade deadline on July 31, they must turn to the bump.
3. Lineup Help – Less than necessary
Adding a bat would be tricky for the Twins without straightforward playing time. Brooks Lee needed an injury to Lewis in order to force his promotion. Matt Wallner is raking since his promotion, but may be a trade candidate. Edouard Julien is still working to earn his way back from Triple-A, and Alex Kirilloff hangs in the balance.
Possible Fits: Certainly there are replaceable veterans holding down roster spots (ahem, Kyle Farmer), but the Twins don’t seem inclined to make a change. Randy Arozarena is available, while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. may not be. Either way, any offensive additions Minnesota makes, would come with complications.
2. Relief Pitching, Specifically Left-Handed – Need badly
Minnesota’s bullpen was expected to be among the best in baseball. The problem is that they have dealt with a myriad of injuries, and there has been some ugly regression. Caleb Thielbar is not the pitcher he was a year ago. Jhoan Duran’s velocity continues to dip.
Brock Stewart is working his way back, but his timeline is murky. Finding another high-leverage arm that could factor in makes a lot of sense. Taking Thielber, Steven Okert, and Kody Funderburk into the postseason would be asking Rocco Baldelli to play with fire. The Twins and Marlins have previously gotten together for trades, and there’s another fit in the making.
Possible Fits: Minnesota kid Max Meyer would be fun to bring home, but Andrew Nardi could be the guy that shores up the relief group. Right now the Twins need someone to supplement their bullpen, and pitching from the left side would be an added benefit.
The Mets should target LHP Andrew Nardi from the Marlins.
— Dom B (@DomB92_) July 5, 2024
22.0 K-BB% | 2.47 FIP | 108 Stuff+
The Mets are in major need of bullpen help, and Nardi profiles perfect, his ERA of 4.86 is heavily inflated. With Diekman struggling he fits perfect. pic.twitter.com/t5wEChaYIc
1. Starting Pitching – If you want to win it all…
Starting pitching has been something that the Twins have needed since the offseason. It isn’t so much that they lack depth, but rather quality. Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda departed and weren’t replaced, due to budget cutting reasons.
Now, Minnesota is short on top-rotation starters worthy of starting playoff games. Pablo Lopez has struggled but Joe Ryan is having a career summer. So is rookie Simeon Woods Richardson and a recent resurgence from Bailey Ober. But president of baseball operations Derek Falvey needs to find someone who can start postseason games.
Ryan’s 3.29 ERA is the best of the group while Woods Richardson has tallied a 3.48 mark while being light on strikeouts. Ober is at 4.14 with inflation due to blowups against the Kansas City Royals. Lopez is still rocking his 5.11 ERA, and while advanced metrics are positive, the 1.6 HR/9 is making the inconsequential.
It would be fine to grab a middling starter if the Twins simply want to stockpile depth to make it through the season. Adding another fourth or fifth arm does them no good for October though, and aiming higher should certainly be the goal. Will it happen… that’s another question.
Possible Fits: If the Twins do add a starter, there are two different avenues they could explore. Should they look into a rental, someone like Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, or another expensive proven veteran would be ideal. That would require swallowing some contract dollars, but it could pay off in October. If they chose someone like Yusei Kikuchi, there’s an opportunity for extension, and the price is substantially lower.
13 strikeouts = a NEW career-high for Yusei Kikuchi 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pMmQTH7HHs
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 10, 2024
Related: Minnesota Twins Get Another 2024 All-Star – Willi Castro
What Minnesota should and may do remain worlds apart, but this roster has shown enough for the front office to invest. After failing to capitalize on momentum following last season, they could reverse course in a big way now. This is a group to get behind, and it would be welcomed to see those in power get on board as well.