The trade deadline is quickly approaching and not much if anything has really happened yet for the Minnesota Twins, who are 50-48 and two games up on the Guardians sit on top of the AL Central. The first half of their season has been a disappointment. Players underperforming, recurring injuries for certain players seem to continue to haunt the Twins.
If that isn’t enough, Sonny Gray dropped hints during All-Star Game weekend that he is contemplating retiring after the end of this season, potentially leaving Minnesota with Pablo López as their “ace” after this season. Kenta Maeda started the 2023 season rocky, though recently has started to improve. He currently holds a (5.10 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP). His recent Tommy John surgery is taking him a while to get back to his old self.
It would be better to work him from the bullpen if the Twins can acquire an additional arm before the trade deadline. Throwing out of the bullpen is no odd task for Meeda. He last pitched out of the bullpen in the second half for the Dodgers in back-to-back seasons before being traded to Minnesota. If Meada does get moved to the bullpen, it would be with the intent to help a struggling unit. That move would definitely come in clutch should the Twins make the postseason.
Bailey Ober and Joe Ryan are having stellar seasons and have shown promise to be future All-Stars. Regardless, rotation moves are inevitable for every team and needed for Minnesota now if they’re serious about contending.
If the Twins want to get serious and be a threat to contend, they should consider trading for Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Marcus Stroman. His contract is up at the end of this season, and he has a player option for 2024. However, his relationship with the Cubs appears to be short-lived. Stroman has said he wants to stay and play in Chicago. However, the Cubs seem to be leaning toward trying and cash in on the two-time All-Star rather than offering him a long-term contract. Until now, the Cubs have made no public indication that they intend to offer him anything long-term.
Stroman, 32, is having another excellent baseball season. He has racked up 101 strikeouts with 42 walks in 118.2 innings pitched with a 2.88 ERA. He will certainly be a top candidate for many contending ball clubs this year. Despite Stroman’s impressive outings for the Cubs this year, they are sitting third in the NL Central with a 45-50 record, eight games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. Chicago still has a chance of reaching the postseason, but they would need their own version of The Minnesota Miracle to turn its season around and be considered serious contenders. I expect the big-name ball clubs to check in – and some dark horse ones.
In 2019, Minnesota was reportedly interested in acquiring Stroman when he was with the Toronto Blue Jays. However, the Jays traded Stroman to the New York Mets for two pitching prospects. In 2021, he signed a three-year, $71 million deal with Chicago.
The Twins could offer the Cubs the same value out of their farm system if Chicago is thinking about rebuilding. Stroman would be a great fit in Minnesota, he might not be the nastiest-looking guy in terms of stuff, but he has a sort of fun charisma the other pitchers simply don’t. Stroman always seems dialed in, knows what he needs to do, and for the most part gets it done.
The Twins are going to need more consistency on the mound going into the second half of the season. Having a talented veteran like Stroman, whose consistency can help propel Minnesota toward a deep postseason push. Stroman would probably be a rental for the Twins should they acquire him. Therefore, they have to be careful not to give up too much..
Their deadline deals backfired last year, even though they were widely lauded at the time. For the most part, Stroman has remained relatively healthy over the last few seasons. If Minnesota considers him before the deadline, he should be a safe bet for the remainder of the season and possibly long-term.
I’m personally excited to see what the Twins will accomplish before the trade deadline. The crazy off-season involving Carlos Correa among other things has me thinking this team is for real. I constantly remind myself it takes time to build a championship team. There is a formula, and you have to have all the right pieces at the right time. It certainly doesn’t happen overnight, consistency and continuing to make moves like Minnesota and the front office have done over the last few seasons tells me that the Twins are not backing down from a fight to make the postseason.
