As the August 3 trade deadline approaches, a sizable number of American League teams find themselves scrambling to determine if they should be buyers, sellers, spectators, or somewhere in between.
After a major sell-off last summer and few meaningful offseason additions, many probably pegged the Twins to be clear sellers again this year. But the club’s ability to tread water and an encouraging couple of weeks leading up to the All-Star break may have reduced any clarity they or their fans had felt in the season’s first half.
There’s been plenty of speculation regarding the availability of star-caliber players such as Joe Ryan and Ryan Jeffers, who would undoubtedly bring back an impressive package among tradable assets. (Note: Byron Buxton is not on this list, no matter how many times he gets asked about waiving his no-trade clause.)
But they aren’t Minnesota’s only assets as the deadline approaches. Here are some under-the-radar trade resources to keep an eye on.
Kody Clemens
The Bottle Rocket has been a lynchpin in Minnesota’s lineup for the last two seasons, and his 2026 campaign has been a major reason for the club’s offensive improvement. He’s slashing .242/.303/.482 with 16 home runs on the year, which has been roughly 14% better than league average. He can play sound defense on the right side of the diamond and anywhere in the outfield, making him appealing to a broader pool of potential teams.
While Clemens has been fantastic for a Twins team that desperately needed a cheap win when it came to player acquisitions in recent years, a lingering question keeps dancing in the back of my mind.
What if this is his peak?
If that’s the case, then it might behoove the Twins to sell high on the versatile slugger, even if it stings in the moment.
Of course, this all depends on what kind of return they would get. Still, the logic is there if they want to explore Clemens as a centerpiece in a mid-level swap, or as a secondary piece of a bigger deal altogether. While Clemens is already 30 years old, his current breakout and three years of club control could make him quite appealing. His departure could create an opportunity for some of the top prospects nearing their MLB debuts, such as Kaelen Culpepper and Walker Jenkins.
Eduardo Tait
The stout, 19-year-old catcher was the biggest acquisition at last year’s sell-off when the Twins acquired him with Mick Abel in exchange for superstar closer Jhoan Duran. Tait was seen as a much-needed improvement to the club’s depth at the catcher position, even if he wouldn’t reasonably sniff the major leagues for years. He is on many of the global top-100 prospect lists, which made him appealing to the rebuilding Twins.
But since then, the club has drafted their catcher of the future, Vahn Lackey, 21, who is a year older and closer to the big leagues. He also has a higher floor and ceiling. Lackey is a vast improvement when it comes to his defensive skills, and his bat flourished in his three years at the collegiate level to the point where he was in the conversation of best overall talent in this year’s draft pool.
Does Lackey’s inclusion make Tait superfluous? Not exactly, but the Twins selected another college backstop this year, Carson Tinney, whose raw power is among the best in this year’s draft class. That’s two high-ceiling, older catchers who now find themselves closer to the big leagues. Maybe that development leads the club to explore a trade for Tait while the echoes of his name remain on some top-100 prospect lists.
Of course, the return package is the most critical piece to this puzzle. If another team is going through a similar teardown and sees him as a catcher of the future, maybe the Twins could use him as a key chip to up the ante for a marquee reliever or veteran starting pitcher — just like they did a year ago.
Luke Keaschall
Okay, this one is a huge longshot. I haven’t really seen his name floated out there as a trade asset. Still, the idea of Keaschall being a major centerpiece in a blockbuster deal intrigues me the more I think about it. The mere concept of floating his name would’ve been a ludicrous thought over the offseason, but there are a few factors that give this one some legs.
First, the club is in a more competitive spot than expected in the winter, and they need a true difference-making addition if they want to try to separate themselves from the rest of the field clogged in the middle of the American League standings. That’s going to cost a pretty penny in prospect capital. While Keaschall is no longer a prospect, the 23-year-old is young enough to be considered as such and is under club control for at least five more years.
Combine that with the fact that he’s been playing well lately after a slow start, and his value on the trade market would be huge. Over the last month, Keaschall has a sterling .304/.434/.455 clip, 54% better than league average. His move to the outfield is still a work in progress, but early results show a slightly better fit on the grass than in the infield dirt.
The emergence of top prospects Culpepper and Marek Houston in the upper-minors could push Keaschall out of the infield permanently in short order. Meanwhile, the eventual promotion of Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez, combined with an already crowded outfield corps in the big leagues, could make Keaschall a difficult fit in Minnesota’s plans in the near future.
Could a selling team target Keaschall as a centerpiece in a blockbuster return package? Absolutely, and they’d be wise to ask Jeremy Zoll about him. But will the Twins entertain the idea of trading such a talented young player with a ton of cheap club control? That remains to be seen.
