Nothing has moved in terms of the Twins and the rumor mill, one week in advance of the MLB trade deadline. Josh Willingham, Kevin Correia, Kurt Suzuki, and Kendrys Morales are all still on the team, and we haven't seen their names attached to anything other than guesswork. But if Minnesota does move one of their trade chips, who could the team call upon to replace the dearly departed?
Trade candidate: Kurt Suzuki
Call up candidates: Chris Herrmann, Josmil Pinto
I think it's easy to assume that Pinto would be the player for recall if the Twins move Suzuki, but with his ongoing defensive issues it wouldn't surprise me to see the team go back to Herrmann. It would be Herrmann's fourth stint in the Majors in 2014, but it would be an opportunity that had been created for him. Regardless of what happens with Suzuki, though, Pinto will be back in Minnesota for September.
Trade candidate: Kevin Correia
Call up candidates: Trevor May, Alex Meyer
With no timeline for the return of Ricky Nolasco, the Twins rotation is currently Phil Hughes, Kyle Gibson, Correia, and then a mish-mash of Yohan Pinto and Kris Johnson although - never at the same time. Minnesota has been functioning on what has essentially been a four-man rotation, an issue which is still up in the air, and losing Correia would exacerbate the issue.
As things sit today, the Twins need to find a fifth starter for their game on Saturday, August 2. Trading Correia would give the club a known rotation of two players, plus the potential of Pino and Johnson. Even if they choose to keep both Triple-A rotation stalwarts in the Majors there is still one spot available. And that would all but guarantee a call up of Trevor May or Alex Meyer - something that's been eagerly anticipated since the start of the season; an anticipation that only grows as the weeks roll by.
Trade candidate: Josh Willingham
Call up candidates: Chris Herrmann, Aaron Hicks, Pedro Florimon
Right now, Hicks is the only other outfielder on the 40-man roster who is capable of being called up. Herrmann is technically listed as an outfielder, but that's a dubious label at best. Hicks is batting .274/.385/.407 at Double-A, which is as good as we've seen him at any level since Double-A in 2012.
The Twins could also go in another direction here, going with Pedro Florimon simply to allow infielders Danny Santana and Eduardo Escobar more playing time in the outfield. It's something we've grown to love this year, right? It could absolutely happen.
Trade candidate: Kendrys Morales
Call up candidates: Josmil Pinto, Chris Herrmann
If the designated hitter spot opens up, the Twins couldn't be blamed for calling up Pinto simply to have his bat in the lineup. Herrmann, meanwhile, seems like Minnesota's favorite option for recall regardless of what position they need - because he's flexible enough to play adequately at a number of positions. His bat isn't good enough, but it's not on the whole anyway. But unlike Pinto, whose development is still very much underway, Herrmann is as Major League ready as he'll ever be. The Twins have nothing to lose long-term by calling him up and sending him back down.
The dark horse here could be Kennys Vargas, and if it was a case of talking about September he'd be right at the top of this list. But I don't think he's in the mix for debuting in August.