Twins potential trade targets: Part 3 - Deliberative Dealers

With the best Twins team in a long time, it’s time to look at the squad could become better before attempting to make a run at the postseason. I took a look at a variety of pitchers that could be available and broke them into three groups by team: The Surefire Sellers, the Probable Peddlers, and the Deliberative Dealers. You can take a look at the first two articles here to read more about those options, or look at the tables below.

• Analyzing Twins Potential Trade Targets - Part 1
• Twins Potential Trade Targets - Part 2: Probable Peddlers

Today we will look at some pitchers from teams that likely still have some playoff aspirations, but could become sellers if things don’t break right in June or July.

Deliberative Dealers

Oakland Athletics

SP Brett Anderson (L)

RP Joakim Soria (R)

RP Blake Treinen (R)

RP Liam Hendriks (R)

The Athletics have been red hot as of late, including a recent double-digit winning streak. However, they had a hole to dig out of and are now tied for the second wild card spot in the AL. It seems very unlikely that they’ll catch the Astros, and their prudent front office will sell if they feel as though they don’t have much of a chance for a wild card spot. Anderson is a left-handed starter on an expiring deal, currently sporting a 6-3 record with a 3.86 ERA. He has almost no swing-and-miss in his game, and would likely only be target if injuries persist. Soria was a reliever that many thought the Twins should target this offseason, but hasn’t been great with a 4.73 ERA. His 2.59 FIP indicates he likely has been a bit unlucky, and his experience could make him a target at the deadline.

Treinen would be a back-end of the bullpen guy for the Twins, but would probably be expensive as he has one year left on his deal after this season and was absolutely elite last year (0.78 ERA, 11.2 K/9). He hasn’t been quite as good this year (3.08 ERA, 9.6 K/9), but his reputation and stuff would make him a quality pickup for the Twins. Hendriks is a former Twin who now throws a 95.1 MPH average heater and has a 1.21 ERA with a 10.0 K/9 through 23.1 innings this season. His career ERA of 3.60 ERA would indicate that he would be a middle relief guy if picked up by the Twins. Like Treinen, Hendriks is under team control through 2020.

Cleveland Indians

RP Trevor Bauer (R)

RP Corey Kluber (R)

RP Brad Hand (L)

RP Oliver Perez (L)

If this list was made two months ago, it would seem extremely unlikely that Cleveland could be selling at the deadline. However, the Indians sit at just a 32.3% chance to make the playoffs according to Fangraphs, with only a 8.3% chance to win the division. Bauer hasn’t been quite as good this season (3.99 ERA), but has the stuff to rebound in a big way. The polarizing pitcher has the potential to cause some clubhouse issues, and his contract runs through the 2020 season. Kluber seems like an unlikely trade target with his injury that is said to probably keep him out until later this summer, but there were trade rumors regarding the two-time Cy Young winner before the season.

The Minnesota native Hand has posted a sub-3.00 ERA every season since 2016, as well as a double digit K/9. He has also been very good in 2019, sporting a 1.23 ERA and a 13.5 K/9 through 22 innings. Perez is a 37-year-old left-handed specialist who would be a LOOGY for the Twins, similar to his role with the Indians. He’ll be a free agent at the end of the 2019 season.

New York Mets

RP Zack Wheeler (R)

RP Edwin Diaz (R)

RP Seth Lugo (R)

RP Jeurys Familia (R)

The Mets are about as inconsistent as they come, but they do have a bevy of talented pitchers. One that could be on the market if the Mets decide to sell is starter Zack Wheeler, who is a free agent in 2020. Wheeler hasn’t been great this year with a 4.63 ERA, but his 3.24 FIP suggests that he has been a bit unlucky and he has a solid 3.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has premium stuff and could be a target for the Twins in free agency, so making a trade for the fireballing righty could be beneficial in the long run as well.

Diaz is a similar case to Treinen in that he hasn’t been quite as good this year, but was elite last year with a 1.96 ERA. He sports a 3.22 ERA with a 14.1 K/9 in 2019 and is under team control until 2022, likely making him a bit more expensive. Lugo’s contract also runs through 2022, and has proven to be a quality multi-inning reliever with a pretty good pitch arsenal. Familia was a free agent pickup by the Mets (signed through 2021) that also also premium stuff, but has struggled this year with a 5.56 ERA. He would have to trend closer to his 2.90 career ERA to be a target for the Twins.

St. Louis Cardinals

RP John Brebbia (R)

RP John Gant (R)

The Johns have been great for St. Louis out of the ‘pen , as Brebbia currently has a 1.53 ERA while Gant has a 1.26 mark. The Cardinals have not been so good recently, as they have gone ice cold after a red-hot start. The Redbirds could easily become buyers at the deadline, but may end up selling some bullpen pieces if things continue to go poorly. Brebbia won’t become a free agent until the 2023 season, while Gant is under team control under 2022.

San Diego Padres

RP Kirby Yates (R)

RP Craig Stammen (R)

The Padres are a young club floating around .500, but likely won’t have the firepower to catch the Dodgers and might not want to buy if they are just pursuing a wild card spot. Yates has been one of the best closers in the big leagues the past two years, as he sports a minuscule 1.08 ERA with an outstanding 15.8 K/9. Yates is under team control through 2020, and would likely be an expensive (but very-high quality) addition for the Twins. Stammen is a 35-year old righty with great control (two walks in 29 innings) and has produced quality results with a 2.79 ERA. Stammen will be a free agent at the end of the season.

Arizona Diamondbacks

SP Robbie Ray (L)

RP Greg Holland (R)

RP Archie Bradley (R)

The Diamondbacks are in a similar position to the Padres in the standings, hovering around .500 in a division that will almost certainly be won by the Dodgers. Ray is a lefty that has had some ups and downs, but has been pretty effective with a 3.59 ERA and a 11.8 K/9 in 2019. Ray would slot in as a middle of the rotation guy for the Twins and has one more year left of team control after 2019. Holland has regained his form as one of the top relievers in the game, sporting a 1.53 ERA and a 12.2 K/9 in 17.1 innings. He will be a free agent at the end of the 2019 season, and could be a good option for the Twins as a rental. Bradley is a couple years removed from when he had a 1.73 ERA over 73 innings in 2017, but he still has the stuff to be a quality set-up man.

Let me know in the comments if there are any other pitchers that you think the Twins should target that I haven’t listed throughout these three articles!