Trade deadline open thread

The MLB trading deadline for the 2021 season is Friday at 4p.m. eastern time. The Twins, well out of contention and obvious sellers, figure to be a major player in today’s action. Nelson Cruz was traded to Tampa Bay in an early move and players like Michael Pineda, Andrelton Simmons, Alexander Colomé, and Hansel Robles figure to be highly likely to also be on new teams for the stretch run.

The real intrigue — which has people around baseball saying the Twins are the team to watch — has to do with José Berríos, Byron Buxton, Josh Donaldson, Max Kepler, and Kenta Maeda. They seem less likely to be traded, but would also figure to bring back much larger returns than the players on expiring contracts above.

As a result, rumors have been popping up about all of these players this week. The Twins front office and ownership have been vocal in saying they are not looking to rebuild and have, accordingly, set very high asking prices for their top talents. It will be interesting to see if a contender’s offer will be enough for them to pull the trigger on a big trade.

Come join us below for discussion as the events unfold throughout today and tomorrow! By the time the Twins play their next game, the team could look very different.