The Minnesota Twins have enjoyed a successful offseason for the most part. Bringing back Carlos Correa was undoubtedly the highlight of their free agency moves. They recently made a trade to acquire Pablo Lopez and two prospects from the Miami Marlins for Luis Arraez as well. But is this Twins team good enough to compete in the American League this season?
Minnesota may be able to make a run at the AL Central title as currently constructed depending on how the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox perform in 2023. But the fact of the matter is that the Twins need more pitching in order to make any kind of deep playoff run. And they happen to feature a plethora of outfielders.
Without further ado, here is one last-minute move the Twins must make to round out their roster.
Twins’ last-minute roster move
The Twins’ depth chart, as provided by MLB.com, currently lists Byron Buxton, Nick Gordon, and Joey Gallo as Minnesota’s starting outfielders. This leaves uncertainty surrounding players such as Max Kepler and Alex Kirilloff. However, Kirilloff will likely see time at first base.
So the Twins need to make a decision on Kepler. And trading him may be the best course of action.
Kepler struggled from an offensive standpoint in recent years. But he blasted 36 home runs back in 2019 and his ceiling may peak the interests of teams. However, a potential trade suitor would need to be either an offensive-starved club or have a roster desperately in need of outfield help.
The New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers would all benefit from adding an extra outfielder. But the Yankees have been in the market for corner outfield depth and Kepler would profile well for them.
Yankees-Twins Max Kepler trade
The Twins would require MLB-ready pitching in order to make this trade. Clarke Schmidt, who’s bounced around as a starter and reliever, may catch the Twins’ attention. Schmidt, who’s 26-years old, posted a 3.12 ERA in 29 games (7 starts) for New York in 2023.
Domingo German is another potential trade candidate. However, the injury to Frankie Montas may force New York to keep German on the roster for now. With that being said, the Yankees could always turn to the farm system or implement a 4-man rotation to open the season.
Schmidt/German and a prospect or two could ultimately get this deal done for Max Kepler. The Twins’ need for pitching coupled with their outfield depth would motivate them to make a deal like this. Meanwhile, Kepler may benefit from playing in New York given the short right-field wall at Yankee Stadium.
Is this deal realistic?
The Yankees and Twins have made deals in the past. They agreed to a Josh Donaldson-led trade just last year.
In the end, this is certainly a realistic trade. It may need to include more pieces, but Kepler and Schmidt could be the centerpieces of the deal. If the Twins opt to hold onto Kepler, Nick Gordon may be a trade candidate as well.
But given Kepler’s struggles as of late, a change of scenery may be best for all parties involved. Twins fans may wonder if Clarke Schmidt is enough in this deal. He’s a pitcher with a high ceiling who could impact either the rotation or bullpen, depending on how Minnesota opts to use him.
It will be intriguing to see if a trade between the Yankees and Twins ends up coming to fruition.
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