Twins’ Trade Talks with Athletics Include Spencer Steer

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The Minnesota Twins lead the American League Central by two games and need to add pitching help at the deadline. If a playoff run is going to become a realistic scenario, they need a front of the rotation starter and high-end bullpen arms.

Derek Falvey spoke with media on Friday and made it clear that trade deadline sellers aren’t ready to deal away their assets yet. He made it appear as though nothing is imminent. But maybe, the Twins president of baseball operations is just playing coy.

Trade Talks Already Happening

On a new “The Scoop” podcast that dropped on Sunday, Darren Wolfson (SKOR North, KSTP) reports that the Twins front office has already been working the phones (13-minute mark below). Most notably, they’ve been talking trades with the Cincinnati Reds and Oakland Athletics, the two teams currently rostering the best starting pitchers on the market, Luis Castillo and Frankie Montas.

“They have talked trade with the Cincinnati Reds, with the Oakland A’s. I hear the Oakland A’s are big fans of Spencer Steer. So if there is any possibility of Frankie Montas, maybe a reliever, landing here before the August 2 trade deadline, you’d figure Spencer Steer would be on his way to the A’s.” – Darren Wolfson (The Scoop Podcast)

You can read more about what Luis Castillo and Frankie Montas bring to the table HERE. There’s no doubt that Doogie outdid himself with this report. The Minnesota scoop master even listed the most likely trade piece Minnesota would send back to Oakland, if a blockbuster deal were to be struck with the A’s.

Spencer Steer

Infielder, Spencer Steer, is hitting .277, has a .928 OPS and 19 homers on the season, between Wichita (AA) and St. Paul (AAA). That ranks top-10 for minor leaguers who have been at AA or AAA all year. Steer is one of the fastest risers in the minors and he’s the perfect trade bait for a selling team.

He’s major league ready and projects as a great major league hitter. Spencer Steer’s defensive deficiencies mean he’s probably best suited for 2nd base, in the MLB, but that will matter little to a team looking for hitting talent.

For the Minnesota Twins, Steer is one of the most disposable top prospects in the farm system. He plays the same positions as Polanco, Arraez, Lewis and Miranda. There isn’t enough room on the big league roster for all of those infielders.

Now, we just have to cross our fingers and hope a blockbuster is on the horizon.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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