On Friday, they will start a new series back in Minneapolis against their National League neighbor, the Milwaukee Brewers, with their best (active) pitcher Joe Ryan (80 IP | 2.93 ERA | 89 SO) scheduled to take the mound.

Despite their recent slide back to .500 (37-37), and the extreme lead Detroit has taken in the AL Central, though, the Minnesota Twins remain squarely in the American League Wild Card race, sitting 1.0 games back of the third and final slot, currently held by Boston.

Minnesota Twins targeting Marlins outfielder

As of today, with just over a month remaining until the MLB Trade Deadline, the Twins still consider themselves as a buyer. And at the top of their “shopping list” — if the Pohlads will allow us to call it that — is a left-handed outfield bat.

In an article posted Friday morning, former MLB GM-turned-Insider Jim Bowden (The Athletic) revealed Miami Marlins outfielder, Jesus Sanchez, as a top target for Minnesota, and one they’ve already locked onto, even this early in the process.

At 27 years old, Sanchez has proven himself as a consistent, quality bat, during his six-year MLB career. If acquired, he won’t blow the top off this lineup’s ceiling, but he would undoubtedly raise its floor.

The Twins have made it clear to opposing general managers that they are looking for a left-handed-hitting outfielder. Sánchez is one of their trade targets. He has slashed .251/.324/.412 with seven doubles, seven homers and seven steals in 53 games. Last year he hit .252 with 18 home runs and 64 RBIs. He ranks in the 92nd percentile in bat speed and the 76th percentile in average exit velocity. Sánchez, 27, is under team control through 2027.

Jim Bowden – The Athletic

Jesús (The Truth) Sánchez pic.twitter.com/HLTLNtgPIb

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) June 7, 2025

Related: Could Tampa Bay Rays Sale Help Pohlads Sell Minnesota Twins?

With a .736 career OPS and 99 career OPS+ (499 games), Jesus Sanchez would be a nice addition to the Minnesota Twins lineup. He probably won’t lift them defensively, though. Jesus can play all three outfield positions, but he’s not a positive defender at any of them, and he’s a liability in center.

Sanchez has all sorts of range (2.45 career range factor per game), but he’s also committed the fourth-most errors (2) of any MLB outfielder so far this season, and he finished in that same spot back in 2021, with 5 total outfield errors in only 62 games played.

Miami Marlins want LHP Dasan Hill for Jesus Sanchez

Trading for a player like Sanchez won’t be an easy decision for Minnesota Twins president Derek Falvey, especially given what the Miami Marlins appear to be demanding, in exchange, which according to Bowden, is 19-year-old left-handed pitcher Dasan Hill.

Hill, who the Twins selected in the 2nd round of the 2024 MLB Draft, is absolutely ripping up low-A ball this season (1.65 ERA | 43 K | 27.1 IP) for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. This time last year, he had just graduated high school, out of Grapevine, TX.

In return, the Marlins would get Hill, a 19-year-old righty [Dasan Hill] whom the Twins selected in the second round of last year’s draft. He’s been dominant in the Low-A Florida State League this season, posting a 1.65 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings. This is the type of trade that’s been prioritized by Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, who has shown a preference for accumulating talent over big-league readiness.

Jim Bowden – The Athletic

Dasan Hill, the 69th overall pick in the 2024 @MLBDraft, dominated on Saturday for the @MightyMussels💥

4 IP / 2 H / 0 R / 1 BB / 7 K#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/maU9MU7yMq

— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) June 9, 2025

Related: Former Minnesota Twins Pitcher Ejected From Little League Game… and There’s Video

I get that the Minnesota Twins are looking for a lefty bat that can balance out the lineup a little bit, in the short term. However, left-handed hitting outfield prospects like Walker Jenkins (AA) and Emmanuel Rodriguez (AAA) are both one call away from big league action, once they can prove any ability to stay healthy.

Meanwhile, the Twins already have left-handed bats in the outfield, like Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach, who are already contributing positively to the big league club. Thus, I’m not really sure why Falvey would trade away a top draft pick who’s off to an incredibly hot minor league start, in exchange for a temporary outfield rental.

Nonetheless, Bowden seems very sure that this is exactly the type of trade the Minnesota front office is searching for. And no doubt, he knows more about what the Twins are seeking than I do.

Worse yet, injuries are starting to pile up yet again, this time in the starting rotation, thanks to the Orphan A’s temporary mound at Sutter Health Field in Sacramento sending two starters — ace Pablo Lopez and youngster Zebby Matthews — to the 60-day injured list.

Given the financial restrictions placed on team president Derek Falvey over the past couple years, how much moving and grooving the Minnesota Twins will able to do over the next month or two, prior to the MLB Trade Deadline, remains to be seen. They definitely have some well-informed doubters out there.

Minnesota Twins searching for lefty bat at MLB trade deadline…

Nonetheless, according to former MLB GM turned insider for The Athletic, Jim Bowden, the Twins still consider themselves to be trade deadline buyers. How does he know?

Well, Bowden recently spoke with some of his old decision-maker friends in place across the league, including those in Minnesota, who revealed to him exactly what the Twins are shopping for, as we inch closer to July 31.

The Twins have reportedly told Bowden that they are searching for a lefty bat. The former MLB GM suggests three different 27-year-old outfielders they could be targeting — Cardinals, Lars Nootbaar and two Marlins, Kyle Stowers and Jesus Sanchez, tagging Stowers as his favorite.

Minnesota Twins

Biggest need: Left-handed hitter

Possible targets: Lars Nootbaar, Cardinals; Kyle Stowers, Marlins; Jesús Sánchez, Marlins

Favorite target: Kyle Stowers

The Twins are searching for a left-handed hitter and their two best realistic options could end up being Stowers or Sánchez of the Marlins. Stowers is having a breakout season, slashing .280/.347/.479 with eight doubles, 10 home runs, 33 RBIs and a 127 OPS+. He can play either outfield corner and won’t be arbitration-eligible until 2027. The prospect price would be costly, but might be worth it if the Twins can find the right match with Miami.

Jim Bowden – The Athletic

After this Kyle Stowers walk-off grand slam (his second homer today), here is Stowers’ slash line this season:

.324 BA
.392 OBP
.552 SLG
.944 OPS

Stowers has the ninth-highest OPS among qualified MLB hitters. pic.twitter.com/Itvs89mN8S

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) May 3, 2025

One thing is for sure. The Minnesota Twins could certainly use more offense. At 4.25 per game, they rank 18th in Major League Baseball for runs scored. Still, this sudden need for a lefty is interesting, being Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walkers Jenkins are coming up through the system and both play outfield and bat left-handed.

Both Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner bat left-handed too. So, we will see if Bowden’s information is any good, once we start hearing more over the next month or so, regarding who the Twins are trying to pursue.

If not Kyle Stowers, what about Lars Nootbaar and Jesus Sanchez?

All three of Nootbaar, Sanchez, and Stowers have multiple years of team control remaining. As Bowden alluded to, each of them will require a sizable prospect return, to pry out of their current organization. Among the trio, only Nootbaar (1,426 AB) has displayed any level of consistent big league success.

Jesus Sanchez is batting .262/.342/.402 this season. His career 100 OPS+ makes him exactly league average. Expectedly, his .753 OPS against righties is better than the .696 mark against lefties this year. Stowers owns a career-best 127 OPS+ despite a 92 OPS+ career mark. He is batting .280/.347/.479 while owning neutral splits.

Lars Nootbaar is in his fifth major league season and has a 113 OPS+ while being better than league average each year. In 2025 he’s hitting .237/.341/.379 to generate what would be considered the worst season of his career. He has a .746 OPS against righties with just a .679 OPS against lefties.

Noot Noot!

Lars Nootbaar cracks his 8th homer of the season 💥 pic.twitter.com/WJstOohDoa

— MLB (@MLB) May 27, 2025

Related: Twins Scoop: Zebby Matthews Injury Details and Return Timeline Revealed

Whether it’s a lefty bat, righty bat. bullpen arm or more starting pitching help, the Minnesota Twins should 100% be looking to add before the deadline. They’ve tried to get by with underwhelming moves in recent seasons, and it has proven itself to be a fruitless strategy. Last year’s lone acquisition of reliever Trevor Richards, for example, was a complete failure.

Ownership is still working through the early stages of a sale process that they claim could be complete by the end of the year. They cannot let that stop them from getting better between now and the MLB Trade Deadline. In order to get back to the postseason, and make any sort of playoff noise, the Twins need to upgrade their roster.