The moves Twins President Derek Falvey has made this offseason have seemingly led to adding another pitcher to the starting rotation. In particular, the money Minnesota saved by trading Jorge Polanco will likely be used to add another arm in the rotation.

Related: Minnesota Twins Sign Top Cuban Prospect Yandro Hernandez

But it was reported Friday that Twins are still looking to beef up their rotation. Bobby Nightengale (Star Tribune) says president of baseball operations, Derek Falvey, is open to whichever benefits the Twins more, whether it be a smaller move to add depth at the back-end, or something bigger that lands them more of a “frontline” starter.

It’s not impossible that Scott Boras comes calling for a one-year deal on one of his remaining free agent superstars, like what happened with Carlos Correa ahead of the 2022 season, but that seems highly unlikely, given their self-imposed salary restrictions.

Unlikely to fit a top free-agent starting pitcher into the budget, their best chance to add a frontline starting pitcher is likely through a trade and it would probably require parting with one of their top prospects in addition to any major leaguers.

Bobby Nightengale – Star Tribune

Minnesota Twins Frontline Starting Pitching Targets

The likelier scenario, if the front office goes big-game hunting, is that it takes place on the trade market by using Max Kepler (more on him later) and a top prospect or two for a front-line starter. Minnesota could is also open to rounding out its rotation with a more cost-effective option, either via trade or free agency.

The Twins have rarely pulled off blockbusters for big-name players in recent years. It has not been the mid-market organization’s MO. But with experts around the MLB loving this version of the Twins, that could very well change. Here’s a look at a couple high-end targets for Minnesota.

Dylan Cease, Chicago White Sox

Trading within the division is rare. It’s also something we’ve seen more in Major League Baseball compared to other major professional North American sports. Minnesota would likely have to pay more of a premium to acquire Cease from the White Sox. That complicates things. But we do know that the Twins have checked in on Cease multiple times this offseason.

Would Chicago have interest in Kepler? It’s an open question given where the team is right now. Instead, the Twins send out multiple top-end prospects for Cease while recouping some minor leaguers in a separate Kepler trade ahead of Opening Day.

• Dylan Cease stats (2023): 7-9 record, 4.58 ERA, 1.42 WHIP

These numbers were not on par with what we saw from the former American League Cy Young runner-up in 2022. He posted a 2.20 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 3.10 FIP while striking out 227 batters in 184 innings that season. A return to form for the 28-year-old righty has to be expected.

Cease would take over the ace spot in Minnesota, headlining an awesome rotation that also includes Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober as mainstays. He could also push either Chris Paddack or Anthony DeSclafani to more of a long man role, expanding depth and stretching innings from the bullpen in the process.

The cost might be an issue here. It was reported back in January that Chicago was demanding the Cincinnati Reds’ top-three prospects in return for Cease. That’s laughable. That’s not happening. Given that MLB.com has Cincinnati with the fifth-best farm system and Minnesota ranks 17th, the haul of minor leaguers would be real.

Top prospect, outfielder Walker Jenkins, is likely a no-go here. Instead, shortstop Brooks Lee and pitcher Marco Raya would have to headline a deal for Cease.

Shane Bieber, Cleveland Guardians

This is a similar situation as Cease. Although, Bieber has had more consistent success than his AL Central counterpart. He also has one more season of team control than Cease, something that would loom large for an organization like Minnesota.

What we do know is that Bieber is also coming off a down season. He pitched to a 6-6 record with a 3.80 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 2023. Compare that to a 13-8 mark with a 2.88/1.04 spilt in 2022, and there has to be a bit of concern. But we also expect a return to the mean here. From 2019-22, the 28-year-old righty posted a split of 2.91/1.05 with a FIP of 2.95. Those are better numbers than Cease.

A deal of this ilk might actually force Minnesota to move off Jenkins. It seems like a strong unlikelihood. Instead, Lee with a ton of other prospects would likely be in the cards. That’s especially true with Royce Lewis manning shortstop in Minneapolis.

Related: Derek Falvey Says Minnesota Twins are Still Working on More Potential Moves

Minnesota Twins Depth Starter Options

Not to take the excitement away from Twins fans. But this seems to be the likelier scenario. There is at least one interesting mid-rotation arm that could potentially be had on the trade block. A couple cost-effective free agents could make sense, too.

Noah Syndergaard, Free Agent

A report from Jon Morosi of MLB Network included the Twins as a potential landing spot for this injury-plagued former All-Star. Syndergaard could be had on the cheap given his struggles with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Guardians a season ago (6.50 ERA, 1.39 WHIP).

At 31 and having made all of 45 starts since the end of the 2019 season, it’s hard to fathom the Twins’ brass having a ton of confidence in Syndergaard making a real impact.

However, there is another point to look at here. The American League Central promises to be bad once again in 2024. Why not see if Syndergaard can make an impact early in the season? It won’t cost you too much as it relates to an on-field product in the division.

If the signing provides to be futile, a new trade market for starting pitching would have opened up by then. Simply put, Minnesota is not going to lose the division within the first couple months of the season.

Michael Lorenzen, Free Agent

Lorenzen, 32, would likely cost more from a financial perspective than Syndergaard. But he also has more of a recent track record of success. An All-Star last season, he pitched to a 3.58 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 18 starts with the Detroit Tigers. Lorenzen then struggle after being dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies (5.51 ERA, 1.46 WHIP).

In reality, Lorenzen would likely slide into the No. 4 spot in Minnesota’s rotation. Given how slow the MLB free agent market has played out for pitchers of his ilk, this could also be a cost-effective option for the Twins.

Related: Minnesota Twins Players are Starting to Trickle into Fort Myers for 2024 Spring Training

Jesús Luzardo, Miami Marlins

Let’s be clear. This is not necessarily based on any reporting linking the 26-year-old Luzardo to Minnesota. Instead, it’s what I envision being an absolutely perfect fit. The former Oakland Athletics top prospect is under team control for the next three seasons. He’s just now hitting his prime and absolutely does have ace stuff.

After some early-career struggles, Luzardo has rounded into form over the past two seasons. That span has seen him pitch to a 3.52 ERA and 1.15 WHIP while striking out a studly 10.6 batters per nine innings. So, why would the Miami Marlins part with him? They have an excess of pitching and are looking for hitting.

It really is that simple. Luzardo has also been mentioned as a trade candidate throughout the summer months. And there’s no better relationship between front offices in the league right now than the Twins and Marlins, after the Lopez/Arraez deal worked so well for both teams last offseason.

This scenario could include Kepler heading to Miami with a couple mid-level prospects mixed in. That is to say, youngsters ranked in the middle of the Twins’ top-30 prospects. Outfielder Jose Rodriguez comes to mind as an option.

Wow, the Minnesota Wild and Owner, Craig Leipold, has just sent shockwaves through Minnesota and the NHL community by firing Paul Fenton before his second season has even gotten started. Michael Russo broke the story just minutes ago:

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”3.26.5″]

BREAKING: @TheAthleticMIN has learned that Paul Fenton has been fired as #mnwild GM after just one season. EXCLUSIVE STORY>>>https://t.co/ycC8kmYfkx

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) July 30, 2019

[/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.26.5″]

There are a lot of tentacles to this story but it is playing out as a Tom Thibodeau type of situation where Fenton is being blamed for literally pulling down the entire culture of a franchise.

We all know about the questionable trades that he made but there are also a bunch of whispers about him not seeing eye to eye with Bruce Boudreau and even forcing him to give certain guys more playing time. According to Russo, Leipold felt like Fenton was dragging down the entire culture he has built since buying the Wild. This is a clip out of Russo’s breaking article:

Beyond that, sources said there were numerous accounts of unhappy employees throughout the organization and countless other turbulent incidents that made their way into Leipold’s office. Sources said for weeks that it was becoming abundantly clear to Leipold that Fenton was not fitting into the culture that he and CEO Matt Majka had worked to create since Leipold purchased the team in 2008.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.26.5″]

This is just crazy. But, he does have a point. The Wild had season tickets to sell for the first time in a long time, for the 2020 season. Parise is talking about being ok with a trade out of Minnesota because he wants to win a Stanley Cup… and let’s be honest, Paul Fenton seemed like an asshole whenever he was in front of a microphone. This kind of attitude just isn’t going to get you anywhere in today’s world…

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.26.5″]

The new GM search will start immediately and Russo already has some ideas if you are ready to dive into that Athletic Subscription yet..

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

The Mets, according to sources, are eyeing both Lewis and Kirilloff as part of a package for Syndergaard, who has two more years of arbitration remaining. The additional years of control allows the Mets to demand a high price for Syndergaard, the pitcher with flowing locks nicknamed Thor.

I had to check around myself this morning to make sure I wasn’t reading LaVelle wrong… Royce Lewis AND Alex Kirilloff? But, it’s true. That’s what the Mets want right now, in exchange for Noah Syndergaard….

via GIPHY

This is exactly why I refuse to nail the Falvin Train to the same cross that we have already nailed the Pohlads and Terry Ryan to… at least until this trade deadline hits on Wednesday. If that’s the asking price for Noah Syndergaard (who has over a 4.00 ERA this season) then I’m laughing all the way back to the drawing board, if I am Derek Falvey and Thad Levine.

But hey, I’ve held a lot of sales jobs over the last 10 years of my life and there is one thing that every sales person is taught. Top-Down Selling works. If you start with Kirilloff OR Lewis + some other pieces, it’s difficult to go up from there. That tells the Twins that they might be able to sneak Syndergaard to Minnesota without giving up either of those top-2 prospects…. but when you start the negotiations needing BOTH of those guys… well now Falvine knows that AT THE VERY LEAST, you will need to include one of those guys PLUS much more to land the Mets ace… You set a precedent when you start your negotiations with a high price tag like this.

So now, I’m jacked up to see what happens next week when these prices start to get more competetive, like I wrote about yesterday. 

Do the Twins go big and give up Lewis OR Kirilloff for Syndergaard? Or, can they sneak Stroman+ out of Toronto for significantly less? Do they go the cheaper, in exchange for a short-term fix like Bumgarner?

No matter what, it looks like the Twins are definitely looking to add a front-end starter, which is exactly what they need to do. Get at-least one back-end bullpen guy and a front-end starter before this deadline rolls by. Do that, and Twins fans will be so bought in, you’ll need to raise ticket prices just to keep Target Field from reaching fire code capacities.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

We are now 12 days away from the MLB Trading Deadline and the Minnesota Twins have remained stagnant thus far. I’m not sure whether to be mad or impressed by that, given fans have been demanding something be done for nearly 2 months. Those are some impressive and infuriating evasion skills.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”3.26.3″]

The #MNTwins front office dodging fan trade demands for 2 months: pic.twitter.com/oO3OlSuWnl

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) July 19, 2019

[/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.26.3″]

But, if you like chasing around trade rumors (who doesn’t) then we have some good news falling out of the Twitter sky today. Either one of these guys would change EVERYTHING, when looking to the playoffs and a World Series run.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”3.26.3″]

Source: #Twins had a top talent evaluator in San Francisco for last night's Madison Bumgarner-Noah Syndergaard matchup. Minnesota has the prospects to make a strong play for either starter and also has interest in the #SFGiants relievers. @MLB @MLBNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 19, 2019

[/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.26.3″]

Yes… that is a credible reporter, reporting on the Twins’ top scout being in San Francisco last night to watch Noah Syndergaard vs Madison Bumgarner in a National League showdown. I can’t imagine he’s there to enjoy some ballpark popcorn and a good pitching matchup on his day off…

Oh, how did the game go? Both guys were lights-out. Bumgarner was better.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”3.26.3″]

[/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.26.3″]

All of this is good news for the Twins, until you look at the N.L. Standings and realize that the Giants are only 2.5 games out of a Wild Card spot… so now there are new rumors swirling. Apparently, Madison Bumgarner may be getting less-available by the day. That’s according to a very reliable Jon Heyman… but without any time left on his deal after this year, are the Giants really going to give up MadBum for nothing, after this season, to chase a 1-game wild card spot?

No way.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”3.26.3″]

to chase a wildcard spot??????? I'm calling the @SFGiants bluff. https://t.co/PGrIWyHxzg

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) July 19, 2019

[/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.26.3″]

Whether it’s Bumgarner, Syndergaard, Stroman, or somebody else I’m not naming…. just make something happen. And, don’t forget about the bullpen. Taylor Rodgers’ arm (and back) has to be sore.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]