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.

Spencer Steer with his 9th home run for St Paul in only a months worth of games. He’s really, really good. Will be a big riser when I update my prospect rankings at the end of the month. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/0ZzbnmLM2N

— Twins Farm Report (@TwinsFarmReport) June 19, 2022

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

What else sticks out? There are a lot of young, MLB-ready bats on the Twins’ 40-man roster. In fact, they have such a plethora of 23-26 year-old hitters, either ready for the big leagues or who have already been up, that they’re stashing some of them in the minors, where they’re left to abuse Triple-A pitching while they wait for an injury call-up to the MLB roster.

• Gilberto Celestino (23 y/o) | GP: 40 MLB, 2 MiLB
• Alex Kirilloff (24 y/o) | GP: 10 MLB, 35 MiLB
• Jose Miranda (24 y/o) | GP: 33 MLB, 21 MiLB
• Spencer Steer (24 y/o) | GP: 0 MLB, 54 MiLB
• Luis Arraez (25 y/o) | GP: 55 MLB, 0 MiLB
• Trevor Larnach (25 y/o) | GP: 45 MLB, 7 MiLB
• Nick Gordon (26 y/o) | GP: 48 MLB, 0 MiLB

Stashed in St. Paul

This season, Alex Kirilloff and Spencer Steer have been the odd bats left out of the Minnesota Twins lineup. Left to punish minor league pitching across the river in St. Paul. Kirilloff (24 y/o) was up with the big league club to start the season, but a sore wrist led to bad play and he was sent down, after posting a .172 batting average (0 HR, 0 RBI) through 10 games.

In 28 games with the Saints, since being demoted on May 15, Alex Kirilloff is batting .385, with 10 HR and 31 RBI. It’s safe to say his cortisone shot was successful.

Spencer Steer (24 y/o) is still patiently waiting for his first MLB call-up. A 3rd/2nd baseman, Steer’s been raking in the minors for two seasons, including this year for the Saints (AAA) and Wind Surge (AA). His combined 16 HR, 49 RBI, .287 BA, with a .974 OPS puts him on pace to win MiLB player of the year.

A walk-off home run on 6/9…NICE pic.twitter.com/j5qU8R0Qss

— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) June 10, 2022

Log Jam of Young Hitters

Alex Kirilloff is getting called back up to the Twins this weekend, only because Jorge Polanco is going to the IL for his sore back. As for Steer, I’m starting to doubt he’ll get his call-up at all. Why? Because the Twins’ 2021 minor league player of the year, Jose Miranda, is already up and hitting well (.328 BA, .915 OPS since May 20). But Miranda too, is only in the lineup because of injuries. If everyone is healthy, there’s no room for him either.

Don’t forget about Nick Gordon, who is ready to return from injury, as well. Gordon fills a key bench role for the Twins because he can competently play anywhere on the field, outside of catcher. Gilberto Celestino, who is hitting .321 on the season, has become a crucial piece to the Twins’ puzzle, given how well he plays CF when Byron Buxton is penciled in at DH. And as much as fans may want to forget about him, Miguel Sano is on the verge of returning too (per Darren Wolfson – SKOR North).

When you step back and look at the Minnesota Twins roster, it becomes clear that they have too many young, big league caliber hitters. That may seem ridiculous to read out loud, but it’s the truth. With Max Kepler, Luis Arraez, Jorge Polanco and Trevor Larnach already on cheap contracts, with plenty of years remaining, there’s no room for the rest of these young sluggers, who are ready to take the next step in their careers.

Trade Deadline Balancing Act

Obviously, a spoil of riches is never a bad thing. But it has created an opportunity. Unlike the offense, the Minnesota Twins’ pitching staff is short on high-caliber talent. If they do not get a top-rotation starter and a couple of elite bullpen arms before the trade deadline, their postseason dreams will go up in smoke just as fast as they have the last 18 tries.

Teams ready to sell at the trade deadline covet big-league ready prospects, above those who are just getting their professional careers started. Sellers would much rather get back a piece that’s proven himself at the minor league level, if not in the MLB. Lucky for those teams, the Minnesota Twins have exactly what they are looking for.

Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, Spencer Steer and Jose Miranda would be perfect headliners to a blockbuster trade deadline deal that lands them a No. 1 starting pitcher like Frankie Montas (A’s) or Luis Castillo (Reds).

That gives Derek Falvey and Thad Levine a perfect opportunity to make themselves a legitimate World Series contender at the deadline, while also balancing out the team’s roster depth. Buy high-end pitching by parting with one of their high-end young bats.

It seems too perfect.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan