Two aspects of the Minnesota Twins’ situation seemingly point to the path they’re most likely to take this offseason. 1. Missing the playoffs by collapsing down the stretch while many core players were injured and/or ineffective should motivate the front office to make at least some meaningful changes to the roster.
Advertisement 2. Ownership refusing to raise payroll after slashing it from $160 million to $130 million, and a roster that projects to cost over $130 million as is, gives the front office no money to make meaningful changes. That’s why I wrote last week about 15 low-cost free agents the Twins should target, even though suggesting higher-profile signings would have been more interesting.
And that’s why I’m writing today about the Twins’ biggest trade candidates, including some names they might not be motivated to deal under different circumstances. But if the front office is compelled to make changes and there’s no spending room for free-agent shopping beyond the discount aisle, that leaves trades. Setting aside prospects, here are the nine players the Twins are most likely to be making or taking trade calls on — and why.
1. Chris Paddack, SP Chris Paddack will make $7.5 million in the last year of his contract, which is roughly what a back-end starter would get in free agency.
But the Twins aren’t positioned to pay market rate when they have younger, cheaper and potentially better options to fill the final rotation spot behind a front four of Pa.
