We are still two days away from Minnesota Twins baseball resuming, for the second half of the 2024 season . That means we are only 12 days away from the MLB trade deadline on July 30.
Our beloved Twins are currently an American League wildcard team, at 54-42. They’ll enter Saturday’s restart with an 84% chance to make the playoffs and 4.5 games back of the AL Central leading Cleveland Guardians.
Minnesota Twins are MLB trade deadline renters, not buyers
That should make the Twins obvious buyers at the MLB trade deadline, but that’s not necessarily true. The Twins are more like renters, especially in the starting pitcher market. According to a Dan Hayes piece in The Athletic on Thursday morning, “ Rumblings around the organization would suggest the Twins are interested in acquiring a rental starting pitcher. “
This ‘rent-only’ approach is the opposite of what we have seen from Twins PoBO Derek Falvey, in the past. But with ownership in full penny-pinching mode, a rent-first mindset is really the only option. Believe it or not, good starting pitchers are expensive and they aren’t all that easy to find.
Which they do, and they may even be honing in on a possible target. Yusei Kikuchi is a 33-year-old left-handed starter for the Toronto Blue Jays. Media reports have him likely to be moved, before the deadline. Hayes is not the first MLB reporter to link Kikuchi to the Twins, either.
Thursday morning, Yusei Kikuchi was the only name mentioned in Dan Hayes piece, at the Athletic. He wrote that the Twins needs and possible target positions include (1) a front-end starting pitcher , (2) bullpen help and, if it falls in their lap, (3) a proven postseason bat that can plugged into an already potent lineup as a DH or 1B or Corner OF .
Are the Twins targeting Yusei Kikuchi?
Yet, Kikuchi is the only trade target mentioned by name. “The [Twins] could target Toronto left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is striking out 9.9 batters per nine innings and will be a free agent after the season.”
Related: Minnesota Twins Trade Deadline Needs Ranked
Kikuchi is in the final year of a 3-year contract that he signed with the Jays in 2022. It pays him $10 million total this season. Whichever team he is dealt to will be on the hook for less than half of that, which is music to Pohlad ears.
So, not only is Yusei a high-end starting pitcher rental option, but he’s also left-handed (which the Twins do not currently have in their rotation), and he’s cheap, at < $5 million.
- Yusei Kikuchi 2024 Stats: 4-8 W/L | 106.0 IP | 4.42 ERA | 91 ERA+ | 3.68 FIP | 1.302 WHIP
Any further questions on why Falvey might be interested? Kikuchi’s numbers won’t make you doubletake, but he’s following up the best season of his career , in 2023, with yet another impressive 2024. Remember, when you are shopping the clearance aisles, there aren’t usually a lot of really great options.
Related: Twins Projected to Pass Guardians in AL Central
Given the financial shackles restraining this Minnesota Twins’ front office, landing Kikuchi would be a miracle move by Falvey. He would immediately slide into the third slot of a future 2024 Twins playoff rotation.
And that is exactly what this team need, to make a World Series run feel realistic. Assuming they don’t have to give up a top prospect to get him, moving on Kikuchi is a no brainer.
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