MLB Rumors: 3 Twins On Trade Block This Off-season

The Minnesota Twins' season has been a disappointment. They spent a huge chunk of the season in first place in the AL Central, and were still atop the division as late as Aug. 9th. Then, the roof fell in. They now find themselves in 3rd place, 12 games out. 

Sure, injuries played a big role, but the Twins didn't stand pat last year after a disappointing season, and they're unlikely to do so this time around. 

Aaron Gleeman, Twins beat reporter for The Athletic, proposed three Twins who could very well be on the trade block this offseason. 

Max Kepler

He was up for grabs last winter, but the Twins hang on to him. That turned out to be a huge mistake. He registered the worst season of his 8-year career with Minnesota, featuring a .227 average with just 9 homers, and a .179 stretch in the second half before being shut down with wrist and foot injuries. 

He'll be 30 next year, and his trade value is next to nil, so the biggest thing the Twins can hope for, as Gleeman notes, is to shed themselves of Kepler's contract, which has $8.5M on it for next season, and a $10M club option with a $1M buyout in 2024. 

If they can find a taker, they'll jump on it.

Gio Urshela

He came over from the New York Yankees last offseason when they unloaded Josh Donaldson and his hefty $21M salary for each of this year and next year. There was certainly nothing wrong with that move, as Donaldson had an awful season in the Bronx, and Urshela performed competently in Minnesota. 

But the Twins, as Gleeman rightfully posits, should be ready to turn over third base to top young prospect Jose Miranda, who had a very nice rookie season after a slow start. Urshela will make $8.5M next year, and the Twins would love to have those savings, with a top young player ready to take over the hot corner.

Emilio Pagan

Twins fans would certainly be thrilled if Pagan was purged from the team. He had a dreadful first half and was the scorn of Twin Cities followers everywhere. 

He had a 5.23 ERA in the first half, surrendering 8 homers in 33 innings—all as the Twins' acting closer. Does he have any value at all after the season he's had? "Difficult as that may be for Twins fans to believe, Pagán did receive some mild interest leading up to the Aug. 2 trade deadline," writes Gleeman. And perhaps, he adds, there could be other teams who "view him as a worthwhile reclamation project." 

Twins fans can only hope. 

 Photo: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports