Are Minnesota's Top Prospects Enough To Fill Its Roster Holes?

The MLB trade deadline can be an exciting time. Teams in contention could be looking for that final puzzle piece. Others with an enticing trade chip can turn it into a massive haul that can turn their franchise around. Rumors swirl for months on end, but one phrase can make all of the hype disappear.

We feel like [incumbent Player X] is like a trade deadline acquisition.

This is life as a Minnesota Twins fan. The Twins have been in contention many times since the turn of the century. However, their only major deadline deals were when they traded for Shannon Stewart in 2003 and Tyler Mahle and Jorge López in 2022. Fans scream for a deal to help a team go on a playoff run, but we feel like [incumbent Player X] is a trade deadline acquisition is almost as popular as This is Twins Territory.

The Twins have a team worth investing in this year. But they also have a lot of holes to fill at the deadline. While we can't rule out them making a deal, they probably can’t get everything that they need.

However, could their top prospects help fill their needs ahead of the deadline?

Starting pitcher is one of Minnesota's biggest needs. That isn’t surprising to those who watched the team sit on their hands throughout the offseason. However, that may have ended up being a blessing in disguise. Have you seen Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery's stats lately? Still, the Twins' needs have been more intense than most anticipated.

Joe Ryan is Minnesota's best starter. However, the rotation has been inconsistent outside of him. Pablo López hasn’t built off his All-Star season, and Chris Paddack recently went on the 15-day injured list with right arm fatigue. Bailey Ober has also been solid, but he’s had highs and lows and projects as more of a middle-of-the-line starter.

In a best-case scenario, López turns it on, Paddack feels rejuvenated after his stint on the injured list, and Ryan continues to be a solid starter. But that’s not accounting for the regression that Ober and Simeon Woods Richardson, who has solidified the fifth spot, could experience.

Ideally, the Twins would find a front-line starter to solve this problem, but they could also look to regain their strength in numbers. While López and Sonny Gray were at the top of the rotation a year ago, they had legitimate options in Ryan, Ober, and even Dallas Keuchel, who pitched well over the final two months of the year.

There isn’t a veteran looking to make the leap in the system, but David Festa may be Minnesota's best bet. Festa is slated to debut in Thursday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He has been a strikeout machine with 87 strikeouts and a 3.77 ERA in 59.2 innings at Triple-A St. Paul. However, he’s also had control issues, issuing 24 walks this season.

Unless Zebby Matthews – who has gone 2-1 with a 2.21 ERA at Double-A Wichita – follows the Randy Dobnak plan from 2019, the Twins may have to get an arm outside the organization. However, the good news is they have help on the position player front.

The Twins lineup has been good, ranking first in runs per game since the Pittsburgh Pirates shut them out in back-to-back games on June 7 and 8. Still, they could use some help on the back end of the lineup.

Minnesota hoped Edouard Julien and Matt Wallner could build on solid sophomore seasons. However, they struggled mightily at the beginning of the year. While Wallner has thrived in St. Paul, Julien is only hitting .243/.385/.365 with two homers and three RBI in 19 Triple-A games.

Julien’s struggles have left a void at second base, which the Twins have filled with Willi Castro and Kyle Farmer. However, from the beginning of the season, Minnesota planned to have Brooks Lee join the major league roster and serve as a super utilityman.

A shortstop by trade, Lee has spent the last week playing games at second and third base. The shuffle around the diamond hasn’t slowed him down, either. He was hitting .344/.400/.641 with five homers and 16 RBI in 15 games with the Saints and hit another home run in Wednesday’s matinee with the Iowa Cubs.

Draft experts considered Lee a fast-rising prospect when the Twins selected him with the eighth overall pick in 2022. If it weren’t for his back injury, you could argue that he would already be in Minneapolis. However, the Twins have run into a problem as Castro (.271/.355/.440, 6 HR, 24 RBI) has been one of the best-hitting infielders on the team, and Farmer is hitting .277/.370/.362 over his last 21 games after a long slump.

Even if the Twins wanted to send Austin Martin down, it’s hard to make that case due to his ability to play center field. That could leave Lee waiting for a spot to open up. Still, he's a call-up away from making a major impact.

That leaves Minnesota’s dearth in the corner outfield. People expected Wallner to fill one role in left field. However, he went 2-for-25 with 17 strikeouts in 13 games before the Twins demoted him. Max Kepler can also play right field, but his offensive production hasn’t been the same as last year when he tied a career-high with a 123 OPS+.

The Twins need some punch in the corner outfield spots, but they also need some defense. While Kepler has been quieter at the plate, he still has four defensive runs saved and ranks second among all right fielders with three outs above average this season.

Wallner has rebounded and is hitting .317/.395/.762 with 13 homers and 29 RBI in his last 26 games. However, his defense remains an issue. He logged three outs below average and a minus-3 defensive runs saved rating.

By comparison, Trevor Larnach has effectively replaced Wallner and is hitting .250/.301/.421 with seven homers and 24 RBI. Larnach has been an average fielder (plus-1 OAA) in 46 games. The difference is that Larnach has been doing this in the major leagues while Wallner has been crushing in St. Paul.

None of this would matter if the Twins decided that Wallner could bolster the back of their lineup. However, they were in the same situation last year when Wallner was raking in St. Paul, and Kepler was on the verge of being designated for assignment.

In all likelihood, Festa has a chance to stick in the rotation with a strong debut, and Lee could be a super-utility player in the same way the Twins brought Royce Lewis up before he tore his ACL playing center field in 2021.

With Wallner potentially blocked, they will likely use him as a trade chip to find a better solution to their issues. If the Twins want to be true contenders, they will have to find a deal that puts them over the top, and it likely won’t be a calvary coming from St. Paul.