Minnesota Twins 2011: 5 Trades That Help Get the Twins To October Baseball
The Twins haven't won a World Series since the 1991 team beat the Bobby Cox led Braves. Ever since then it has been quite a rocky road for the team in the Twin Cities. In the playoffs, they have gone 6-21 since 2002 and 0-9 since 2004. Their most hated postseason opponents are clearly the New York Yankees, who have eliminated them the last two times the Twins have made the playoffs (2009 and 2010).
The last two years, it should be noted that the Twins weren't 100 percent healthy going into the playoffs. They were without their MVP first baseman Justin Morneau in 2009 and 2010 and were also without All-Star closer Joe Nathan in 2010.
While the 2011 team looks to be quite the same as the team from last year, they will still need to add another ace quality pitcher to the rotation with Fransisco Liriano and Carl Pavano. They might also look at some more quality bats.
No. 1: Orioles Trade Jeremy Guthrie To Twins For Chris Parmelee and Dakota Watts
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Although the Orioles improved a great deal over this offseason, Baltimore will once again miss the playoffs in 2011. Expect them to be sellers at the end of July and the Twins could find a quality top of the rotation guy in Guthrie. Guthrie isn't by any means an ace, but he is a reliable starter and wouldn't cost too much from the Twins to obtain.
Guthrie would slide into the third spot in the rotation for Minnesota. Liriano/Pavano/Guthrie are more than solid, but would need the offense to show up every night. They aren't the types of guys that will throw shutouts all that often, but they will keep the team in a position to win games.
Parmelee is a former first round pick of the Twins. He's a first baseman and some thought he could make the roster in 2011 as a bench option and to spell Morneau, but the Twins could deal his services to gain rotation help.
Derrek Lee isn't the permanent option for the O's as I believe they will make a huge run at Prince Fielder next off-season. If Prince doesn't choose to go to Baltimore, they have no exceptional and ready first baseman to play that position. Parmelee is close to cracking a major league roster and will be a good bat and glove for whatever team he plays on.
No. 2: Astros Trade Wandy Rodriguez To Twins For Slowey, Tosoni, and Guerra
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The Astros move LHP Wandy Rodriguez in an effort to re-build and get younger. Placing Wandy with Pavano and Liriano would give the Twins a very solid one-two-three punch for the 2011 regular season and postseason.
Though Wandy hasn't been amazing his whole career, he has definitely been an above-average starting pitcher the last two years. He went 25-24 with a quiet Houston offense, but posted 400.2 IP with a 3.30 ERA and 371 strikeouts. Wandy is a proven starter and the Twins would clearly be upgraded with him in their rotation.
The Twins send RHP Kevin Slowey to Houston. He is 26-years-old and a middle-of-the-rotation guy. Slowey is consistent when healthy, and has exceptional control with all of his pitches, especially his low-90s fastball.
Tosoni is a 24-year-old outfield prospect who would be close to being MLB level with the Astros. He looks to be a hitter that can reach the .300 batting average but will probably come just short. He has decent power but don't expect 25+ HRs against major league pitching from him. He would still be a nice addition for the Astros.
Guerra is a relief pitcher the Twins acquired in the Johan Santana deal. The Astros don't have many quality young relief arms waiting to come up; Guerra would be a good middle reliever for them in two years or less.
No. 3: Braves Trade Jair Jurrjens and Cash To Twins For Ben Revere
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The Atlanta Braves have a huge need for a leadoff hitter and a center fielder while the Twins need another top-of-the-rotation starter. With Nate McLouth being awful and off the books after 2011, the Braves would love to have Revere roaming that huge center field for their future. The Twins would love to create a Liriano/Jurrjens/Pavano threesome for 2011. This is one of those trades that really make sense for both teams.
Revere is one of the top 10 outfield prospects in all of the MLB. He has the capability to steal 50+ stolen bases and hit over .300 easily and score runs in tons. The only downfalls to his game are his mediocre throwing arm and his lack of power. The Braves already have young pitching prospects ready to take over for Jurrjens when he would leave.
The Twins gain a legitimate No. 2 starter and an upgrade to the rotation. He looks to go back to his 2009 form and be a workhorse for whatever team he happens to be on. He doesn't have amazing stuff but he does get the job done. In 2009, he pitched 215 innings and posted a 2.60 ERA. He's not the best possible option the Twins could gain, but he certainly would help the Twins in the regular and postseason.
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No. 4: Marlins Trade Josh Johnson For Gibson, Aaron Hicks, and Carlos Gutierrez
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This deal is extremely unlikely to happen for both teams involved. But if it were to happen, this deal would be a huge blockbuster trade. The Marlins are a team that likes to re-build and gain top prospects by trading away their superstars. Examples are: Josh Beckett, Dan Uggla, Mike Lowell, Dontrelle Willis, Miguel Cabrera, and even back to the days when they traded Gary Sheffield away. Baseball fans have to think that even though J.J. is locked up for now, they know they could get back a very nice package for him.
The Twins would finally get the piece many feel they are lacking on their team, a true ace of the rotation. Josh Johnson and Francisco Liriano would no doubt be a monster of a one-two combo against any lineup. Johnson has Cy Young award caliber written all over him and he is a huge strikeout pitcher. He signed a very reasonable contract extension at four years/$39M and that is much cheaper than the Twins would find on the free agent market for a player like Johnson.
The Marlins would be receiving two of the Top 20 prospects in all of baseball in Kyle Gibson and Aaron Hicks. Gibson is MLB ready and dominated his first year in the minors. He will most likely snatch a spot in Minnesota's rotation no later than June of 2011. He has a low-90s fastball, a nasty slider with great bite, and a change up that he rarely uses but when he does throw it, it is a valuable pitch.
Hicks is a switch-hitting, five-tool outfielder that has all the physical aspects to the game that a team could ever want but he needs to put the mental side of his game together. That could either be due to his young age or his lack of effort, but still a great prospect.
Not to leave out Gutierrez, he is a RHP the Twins drafted out of Miami a few years ago. He has a mid-90s fastball and has been used more as a reliever in the Twins farm. He is a top 15 prospect of Minnesota's.
No. 5: Mariners Trade Felix Hernandez For Twins Top Prospects
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Before I write a slide on this I want to get this clear that Felix is not on the trading block and is most definitely not going to be dealt. But for the sake of the article's headline, acquiring King Felix would make Minnesota a sure contender for a World Series championship.
The Twins would send Kyle Gibson, Aaron Hicks, Miguel Sano, Angel Morales, Liam Hendriks, and Chris Parmelee to Seattle for Cy Young award winner Felix Hernandez. This trade would easily be called a blockbuster deal and both sides receive a ton of talent.
Minnesota receives an ace pitcher who dominates lineups in almost every start. Felix is signed through 2014, which is in the Twins favor. Minnesota would be trading away five of their top ten prospects and the best first baseman they have in their system in Parmelee.
This deal is almost certain not to happen, but it would be a great trade for Minnesota. On the flip side, Seattle's GM would most likely be crucified and fired for this move for trading away the only real superstar Seattle possesses.
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