Minnesota Twins: 5 Potential Trade Partners for Francisco Liriano

Francisco Liriano could be considered as one of the biggest enigmas in all of baseball. At times, Liriano can be one of the most dominant pitchers in the American League. At others, he looks more like an "overamped" Adam Johnson.

In other words, while Liriano's lows have been well documented (like his 9-10, 5.09 ERA 2011 season), his highs (like his dominating start against the Texas Rangers on June 12 where he had a perfect game through seven innings), are going to be what entices another team to acquire his services.

Liriano's trade value hit a lull last season, and there's a good chance that the Minnesota Twins will keep him in hopes that he can once again regain his form and help a pitching rotation that is starving for an ace.

However, what if the Twins decided to trade Liriano? I don't believe they would be able to get top prospects for him, but there could be several teams interested in rolling the dice on the lefty.

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are always in the market for keeping up with the Joneses. With the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays boasting good pitching rotations, the Red Sox need to do something so they don't get outpitched by their main competition.

The initial idea is to move Daniel Bard from the bullpen to the starting rotation, but this is such a bad idea on so many levels. (Who will get the ball to Andrew Bailey if Bard is in the rotation?)

According to NBC Sports,The Red Sox have a man crush on Matt Garza, but the Chicago Cubs were asking too much, so the Sox backed out.

That's where Liriano could comes in. With a solid core in place, the Sox could acquire Liriano and the pressure for him to be the Ace would be off with guys like Jon Lester and Josh Beckett pitching beside him.

It sounds crazy after pitchers like John Lackey failed in Boston, but Beantown could be the perfect environment for Francisco Liriano to thrive.

Miami Marlins

The Miami Marlins have added just about everybody else this season, so why should they stop at the thought at Francisco Liriano?

What the Marlins have is plenty of offense. A lineup that features several good hitters means that somebody in that lineup could be expendable. With the problems the Twins lineup had, it could be a good deal for them.

It would also be good for the Marlins, who currently have an inconsistent pitching rotation. The signing of Mark Buehrle helped, but Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez have shown flashes of brilliance followed by mind-numbing injuries.

It's not like Liriano is the model of consistency, but don't forget that he hurled a no-hitter against new Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen's Chicago White Sox last May.

Ozzie knows first hand what Liriano can do, so if the Marlins find themselves in the hunt come July, they may give the Twins a call.

Washington Nationals

A Liriano trade to the Washington Nationals would probably happen at the trade deadline if the Twins fall out of contention.

The Nationals already have a solid rotation with Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmermann at the top. Could they afford to add another piece with Liriano? That's possible.

What the Twins could do is package Liriano with somebody like Denard Span, who the Nationals have coveted since last July. If they did that and maybe added a prospect, they could get Drew Storen from the Nationals and possibly more prospects to rebuild their minor league system.

With the lack of major league depth in the Twins outfield right now, I doubt this trade happens, but it's possible. If the Nationals go for it, they could throw Liriano into a possible deal.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

While it's a little bit far fetched, the reality is that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim need to compete with the Texas Rangers in order to win the American League West.

That requires taking a look at what the Rangers have, and then figuring out how to make that better. The Rangers have an awesome lineup and a great pitching rotation.

The Angels took care of the awesome lineup part by adding Albert Pujols, but the Angels would like to add another pitcher.

Liriano could be another back of the rotation starter without the pressure of being an ace. Rotating Liriano, Dan Haren, Jared Weaver and C.J. Wilson could aid them in dethroning the Rangers.

New York Yankees

When the going gets tough, the Yankees start buying players. Once again, the Yankees and their fans were denied their ultimate goal of winning a World Series.

Upgrading the rotation was a priority this offseason, and the Yankees were willing to part with top prospect Jesus Montero to do it.

They've added Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda to a rotation that's stacked already with CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova. However, this is the Yankees.

If it means winning the World Series, they may just add the entire AL All-Star team in their bullpen.

The problem with this is that it seems like the Twins are one year too late on pulling the trigger on this potential deal. While the Yankees may have been offering Manny Banuelos last year, they won't assuredly give him up for a 5 ERA pitcher this season.

That could be the potential nail in the coffin for a Liriano deal. If Liriano had performed like he did in 2010, when he won AL Comeback Player of the Year, there could have been a bigger market for him.

Alas, the reality is that many teams just aren't interested in adding him and that's what makes this discussion seem like fantasy baseball.