The Twins have already moved Chris Paddack and Jhoan Duran, but they’re expected to remain active on the selling front right up until this afternoon’s deadline. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that as of last night, Minnesota was far more focused on negotiations pertaining to relievers Danny Coulombe and Brock Stewart than on anything involving top starter Joe Ryan, who still seems like a long shot to move. Meanwhile, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that the Twins have had about six clubs looking into utilityman Willi Castro and haven’t ruled out trading righty Griffin Jax even after moving Duran — but the price remains extremely high.
Coulombe is one of the most straightforward trade candidates on the market. He’s a rental reliever on a clear seller who’s having a terrific season while playing on a low-cost contract. He signed a one-year, $3MM deal to return to the Twins in the offseason and has rewarded that investment with a 1.16 ERA, 25.4% strikeout rate and 7.4% walk rate in 31 innings. He’s thrived versus lefties and righties alike. It’d be a surprise if Coulombe somehow wasn’t traded before today’s deadline.
Stewart, 33, isn’t necessarily as likely to go but could have some sneaky value. He’s 33 years old and has had plenty of injury concerns in his career, including Tommy John surgery while with the Dodgers and shoulder surgery with the Twins just last year.
That said, when Stewart has been healthy in Minnesota, he’s been excellent. He’s pitched 77 1/3 innings since landing with the Twins on a minor league deal in the 2022-23 offseason, and in that time he’s posted a 2.33 ERA with a huge 31.7% strikeout rate and a 9.5% walk rate. Stewart is sitting 96.1 mph on his four-seamer this year and has run his heater up to 100 mph at times. He’s sporting an outstanding 15.1% swinging-strike rate and has a massive 16.5% mark over the past three seasons combined.
The Twins don’t need to move Stewart, who’s earning just $870K this year and has two seasons of club control remaining. However, as a reliever in his mid-30s who was originally added on a minor league deal, there’s a bit of a “found money” aspect to the hard-throwing righty. His lengthy history of arm troubles also surely has to tempt the Twins to sell high right now, while he’s performing well. Stewart isn’t going to garner headlines like Duran, Jax and other controllable arms on the relief market (e.g. David Bednar, Mason Miller), but he’s quietly posted high-end results at near league-minimum salary.
Castro feels like another surefire trade candidate today. Like Coulombe and Stewart, he was originally signed by the Twins on a minor league deal before revitalizing his career in Minnesota. He’s hitting .245/.335/.407 with 10 homers and nine steals in 344 plate appearances on the season and has slashed .250/.335/.398 in his three years as a Twin.
The switch-hitting Castro is earning $6.4MM in 2025 and is a free agent at season’s end. He’s a 28-year-old with average power and above-average speed who can handle just about any position on the field. He’s played second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield spots in 2025, though he’s stretched defensively at shortstop or in center field and is more of a backup option than a candidate for regular playing time at those positions. Given his versatility, Castro would deepen any contending club’s bench, and he’d be a starting option for several playoff contenders. The Mariners, Yankees and Astros have all shown interest this month, though the first two of those teams have obviously added some new infield options already, which could impact their current level of interest in Castro.
With Duran out the door and Coulombe and Stewart possibly following him, a trade of Jax would really deplete the Twins’ bullpen. The Twins will remain open to the idea, it seems, but they’re not likely to deviate from their asking price. They’ve been seeking multiple top-100 prospects for both Duran and Jax. They secured a strong return for Duran (catching prospect Eduardo Tait and MLB-ready starter Mick Abel) and will hold out for the same with regard to Jax.
The 31-year-old Jax is a former third-round pick. A look at his 4.50 ERA isn’t going to turn any heads, but the right-hander posted a 2.03 ERA last season and misses bats more than nearly any pitcher in the game. His 36.4% strikeout rate is fifth in all of baseball among the 293 pitchers (starter and relievers alike) with at least 40 innings pitched this season. His 19.5% swinging-strike rate sits third, trailing only Josh Hader and Aroldis Chapman. Jax’s 1.97 SIERA ranks second in baseball, trailing only the 1.96 mark of breakout Giants reliever Randy Rodriguez.
Jax is under club control for two more years beyond the current season. He had a brutal outing yesterday — three runs without recording an out — but even including that tough day has a 3.08 ERA and 1.49 FIP in 38 innings dating back to late April. He’s the clear favorite to close games for the Twins moving forward. The Yankees are among the clubs looking into Jax, Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggests, and the Mariners have been in the mix as well.
If they move a Ryan it better be for a HAUL
Yeah, I hope that they learned from the Berrios trade not to give away good, controllable starting pitching
They didn’t give away Berrios – SWR is part of their starting rotation and Martin has spent time with the Twins and is over .900 OPS this year at AAA.
So they basically got a younger Chris Paddack and a guy with a ceiling of a younger Willi Castro for Berrios?
Shrug
Tank, tank, tank, and more tanking. Lol
I’m not sure they’re smart enough to tank. I think it’s just a matter of shedding payroll at all costs, now and over the next couple of years.
Tanking won’t help. The team is already full of early picks. They’ve all fizzled or been injured too often for any real impact
You mean like the “haul” they got for Duran? Unfortunately the Twins will ask for a Skenes and settle for a Jae Hwan Bae…
😆 Joey Bart and a bag of Fritos
In some ways it’s strange to think about. Had i told you in the offseason a package of Duran and Jax for Crochet, youd laugh me out of the room.
But, by asking ‘multiple top-100’ pieces for each of duran and Jax, the twins are effectively setting a price higher than what bought a crochet level talent.
Goes to show the desperation some clubs go to mid-year in adding talent, and, is an interesting counterpoint to the ‘wait for the offseason for a better return’ philosophy
they definitely aren’t getting multiple top 100 pieces for Jax.
maybe one top 100 and two in an orgs top 10, but definitely not two in the top 100 in minors
He’s not even worth that. At almost 31, he’s peaked. He’s been too inconsistent to really be trusted in high leverage, meaningful situations. People mistake K rate for a real effectiveness.
When asked why they would trade all their 7th, 8th and 9th inning guys Falvey replied “Every time we get to those innings we’re trailing 6-1 because of our poor lineup, so we have no need for good pitching late in games.”
If they traded Duran and don’t trade all of Coloumbe, Bader and Castro what a massive fail. Few hours left , get it done
Why wouldn’t Bader be getting a lot of discussion?
Seems like the writer just forgot about him
Some teams may be looking at his production this season as an outlier and wonder if he can keep it going. I could see the Dodgers grabbing him as they have a history of acquiring Center Fielders at the deadline
What are you waiting for Jed. Castro would be a big add for the bench. In fact he would be the bench.
Willie Castro to the stros makes too much sense. injuries at 3B, SS, 2B, OF, this team needs a guy they can just plug in anywhere on the diamond. dubon is fine but Willie’s better.
I think the Tigers also make sense for a reunion.
Get Coulombe Preller
San Diego already has the best bullpen in MLB and just traded for Mason Miller. Why the hell would they need Coulombe too? If anything, San Diego needs to trade away Suarez for OF help and they’ll still have the best bullpen in baseball. The Mets have done a very good job restocking their pen too.
I made this before the Miller trade, but I like Coulombe. The Padres could use another lefty in the pen (I don’t trust Matsui come playoff time).
If they don’t move Castro, Bader, Coulombe and try their darndest to move France (metrics are strong) then I’ll be ticked
Ty France’s metrics are not strong
One of the best defensive first baseman in the game and his xSLG is .450
That’s strong enough to get him traded.
His metrics are strong enough that he’s seen his playing time get cut into considerably. He could be traded to be a bench guy, I guess, but there hasn’t been any rumors about him moving
France has had a few big hits, and his defense has been better than expected, but a playoff contender can’t play a first baseman who slugs 350.
I actually seem him as a DFA candidate before the year is out.
I wonder how the Brock Star would like a return to the Dodgers. I don’t recall under what terms he left.
Jax to the Mariners makes too much sense. The M’s still have a boatload of good prospects and could even trade from the major league roster if need be.