Twins Pursuing Rental Starting Pitching At Trade Deadline

Per Dan Hayes (The Athletic) in his latest Twins roundup, the Twins are looking for starting pitching, targeting starters on expiring contracts.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as starting pitching is the team’s biggest weakness heading into the trade deadline and the team has been payroll-constrained since their Bally Sports television deal expired after the 2023 season. It’s unlikely the Twins are in a position to commit additional dollars to a starter beyond this season and even their ability to add significant payroll for the rest of this season is in question.

There are two starters on expiring contracts that should be traded before the trade deadline: the Detroit Tigers’ Jack Flaherty and the Toronto Blue Jays’ Yusei Kikuchi. Both are on relatively inexpensive contracts and should be within the budget constraints of the Twins.