San Francisco Giants: MLB-ready trade deadline targets, Part 2

Minnesota Twins

For a better idea of which San Francisco Giants players might interest the Twins, check out the Sell-off Series.

Current MLB Players
Miguel Sano
Willians Astudillo
LaMonte Wade Jr.

Blocked Triple-A Players
Jaylin Davis
Brent Rooker
Nick Gordon
Luke Raley

Pitchers
Kohl Stewart
Andrew Vasquez
Lewis Thorpe
Jake Reed
Gabriel Moya

The Twins have enough depth to entertain the idea of moving Sano, perhaps in a deal similar to the Yoenis Cespedes-for-Jon Lester swap a few years back. Him being moved is admittedly a long-shot, though.

Astudillo burst onto the scene last year and looked like a modern super-utility player, but this year he’s regressed substantially. He still offers great positional flexibility and years of team control that could appeal to the Giants.

Wade Jr. is only filling in for Eddie Rosario while he recovers from an ankle injury. He is an approach-first corner outfielder who walks more than he strikes out and plays good defense, but he doesn’t have much power.

Rooker has split time between left field and first base, but he’s not particularly good in either spot. His plus power is his calling card and while he works walks, strikeouts remain a concern with 95 in 65 games at the Triple-A level this year.

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Gordon was a top-five pick in 2014 and was considered a lock to stick at shortstop. While he remains a prospect, he doesn’t show the upside that made him such a highly regarded prep. The Twins could see him as the replacement for impending free agent Jonathan Schoop at second base. He’s still young at 23, and with further refinement, he could still become a solid starter at second base.

Raley is a burly power hitter, but unlike Rooker, he projects to be a solid defender at first base and in both corner outfield spots. He doesn’t quite have Rooker’s power, which limits his offensive upside.

Stewart is another top-pick who has never quite put it all together as a pro. He throws in the mid-90s, but command remains a problem. Vasquez is a lefty who has racked up strikeouts in the minors working off a good curveball, but his ceiling is limited.

Thorpe is a fringe top-10 prospect in the Minnesota system and he has mid-rotation stuff, but he has dealt with a slew of injuries throughout his career. The 23-year old has been healthy this season and he has 99 strikeouts in 79.1  innings at Triple-A.

Reed and Moya are middle relievers that rely more on their ability to mix pitches than overpowering stuff. Moya was just designated for assignment, despite limited MLB success in the past.

That concludes part two of our blocked player breakdown. We’ll have more teams and plenty more MLB-ready targets for the San Francisco Giants in part three, so stay tuned.