Twins 'going to listen' to Aug. 31 trade offers

CLEVELAND -- Despite having already traded veterans Eduardo Escobar, Ryan Pressly, Zach Duke, Lance Lynn, Brian Dozier and Fernando Rodney since late July, Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey said he'll continue to listen to trade offers up until the Aug. 31 deadline from teams wishing to acquire a player who can be active for the postseason.
The Twins don't have much in the way of trade candidates left, however, as right-hander Ervin Santana is out indefinitely with another setback to his surgically repaired finger and first baseman Joe Mauer has a full no-trade clause. The only impending free agent who could be moved is infielder Logan Forsythe, who was acquired from the Dodgers in the Dozier trade. Forsythe has played well since joining the Twins and cleared waivers earlier this month, meaning he can be traded to any team.
"I do think the reality is, just like July 31 is an active day in terms of deadlines for decisions, I wouldn't be shocked if there's a lot of conversations around baseball over those final 24 hours," Falvey said of Friday's deadline. "I would think there would be a possibility of that. We're going to listen if teams call. I just think right now it's more likely than not you'll have a conversation about somebody, and that's been my history on every Aug. 31, honestly."

Complicating things for the Twins is they don't have much in the way of position-player depth available as potential September callups, so keeping Forsythe down the stretch could make sense. The only healthy position players on the 40-man roster not currently on the 25-man roster are outfielders Byron Buxton, Johnny Field and Zack Granite. Top middle-infield prospect Nick Gordon, the No. 72 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline, has struggled offensively at Triple-A Rochester and isn't expected to be added to the 40-man roster and recalled.
Buxton is hitting .386/.413/.659 over 10 games at Rochester in August, but Falvey and Twins manager Paul Molitor said nothing has been officially decided on Buxton's status. They could decide to let him get fully healthy over the final month, but he's playing so well it could help his confidence for next year if he can carry over his recent success into the Majors in September.
"We're taking the long-term view about our players," Falvey said. "Any player we bring up, we're thinking about what's the benefit to the September experience -- whether it's hitting, pitching, defense or an opportunity that's here in terms of at-bats and playing time. … Our focus should exclusively be what we think is the best for Byron long term, and that's where it's going to be."
As a result of the roster construction, Molitor said he expects most of the September callups to be pitchers, coming in waves on Saturday, when rosters expand, and then again on Tuesday, a day after the Triple-A season ends.
"We're getting closer to being convinced that the six-man rotation, in some shape or form, will be the way to go," Molitor said. "The fact is that our bullpen, even though we've had a large number out there all year, I would like to have the protection for a couple more arms out there, too."
One September callup that was leaked by Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire is his son, Toby, who will join Minnesota's coaching staff for a short spell down the stretch. Toby Gardenhire guided Class A Cedar Rapids to the postseason in his first year as manager and is one of several Minor League coaches who will be cycled in next month.
"Gardy got a little ahead of that one," Falvey said with a laugh. "I've found that that experience is so beneficial for young coaches that haven't been up here before. It's maybe more beneficial to them than it is for the Major League staff to have an extra body around. So I want to make sure we give that opportunity to a few different guys."