Reports: Twins targeting Kikuchi; 'listened to offers' for Duran, Kepler

The price for Duran and Kepler is reportedly very high and there is competition for Kikuchi.

Jul 23, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins pitcher Jhoan Duran (59) delivers a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in the ninth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports / Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

What's the word on the Minnesota Twins ahead of Tuesday's 5 p.m. trade deadline? Well, the team is apparently "hamstrung" by financial woes that are a result of decreased attendance and reduced revenue from the Bally Sports debacle and that could mean the Twins are unlikely to make a big splash.

Twins Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey was a guest on MLB Network Radio on Sunday and he indicated that it's a tough market and that the Twins will be using the current roster down the stretch of the regular season.

"Our club has performed as a group pretty well, particularly when we've been healthy," Falvey said. "Everyone at this time of year is trying to figure out how do you add one more arm to the mix, whether it's a part of the rotation and the depth there or ultimately in the bullpen. It's always hard because everyone's hunting the same thing and with the additional wild cards there's so many more teams in the mix. We'll see how this shakes out going through Tuesday but feel really good about the group we have. The vast majority of performance will come from the guys in that room right now and we're just oging to continue to see if we can find ways to add to it."

According to Dan Hayes of The Athletic, the Twins have shown interest in Blue Jays left-handed starter Yusei Kikuchi, who owns baseball's highest strikeouts per nine innings rate in the majors, among starting pithcers, since mid-June. Kikuchi would be a rental since he's a free agent after the season, though Jon Morosi reports that the Dogers, Astros and Padres are also targeting Kikuchi.

The Dodgers are among the teams discussing Yusei Kikuchi trade proposals with the Blue Jays.

The Twins, Padres and Astros also are involved.

A Kikuchi deal is seen as very likely before 6 pm ET tomorrow.@MLBNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 29, 2024

Meanwhile, Hayes reports that the Twins "have listened to offers" on closer Jhoan Duran and outfielders Max Kepler and Manuel Margot. However, Hayes says "the cost for Kepler and Duran is said to be extremely high, as the Twins value those players and what they mean to the clubhouse."

Why would the Twins consider trading their starting right fielder (Kepler) and their flame-throwing closer? Kepler (and Margot) are free agents after the season. Duran is under team control via arbitration through 2027 so trading him when trying to contend would make very little sense.