Is Austin Martin Minnesota’s Best Trade Chip?

Austin Martin is barely two years faraway from being the fifth total decide within the 2020 MLB Draft, and he has already been a part of one blockbuster commerce. MLB.com recognized one commerce chip from each MLB crew, and the article names Martin as a bit Minnesota could also be keen to deal to assist the 2022 crew. Questions can swirl a few participant if they’re included in a number of trades earlier than reaching the big-league stage. How good can the participant be if a crew doesn’t need to hold them within the group? 

Early returns are combined in relation to final summer time’s commerce that included Jose Berrios despatched to Toronto for Austin Martin and Simeon Woods-Richardson. This season, Berrios is off to a tough begin, even together with his dominating efficiency in opposition to the Twins final weekend. In 11 begins, he has a 74 ERA+ and his lowest Ok/9 charge since his rookie season. Toronto prolonged Berrios by means of the 2028 season, so that they hope he can get again on observe. 

Woods-Richardson has been a part of two blockbuster offers as he joined the Blue Jays group from the Mets as a part of the Marcus Stroman commerce. He’s off to a powerful begin as he repeats the Double-A stage. Minnesota wasn’t scared away by a participant that had already been a part of an enormous commerce, and the crew is seeing the advantages. Now, the Twins could be hoping a crew is excited about buying a special top-100 prospect that has already been traded as soon as.

Martin’s inventory has declined since being drafted. He was a consensus top-25 prospect getting into the 2021 season, and most nationwide retailers dropped him to the second half of their top-100 prospects getting into the 2022 season. Now, he has dropped even additional as he hasn’t proven the ability he showcased as an beginner and has no clear defensive residence. There’s nonetheless hope for him to enhance, particularly since he’s 23-years-old and has performed fewer than 150 skilled video games. 

Coming into the 2022 season, the Twins took a novel method to construct the crew’s rotation. As an alternative of paying massive cash for a free agent arm, the crew determined to depend on youthful pitchers and prospects to finish the rotation. The crew has seven pitchers on the injured record, so rotational depth could be one thing the crew needs to deal with earlier than the commerce deadline. One attention-grabbing title to contemplate is a former Twins pitcher having a breakout season for the Rangers. 

Minnesota’s method to the upcoming commerce deadline will likely be attention-grabbing to observe. Will the entrance workplace be keen to go all-in with a crew that has evident flaws? There might also be an absence of urgency on the deadline as a result of the AL Central is arguably baseball’s worst division. Minnesota has an opportunity to coast to a division title, however that may’t be the final word purpose. The entrance workplace is properly conscious of the crew’s shedding streak in October, however groups can tackle a really totally different look from now till the beginning of the playoffs.

Do you suppose that Austin Martin is the crew’s greatest commerce chip? Ought to the crew try to add to the rotation earlier than the deadline? Depart a COMMENT and begin the dialogue.