Did Alex Verdugo’s trade eliminate a potential Twins trade partner?

 

 

While the majority of the MLB world waits with bated breath to see what Shohei Ohtani will do before making any major moves, two organizations threw up their hands and opted to get down to business.

It’s the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, and they’ve agreed to conduct business with each other. Alex Verdugo, Boston’s standout outfielder, is on his way to the Bronx in exchange for three pitchers. It’s a huge deal on a lot of levels, not the least of which being that it’s the sixth trade between the two adversaries in half a century.

That appears to be where we are, but it is the first significant deal of the Winter Meetings.

The majority of the focus is properly on Boston and New York, but this is a transaction with far-reaching implications that extend all the way to Minnesota. The Twins are supposed to be quite active in the trade market, but it has been unusually quiet as everyone waits for Ohtani to make his decision.

When he does, Minnesota may have one less trade partner interested in a deal.

Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler are two of Minnesota’s best trade chips this winter. Both are being marketed, and the expectation is that they will help net the Twins some much-needed pitching help.

After losing Sonny Gray and Kenta Meada in free agency, the Twins must find replacements, and with a smaller budget, trade chips are the front office’s most precious currency.

Kepler would be a wonderful fit in New York, as they are always in need of corner outfielders, and his offense would undoubtedly improve their lineup. He appeared to be another classic case of a former Twins player moving on to have even greater success elsewhere, with the added annoyance of playing with the Yankees.

The Verdugo deal complicates matters in a number of ways.

Richard Fitts is part of the trade package coming back to Boston, and he was a player who would have made sense as a return in a Kepler or Polanco move. New York still has pitching prospects, but it appears that many of them are being held back in anticipation of a possible Juan Soto trade.

Speaking of Soto, it appears that the Yankees will continue to try to acquire him through trade, which would necessitate the addition of another outfielder. At this point, Kepler appears to be the additional cook in the kitchen, and there is no room for him in New York.

Polanco remains a viable trade target for the Yankees, and players such as Randy Vásquez and Luis Gil — preferably both — represent reasonable value in a return package. It all comes down to what New York wants to do with Soto and whether or not that happens. One thing is certain: a prospective landing site for Max Kepler may have been removed from consideration.