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MLB Insider Predicts a Royce Lewis Trade for MN Twins
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- MLB Insider Predicts a Royce Lewis Trade for MN Twins
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The Minnesota Twins finished off their Grapefruit League schedule on Tuesday, with a victory over the Colorado Rockies . Their fourth-straight spring training victory pushed Rocco Baldelli & Co to a final 2025 exhibition record of 13-15-3 .
Now, the roster is set and all eyes turn to Opening Day in St. Louis vs the Cardinals , on Thursday. Unfortunately, Royce Lewis will not make the trip out to western Missouri with his teammates, after suffering another pre-April injury , his second in as many seasons.
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The 25-year-old starting third baseman is expected to remain out of the MN Twins lineup for at least a few weeks. Nonetheless, Royce remains optimistic, even going as far as to say this year's injury pales in comparison to the quad injury he dealt with last year.
Jim Bowden suggests Minnesota Twins trade Royce Lewis
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No matter how long he's absent, it's nothing Twins fans aren't used to. Lewis has followed in the footsteps of Byron Buxton and continually finds himself on the injured list. That makes planning around his future difficult. He isn't a free agent until 2029 , but that doesn't mean Minnesota can't ship him out sooner.
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Enter former MLB general manager turned MLB insider for The Athletic, Jim Bowden . On Tuesday, he released an article with 25 trade predictions for the upcoming season. Within that piece, at No. 11. Bowden predicts that the Minnesota Twins will trade Royce Lewis to the New York Yankees for a couple of pitchers and a middling infielder prospect who recently cracked the majors.
Like all preseason predictions, some will materialize and some will fizzle out. Some of these predictions are chalky, others are bold, some are serious, others are an attempt at humor and the rest are somewhere in between.
Trade No. 11. The Twins trade the oft-injured Royce Lewis to the Yankees for lefty Henry LaLane , righty Cam Schlittler and infielder Oswald Peraza .
Of course, this type of article falls much more in the realm of "reckless speculation" than it does actual insider reporting. But more than likely, the names mentioned are there for a reason. People like Bowden hear things through the grapevines, being he probably rubs elbows with former colleagues on a sem-regular basis.
Should the MN Twins entertain THIS trade idea for Lewis?
And it wouldn't be shocking if the MN Twins were to move their 2017 No. 1 overall pick , who has rubbed some of his teammates and coaches the wrong way, at times during his young career. But would this be the deal they pick? Let's take a look.
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The latest round of MLB prospect rankings came out this spring. There, neither Henry LaLane nor Cam Schlittler made the MLB top-100. They do, however, make the Yankees' top 15 organizational prospect rankings, at No. 11 and No. 12 ranked prospects , respectively.
Related: MN Twins Rule 5 Draftee Lands Back Where He Came From
Henry LaLaneis a soon-to-be 21-year-old lefty that threw just 12 1/3 innings last year at Low-A, after being placed on the injured list. Without a doubt, his upside is a big part of Bowden picking this as his example of a trade package that could lure Minnesota into trading Royce Lewis while his stock is low.
The same can be said for Cam Schlittler, 24, who made his Triple-A debut last season, and posted a 3.36 ERA across 120 2/3 minor league innings . He had an 11.5 K/9 but struggled with command to the tune of a 4.5 BB/9. Still, if the Twins were looking to infuse more young pitching talent into the organization, this trade would do it.
Few young pitchers draw as much praise from scouts as Yankees LHP Henry Lalane 👀
He's a candidate to make the Top 100 by 2025.
Here's why: https://t.co/hb47lJ43Ku pic.twitter.com/y0P06RYWnA— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) January 29, 2024
Cam Schlittler dials it up to 97 MPH to finish his second inning of work! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/HOj07Yx6dU
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) March 1, 2025
Oswald Perazahas played 74 games at the major league level over the past three seasons. He will be 25 years old in 2025 and has primarily operated as a third baseman, where he hasn't been overly impressive, batting .216 with a .612 OPS and 70 OPS+.
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Across 152 major league games Lewis owns a .268/.327/.497 slash line . The former first overall pick has 33 home runs and 104 RBI to his credit. When healthy, he has been among the best offensive players in the game. Unfortunately he experienced an extended slump down the stretch last season, and continues to stay on the injured list.
Royce Lewis could still move for Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins don't have the benefit of racking up payrolls like the New York Mets . In fact, the Pohlads — who will continue as owners for the foreseeable future — have even dialed back spending in recent seasons.
That, combined with what I already mentioned above, means it isn't crazy to think the Twins would trade Lewis, if the right offer came along. His value isn't at its peak though, which always makes the prospect of trading him increasingly risky, at least until he gets back on the field for awhile.
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Related: Old Friend Makes Minnesota Twins Final Opening Day Roster
Even if Lewis isn't outright traded, it's possible that third base isn't his final destination. The Minnesota Twins had talks about moving him to second base as recent as this offseason . In an effort to save his legs, he could move to first base as well .
Ultimately, the Twins need Lewis to get back on the field… and then stay there. It seems unlikely that a Royce Lewis trade will take place anytime in the near future, unless the season goes off the rails early. If that were to happen, then anything is possible.
