The Minnesota Twins
clawed their way to a 12th-inning win
Thursday to secure a four-game series split with the Cleveland Guardians
. They remain two games below .500 at 51-53, but in the American League that has them within striking distance of the postseason.
Fangraphs currently gives Minnesota
roughly a 26% chance
to reach the playoffs. That may sound low, but the Twins were sitting around 6% at last year's deadline. They also have the luxury of two bottom-dwellers ( the Athletics
and Royals) coming to Target Field over the next week.
Tom Pohlad wants the Twins to be aggressive at the deadline, perhaps to make up for virtually doing nothing since taking over. Any meaningful addition will require players or prospects to go the other way, and Matt Wallner looks like one of the clearest candidates to be moved.
Arguably the most logical name for the Minnesota Twins to trade is impending free agent Ryan Jeffers . He should command a solid return that could help address other areas of the roster, and Victor Caratini has played well since turning things around in June.
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However, in The Athletic's look at one player from every MLB team who could be traded, Dan Hayes singled out Wallner for Minnesota.
While Ryan Jeffers appears to be a likely candidate, Wallner is redundant and his future with the Twins is murky. Trevor Larnach is excelling in the leadoff spot. Even if he gets moved, Alan Roden is a superior defender to Wallner, and top prospect Walker Jenkins is healthy, hitting and ready for the call to the majors. Though he struggled before his demotion, Wallner is hitting once again at Triple A. His three-plus seasons of team control remaining should appeal.
Even with Alan Roden struggling through his first 11 games this season ( .214 with a .517 OPS ), Wallner isn't likely to be the next man up. Roden is a better defender, Kyler Fedko already received a brief promotion , and Walker Jenkins is healthy again . Jenkins, the Twins' top prospect, could be next in line for his first call-up and can play all three outfield positions.
Wallner was demoted after 34 games in which he batted .167 with a .551 OPS and 53/10 K/BB. It was ugly. He has rebounded in 53 Triple-A games, batting .276 with a .932 OPS . His 62/22 K/BB and 26.4% strikeout rate show the swing-and-miss hasn't disappeared, but the production has returned.
The problem for the slugger from Forest Lake has been catching up to velocity, especially fastballs at the top of the zone. His Triple-A production doesn't erase that concern, but his left-handed power and more than three seasons of team control should still appeal to another organization. At this point, a change of scenery may make sense for both sides.
Ryan Jeffers should command a decent return even as a rental, but the Minnesota Twins shouldn't need to move him to add back-end starting pitching or bullpen help. Even with an uneven track record, Trevor Larnach's breakout season could also net the Twins something useful.
Larnach still has another year of team control and is batting a career-best .294 with an .842 OPS . Defense isn't his strength, but the bat has played this season. That could be appealing to a team that doesn't have the outfield depth the Twins seem rich with.
Trevor Larnach is 1 of only 5 players hitting at least .290 with a 135 wRC+ or higher!
Quietly having an awesome season for Minnesota 💪 pic.twitter.com/HET6eMGQLV— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) July 22, 2026
That same organizational depth gives Minnesota several possible secondary trade pieces. The Twins promoted Kyler Fedko earlier this summer, but he went hitless in 16 at-bats. He has mashed at Triple-A, though, and could interest another team. Former first-round pick Aaron Sabato hasn't made his MLB debut, but he owns a .934 OPS at Triple-A this season. With multiple first-base and designated-hitter options ahead of him, his path to Minnesota remains crowded.
It wouldn't be surprising to see Ben Ross or Kala'i Rosario come up in trade talks either. Both are lower in the prospect pecking order and could make sense as secondary pieces. A package built around Wallner or another surplus hitter could be enough to land some of the pitching help the Twins need for the stretch run.
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