Twins GM Ryan works the phones ahead of trade deadline
With the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline a week out, the Minnesota Twins are ready to sell, but they're not offering crazy prices. If contenders are interested in the services of Francisco Liriano, Denard Span or Justin Morneau, they'll need to make a good offer.
Yes, the Twins are a season-worst 18 games under .500 with a rotation that is taking on water, but one Minnesota official didn't apologize for that stance, saying, "We have no interest in selling good players low."
General manager Terry Ryan was busy haggling Thursday, and the Twins have had a scout in Atlanta this week to watch the Braves, Marlins and Phillies. Scouts from Toronto, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, among other teams, were on hand to watch the Twins get swept in Chicago. That included a rough outing for Liriano, but it was his first in more than a month, and he appears to be the one lock to be traded before next Thursday's deadline.
Just about every contender is looking for a starting pitcher, and the Twins have interest from multiple teams. Even after giving up seven earned runs in 2 2/3 innings in a loss to the White Sox, Liriano has a 3.68 ERA in his past 11 starts, and he will become an unrestricted free agent at season's end.
Some teams also have expressed interest in Josh Willingham, who ranks among the top 10 of most AL power categories, but the Twins aren't eager to part with a player who leads the team with 25 homers and 72 RBI and is under contract for two more seasons at a very reasonable $7 million annually.
The Twins appear to be after pitching prospects, and Ryan has a strong track record of plucking them from Class A, players such as Joe Mays and Kyle Loesch among them.
"You can get a marginal Triple-A guy that might be able to be here next year; are you going to be satisfied if you passed on a high-ceiling guy? I wouldn't be," he said.
