3 quality trade deadline targets the Twins should chase

Ray’s stock has been all over the place, as he went from a promising young left-hander to a Cy Young candidate in 2017, perfectly average pitcher in 2018, and a disappointment in 2019. While Ray’s ERA crept up to 4.34 and he surrendered 30 home runs, his strikeout rate remained elite, and his mind-bending stuff could be an ideal trade-deadline acquisition for a Twins rotation that is far from set in stone at this point.

The Twins are led by the always exciting Jose Berrios at the very top of the rotation, but this rotation is full of older wildcards like Kenta Maeda, Rich Hill, and Homer Bailey. Inexperienced young guns like Devin Smeltzer and Randy Dobnak, as proven last year, aren’t very intimidating in the eyes of the rest of the American League elite. Prospects like Trevor Larnach and Jordan Balazovic might seem like a steep price to pay, but adding another solid starter to a patchwork rotation could be the difference between a playoff series victory and elimination. If Ray returns to his All-Star form, Minnesota might finally be taken seriously as a contender.