MLB offseason: 4 trades that could still happen before Opening Day

1. Luis Castillo joins the Twins

Okay, okay; I’ll admit it. This one is pretty much pure speculation, but stick with me.

The Twins need to make some sort of big move to keep up with the rival Chicago White Sox in the AL Central. Re-signing Nelson Cruz isn’t going to cut it long-term, and the ChiSox have upgraded their rotation significantly in the last two offseasons. So, what’re the Twins to do?

Minnesota can offer a lot for Luis Castillo should they choose — and it’ll like to take just that. If word were to get out that the Twins were making such promises to Cincinnati, the market would speed up to match, as opposing pitching-needy teams such as the Blue Jays and perhaps even the Yankees would jump at the chance to bring in this prized 28-year-old righty.

The Twins likely want to keep their top-two prospects, outfielder Alex Kiriloff and shortstop Royce Lewis, out of this. So, an offer centered around Trevor Larnach makes sense. Castillo is under contract through the 2023 season, and is arbitration-eligible after this year, so the trade will need to include some significant talent in the Twins system.

But, Minnesota’s rotation as currently constructed isn’t good enough to repeat as AL Central champs. Please don’t come after me, Twins fans, but you could use some more talent other than Kenta Maeda, Jose Berrios and Co.

J.A. Happ was a nice add, but Castillo would set Minnesota up for division contention for years to come.

It’s a stretch, but it’s not impossible.