Report: Twins among 8 teams hunting starting pitchers before deadline

Are the Twins among the "many" teams that are reportedly "urgently" seeking starting pitching help?

Jun 28, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon (50) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports | Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Twins are the only team in the American League with championship hopes that has yet to make a move ahead of Tuesday's 5 p.m. CT trade deadline. Will they pull the trigger on a trade for pitching help? According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Minnesota is one of "at least" eight teams that is on the hunt for starting pitching help.

Per Rosenthal, the Twins, Yankees, Orioles, Red Sox, Guardians, Mets, Dodgers and Padres are all scouring the market for starting pitching, with Rosenthal saying "many" of them are "urgently" seeking upgrades.

There aren't many starting pitchers that are big upgrades outside of Garrett Crochet, Jack Flaherty and Jameson Taillon. Rosenthal doesn't link the Twins to any of those three and it's previously been reported that the White Sox would prerfer to avoid trading Crochett within the division, which could mean slim pickings.

How likely are the Twins to make a move today? That's up for debate, but according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale they are not among the five most likely teams to make a trade.

The 5 Most Likely Teams to Make Acquisitions Today:
New York Yankees
San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers
Baltimore Orioles
New York Mets

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 30, 2024

The Twins boast three talented starters in Pablo Lopez, Bailey Ober and Joe Ryan, with rookies Simeon Woods Richardson and David Festa rounding out the current starting rotation. Woods Richardson had his worst outing in months in Minnesota's 15-2 loss to the Mets Monday and Festa, who is one of the best pitching prospects in the organization, only has three MLB starts to his name.

Rosenthal says other starters available are the Yankees Nester Cortes, Tampa Bay's Zack Littell, Miami's Trevor Rogers, the Angels' Tyler Anderson, Griffin Canning and Reid Detmers, and Colorado's Austin Gomber, Cal Quantrill and Ryan Fentner.

Not only is Minnesota's starting staff in need of a trustworthy arm for the stretch run, the Twins' bullpen is also in flux with the unexpected struggles of right-hander Brock Stewart since his return from the injured list. Stewart is supposed to be late-inning reliever who can be brought into games in tight spots but he's allowed eight runs on seven hits in three outings since being activated.

There is significant pressure on the Twins to make a move and they're running out of time to do improve the roster.