Baseball’s trade deadline is approaching, and it’s not just major leaguers wondering about where they might be playing next weekend.
After excelling at times with the Twins over the past three seasons, long stints with the Class AAA Saints this summer have a couple of former top prospects acknowledging that it isn’t just the Twins brass they’re trying to impress.
“At this point, I’m not just playing for the Twins,” infielder Edouard Julien said before a Saints double-header at CHS Field on Thursday. “I’m playing for everybody.”
Still, Julien added, he’s not thinking much about being part of a trade before Thursday’s 5 p.m. cut-off because, he said, “I don’t think about any of that stuff because that’s out of my control.”
Not so for Jose Miranda, who appeared to be a shoo-in for a corner infield position after the 2024 season, when he set a club record — and tied the MLB record — by hitting safely in 12 straight at-bats last July.
The deadline for MLB teams to add players through trades is Thursday at 5 pm. CDT.
“It does cross my mind,” Miranda said. “Because, you know, there are certain moments in different players’ careers when a trade or something could make a change for you, provide a different scenario, or something like that.”
If anyone needs a different scenario, of any sort, it’s Miranda. The first and third baseman just isn’t hitting, for the first time in his career. After setting the Twins’ record for consecutive at-bats hit safely last July, Miranda was hitting .326 with nine home runs and 43 runs batted in over 72 games.
After that, Miranda hit .219 with no home runs and six RBIs in 49 games for the Twins. Before Saturday night’s game against Worcester in St. Paul, he was hitting .195 with 14 extra-base hits in 58 games with the Saints.
“I’m always optimistic, always trusting my game, trusting myself,” Miranda said before a double-header against Worcester on Thursday. “It’s been a really weird year for me, you know?”
Second baseman Edouard Julien takes a swing during a St. Paul Saints game this season at CHS Field. He broke camp with the Twins but was sent back to St. Paul after 29 games. Hitting .395 with three home runs in his past 11 games, Julien is hoping to convince the Twins he’s ready for another chance. (Rob Thompson / St. Paul Saints)
The Twins move toward Thursday’s deadline insisting a playoff spot remains in play for them, and technically it does. Fourth in the American League Central Division before Saturday night’s game against Washington at Target Center, they’re only four games out of the second AL wild card spot — but behind five other teams.
Still, it seems unlikely the Twins would balk at trading some impending free agents — at the right price — before Thursday, let alone add players for a run. Asked Friday if there might be openings for veterans at St. Paul next month, manager Rocco Baldelli said that kind of speculation is for the people who cover the team, not the ones who run it.
“I’m really focused on playing good baseball in this stretch of games, getting the most out of our players in these games — that’s what I’m thinking about and hoping to talk about, as well,” he said.
Both Julien, 26, and Miranda, 27, broke camp with the Twins in March. Miranda played 12 games before being sent to St. Paul with a .219 batting average; Julien played 29 before being sent to St. Paul with a .198 average — but he has found his swing with the Saints.
On Friday, Julien went 3 for 4 with a single, double and home run, his fifth multi-hit game in his past 11, to raise his average to .265 with 18 extra-base hits, 51 walks, 30 runs scored and 30 RBIs in 55 games.
Minnesota Twins’ Jose Miranda acknowledges the crowd after hitting a fly out to end his streak of 12 consecutive at-bats with a hit during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Saturday, July 6, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
“Of course, I would have liked to be up there a little longer and show that I can hit, and in the past two months, I feel like I’ve felt good here,” Julien said. “Of course, there’s ups and downs. But at the moment I feel great. I feel like I can hit anything. I’m much better on offspeed, and I know I can hit the fastball. So, I’ve taken my walks and I feel like I’m capable of being in the big leagues on any team and able to hit and help a team win.
“But that’s not in my control, and the only thing I can do is hit here, right?”
Neither Julien nor Miranda has even started arbitration, so they remain under team control through the rest of the decade. And because they’ve had success in the majors — Julien had a terrific rookie season and hit .364 in the division series against Houston — they’re still valuable pieces for the Twins.
Maybe too valuable to spend as an extra piece in a trade.
But with Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee consistently manning third and second base, respectively — and Luke Keaschall getting his first callup after they were sent down — Julien and Miranda are keenly aware of where they stand in the pecking order.
As Julien put it, the Twins “kind of have their own guys up there, and at the moment I’m not part of them.”
“You go through the tough times and the tough stretches, especially last year in the big leagues, the times when it was harder,” Julien added. “And you know, with the Twins it feels like the leash is not as long, for any player. It’s mostly what you’ve done lately — and that’s for everybody in the big leagues.
“They’re trying to win, so if you’re not performing, they’re going to get someone else up there and give them the chance. That’s the right way to do it; I just wish I could have another chance.”
Related Articles
Saints win second road series of season at Louisville
Storm Chasers overcome Saints on the road
Saints matchup with Norfolk postponed, setting record for rainouts in season
Saints roll over Bisons at CHS Field
Saints rained out, give up on double-header
Leave a Reply