Potential Twins movement murky as MLB trade deadline nears

SAN DIEGO – If it's possible for trade speculation to have an epicenter, that rumor vortex was about 10 feet from the Twins' dugout Friday evening. Except it probably had little to do with the Twins.

Scott Boras, baseball's most visible and powerful agent, stood there for about an hour while a couple of his clients — Twins shortstop Carlos Correa and outfielder Alex Kirilloff — took batting practice, then chatted with each of them.

But Boras is also the agent for Nationals superstar outfielder Juan Soto, whom MLB Network's Jon Heyman reports is being aggressively sought by the Padres. It makes sense that Boras would meet with Padres principal owner Peter Seidler before a deal was consummated, given that Soto was reported to have recently turned down a 15-year, $440 million contract offer from Washington. His presence at Petco Park turned the Soto rumors into a social media firestorm.

The Twins' ambitions before Tuesday's 5 p.m. deadline are less soaring than the Padres', but that doesn't mean they are any less challenging in a market that includes more demand and less supply — at least for pitching help, the Twins' top priority — than normal. A behind-the-scenes "bidding war" appears to keep inflating the asking price for established pitchers, and there are more bidders than ever.

The Yankees' and Dodgers' interest in upgrading their pitching rotation, for instance, has made acquiring a top-end starter such as Cincinnati's Luis Castillo or Oakland's Frankie Montas more expensive — Castillo was acquired by Seattle for four players Friday night, including three of the Mariners' top prospects. Even second-tier options such as Angels righthander Noah Syndergaard and Reds righthander Tyler Mahle have several suitors, according to mlb.com.

And the crop of relievers being made available isn't a strength of the market, though aging closers like Daniel Bard of Colorado and David Robertson of the Cubs — both 37 years old — are drawing strong interest.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said he has been consulted about the team's ongoing trade talks, but downplayed the necessity of overhauling the pitching staff, even though the Twins' staff ERA had soared in July, including 6.80 by the starting rotation after Friday night's 10-1 loss to the Padres, when Joe Ryan gave up 10 earned runs in 4⅔ innings.

"We all have to do better jobs going forward and keep getting better as the season goes on. Maybe we do make some moves as the deadline comes, but we don't bank on those things," Baldelli said. "We don't look to those things as something we absolutely, vitally need. … If they don't come, I'm comfortable" with the current roster.