The Twins are staring at a familiar kind of winter, and Luke Keaschall may be right in the middle of it.
Minnesota is still battling for a postseason spot, but the bigger picture is impossible to ignore: this is a young club that still needs pitching, and the easiest way to get it may not be through free agency. The price on the open market has climbed so high that a trade could be the more realistic route. If that happens, Keaschall could shift from being viewed as part of the future to becoming the kind of trade chip that changes that future.
That idea won’t sit well with a lot of fans. Keaschall has already been folded into the team’s long-term plans. But the Twins have walked this road before, most notably with Luis Arraez, whose departure brought back Pablo López in a deal that was widely criticized at the time.
Arraez looked like a foundational piece after debuting in 2019. In his first season, he hit .334/.399/.439 with four homers, 28 RBI and two stolen bases.
Over four years in Minnesota, he posted a .314/.374/.410 line with 14 homers, 132 RBI and eight stolen bases in 389 games. The bat was never the question.
The glove was.
He was an average defender overall, but second base was always a problem. Arraez opened his career with minus-9 defensive runs saved, improved to plus-one in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, broke even in 20201 and finished 2022 at plus-3 in DRS. Even then, the Twins kept moving him around, giving him time at first base, third base and some outfield.
Once the batting title came and the price tag kept rising, Minnesota made the move. Arraez went to the Miami Marlins for López, and the trade eventually played out well for the Twins.
López delivered a 31-22 record with a 3.68 ERA over three seasons and 78 starts in Minnesota. Arraez, meanwhile, has won two more batting titles since the deal and could be on his way to another, entering Monday with a .315 average to lead the National League.
Keaschall is not Arraez, but the Twins could still be looking for the same kind of outcome: using a bat with limitations to land a premium arm.
There are obvious differences. Keaschall hasn’t won a batting title.
He also isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2031 season. That kind of long runway should matter, but it also echoes the kind of thinking Minnesota showed when it traded Louis Varland to the Toronto Blue Jays for left-handed starter Kendry Rojas and left-handed outfielder Alan Roden at last year’s deadline.
The problem with Keaschall is the fit. He started this season as the Twins’ second baseman, but the defense pushed him into the outfield after he posted minus-5 DRS over 636.1 innings at second.
The switch didn’t solve much; he logged minus-11 DRS in 343.1 innings as an outfielder. He also committed an MLB-high eight errors at second base, which makes a return there hard to justify.
The infield pipeline only adds to that pressure. Kaelen Culpepper, the 2024 first-round pick, and Marek Houston, the 2025 first-round pick, are both on the way.
If Royce Lewis is traded this offseason, the Twins could try Keaschall at designated hitter or first base, but his .395 career slugging percentage doesn’t really support either spot. He may simply be a player without a position, even if there’s still room for him to improve after turning 24 last weekend.
That makes him a logical candidate to headline a deal for a young, controllable pitcher.
The bat still has value. Keaschall played in only 49 games because of a broken forearm, but he hit .302/.382/.445 with four homers, 28 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 2025 when he was healthy.
Across 116 games, he’s at .266/.362/.372 with seven homers, 36 RBI and 14 steals. Since July 1, he’s been even better, putting up a .321/.439/.514 line with five homers, 12 RBI and two stolen bases in 35 games.
Minnesota would rather make this work in-house. But the roster squeeze is real. Emmanuel Rodriguez is out of minor league options next season, Walker Jenkins is on the way, and the Twins may have to clear space that could put Keaschall and perhaps another outfielder, including Trevor Larnach, on the trade block.
The pitching need only sharpens the issue. Joe Ryan is heading into his final year of team control and will likely come up in trade discussions.
López is in a similar spot, though he is working back from Tommy John surgery. Mick Abel’s elbow injury also appears headed for surgery, and while Taj Bradley has broken out, the depth behind him is murky with Bailey Ober, Dean Kremer, Zebby Matthews and Rojas in the mix unless Andrew Morris is moved from the bullpen into the rotation.
Trading Keaschall would be unpopular. But if Minnesota brings back a starter who performs the way López did after the Arraez deal, the reaction could change fast.
That’s what makes the stretch run so interesting for Keaschall: he may not just be auditioning for the Twins’ future. He could be auditioning for somebody else’s.
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