Minnesota Twins: Eduardo Escobar’s top trade destinations
The Minnesota Twins have thrown in the white flag on the 2018 season, in spite of their recent win streak. What could be the market for their top trade target?
The Minnesota Twins entering the seller market certainly added a significant depth of players into the market. As we explored recently, the Twins impending free agent list alone is a big grouping of quality trade targets, but none will likely draw as much interest as infielder Eduardo Escobar.
Eduardo Escobar was originally signed by the Chicago White Sox out of Venezuela in 2006. He worked his way to the major leagues for a cup of coffee in 2011 before playing 36 games with the White Sox in 2012 before being the key part of the Francisco Liriano trade between the White Sox and Minnesota Twins.
Escobar has hit well and provided a bit of offense along with defensive flexibility. Then, in 2017, something changed. Escobar worked with the new Twins hitting coach, James Rowson, and the results have been incredible. Since the start of the 2017 season, he has hit .263/.318/.481 with 35 home runs over 853 plate appearances.
The big thing for his value is that over the last two seasons, Escobar has played at least 10 games at second base, third base, shortstop, and designated hitter. He has also put in games at left field and even catcher over the past two years. He’s also adept defensively at all of those defensive positions, whether it’s at least league average or above-average.
Escobar hits free agency after this season, which makes him a very attractive piece for the Minnesota Twins to move right now, especially after they just got their starting shortstop, Jorge Polanco, back from an 80-game suspension due to PEDs, allowing Escobar to play more third base and roam defensively around the infield for them, at least until they’re ready to give Miguel Sano another shot at 3B.
So who would be the teams that would be the best fits for Escobar? Let’s take a quick look…
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