The MLB trade deadline may be nearly two months away, but unique circumstances could push teams to be active earlier, rather than later.

The Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles present a tantalizing potential trade match. Flush with offensive talent in its farm system, Baltimore could use a front-line arm to stabilize its rotation. Minnesota is deep with majors-caliber pitchers and could bolster its offense or restock its farm system.

Both teams were expected to be in contention this season, and disappointing starts could leave each looking to make an early splash.

Jim Bowden, a former GM and writer for The Athletic, recently wrote about five potential trades he’d like to see this month. In the piece, he floated a package featuring left-handed pitcher Cade Povich, corner infielder Coby Mayo, and righty pitching prospect Michael Forret to the Twins for starter Joe Ryan. However, the Twins may covet different pieces, targeting higher-upside talent or more immediate impact.

Joe Ryan’s All-Star Potential

Ryan has delivered ace-like numbers through early May, with Twins Daily naming him the team’s top pitcher for the month. Over seven starts, Ryan is 2–2 with a 2.93 ERA, 47 strikeouts in 40 innings, and a 0.90 WHIP. His four-seamer and sweeper have combined to hold opponents to sub-.200 batting averages, and he has a career-best 3.2 BB%. Ryan is under club control through 2027, a critical component for an Orioles squad that was supposed to be in the middle of a winning window. Given Baltimore’s offseason departure of Corbin Burnes and setbacks to former top prospect Grayson Rodríguez, Ryan represents a plug-and-play rotation upgrade.

Baltimore’s Young Hitting Wealth

The Orioles boast one of the game’s most exciting hitting pipelines:

Coby Mayo (3B/1B): Baltimore’s No. 2 prospect, Mayo is a corner infielder who has already gotten some big-league experience. Entering the 2025 season, he had a .921 OPS during his minor-league career. He currently ranks as the 11th overall in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100, and had batted balls at 106.5 and 109.3 mph Thursday against the Twins—although he went just 1-for-4.

Samuel Basallo (C/1B): MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 Orioles farmhand, Basallo turned 20 last year and hit 19 homers and 25 doubles en route to an appearance in the Futures Game. There are defensive questions, but his cannon of an arm might help him stick at catcher. MLB Pipeline ranks him as baseball’s 10th-best prospect.

Enrique Bradfield Jr. (OF): A 2023 first-rounder, Bradfield’s game-changing speed (74 steals in 108 games last season) and strong contact skills make him a future everyday center fielder. He isn’t going to hit for a lot of power, so he must find other ways to get on base. Bradfield’s skillset is intriguing, so he could be tough to pry away from the Orioles.

Beyond these headliners, the system houses tools-driven outfielders like Vance Honeycutt and Dylan Beavers, plus righty arms in Chayce McDermott, Forret, and Nestor German. Together, these players form a deep, diverse pool of tradable assets.

Twins’ Rotation and Prospect Depth

Minnesota already fields a capable rotation, with Pablo López and Bailey Ober at the top. Their farm system seems to have started churning out arms, with players like David Festa, Simeon Woods Richardson, and Zebby Matthews already impacting the big-league rotation. Other arms, like Marco Raya, Andrew Morris, and Connor Prielipp, are close to the big leagues. With such depth, the Twins could afford to part with Ryan if they receive blue-chip hitting talent in return.

Bowden’s Povich-Mayo-Forret Proposal

Jim Bowden’s Athletic column suggested a package of:

Cade Povich (LHP): A former Twins draftee who has pitched the last two seasons in Baltimore’s rotation. Over the last two seasons, he has posted a 5.31 ERA with a 1.47 WHIP while being worth -0.8 WAR. The Twins pounced on him for five earned runs in six frames during his start earlier this week, but he retired the side in order in every inning except the one in which they scored all of those tallies.

Coby Mayo (1B/3B): The power corner-infielder is the team’s second-best prospect. From Minnesota’s perspective, he is intriguing because of his offensive potential and proximity to the big leagues. The Twins have struggled to develop hitting talent in recent years, and Mayo could be one piece that will help the team over the next decade.

Michael Forret (RHP): MLB Pipeline ranks him as Baltimore’s eighth-best prospect, but he started this year at High-A. The Twins may like his potential upside, which could be one reason to target him. However, he likely wouldn’t impact the big league roster until 2027.

While this haul addresses Ryan’s departure, Povich’s middling upside makes it challenging for the Twins to want him included in a deal. The club likely prefers its internal options over Povich, so let’s see what other trade options are available in Baltimore’s system.

A More Enticing Alternative: Basallo as the Headliner

Instead, the Twins should insist on Basallo as the cornerstone, because his combination of 70-grade power, advanced receiving skills, and athleticism would fill multiple needs. With Christian Vázquez on an expiring deal, Basallo could impact the team’s roster as soon as 2026. The Orioles also have Adley Rutschman as the team’s long-term catching option, so they may be willing to part with Basallo, who would remain under team control deep into the next decade.

This would have to be a straight-up deal, and even then, the Birds might balk, but it would be the best path to a win-win outcome. Baltimore leaves with a bona fide ace. Minnesota flips Ryan for a cornerstone catcher of the future.

Baltimore’s plethora of hitting prospects matches perfectly with Minnesota’s pitching stockpile. While Bowden’s initial framework offers a solid starting point, the Twins should leverage their negotiating power to extract higher-ceiling talent in exchange for Ryan. Starting pitching comes at a premium, and MLB trades have played out that way in recent years. Both sides could craft a blockbuster at this stage that reshapes each franchise’s fortunes well beyond July’s trade deadline.