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9 trade targets for the Colorado Rockies from the Minnesota Twins

By Noah Yingling

SEATTLE - JUNE 16: Taylor Rogers #55 of the Minnesota Twins pitches during the game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on June 16, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. The Twins defeated the Mariners 7-2. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
SEATTLE - JUNE 16: Taylor Rogers #55 of the Minnesota Twins pitches during the game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on June 16, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. The Twins defeated the Mariners 7-2. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
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Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, Max Kepler
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 21: Max Kepler #26 of the Minnesota Twins in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 21, 2021 in New York City. The Yankees defeated the Twins 7-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler could also provide the Colorado Rockies with a good defensive outfielder

Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler hasn’t quite lived up to his hype as a prospect (MLB.com’s #44 overall prospect entering 2016) but he could still be a good player for the Colorado Rockies.

Kepler, who turns 29 in Feburary, has shown that he can have a good power bat but hasn’t been completely healthy in most seasons. He has only appeared in 135 or more games in a season twice in his five full seasons in the majors that he could have (2020 is the obvious exclusion).

In 2021, he played in 121 games and hit 19 homers and had 54 RBI with a slash line of .211/.306/.413, which was equivalent to an OPS+ of 98. He still had a 2.1 rWAR season because of his defense. He was much better in right field (97 games) than center field (22 games) as he had 9 DRS in right and -5 in center field but that defensive ability could play well in Coors Field. In 2018, he also had 15 DRS between right and center so he has had some really good defensive seasons.

Offensively, his best season came in 2019, where he even got MVP votes. In 134 games, he hit 36 homers and had 90 RBI with a slash line of .252/.336/.519 and an OPS+ of 123.

Contractually, he is owed $6.75 million in 2022, $8.5 million in 2023, and then his contract wraps up with a $10 million team option that could go higher with incentives.

So if he could stay healthy, he could be a good power bat for the Rockies but he still is a good defender.

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