The Minnesota Twins appear to be set to hold onto veteran corner outfielder Josh Willingham through the trade deadline. The 35-year-old veteran who in his 11 year career has played for the Florida Marlins, Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics, and the Twins, had been mentioned as a potential trade target for teams looking for some extra right-handed power in an outfielder. Although Willingham has only been batting .222 this year, he's posted a respectable enough .363 OBP and is in the final year of a three year contract. He was set to earn $7 million this year.
However, per a report in the St. Paul Pioneer Press from Mike Bernardino the Twins will hold onto Willingham through the deadline. There is still a slight chance that he could leave during the waiver period, but for the moment he's staying put.
Willingham has been mentioned as a potential trade target for both the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners. Both of these teams will now have to turn their eyes to other targets, potentially Marlon Byrd of the Phillies. As the Phillies sit at 47-61 and well out of the race for both the division and wild card race, it seems likely they could be set to strip their assets and look for prospects to build for the future.
Byrd doesn't seem the most desireable trade target. Willingham has only two months left on his deal, and would be little more than a rental for either team. Byrd has not just the rest of this year on his deal, but is due $8 million next season.