CLOUD, Minn. — The Twins' offseason quiet was finally shattered Monday night with a blockbuster deal in which Minnesota traded Jorge Polanco, one of the franchise's longest-tenured players, to Seattle in exchange for four players.
Seattle will also send cash to Minnesota in the deal, which the Twins hope will allow them to seek additional help.
Trade details
MIN receives: RHP Anthony DeSclafani, RHP Justin Topa, OF Gabriel Gonzalez (No. 79 candidate in the pipeline), RHP Darren Bowen, cash considerations.
SEA receives: 2B Jorge Polanco
“There was a tremendous amount of interest in Polo, probably at an expectation level for a good portion of the offseason,” President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey said. “We've been pretty consistent in our views on that, that we're trying to find ways to make 24 years even better, and we're also looking to the future. This is a red line for us. It was the first deal where we had both in a way that felt like it transcended.”
The move is not surprising, as it has long been expected that the Twins could move Polanco or outfielder Max Kepler this offseason to address other needs on the major league roster. The Twins' infield is in good shape, with breakout rookie Edouard Julien ready to play second base and No. 2 prospect Brooks Lee expected to be ready for the majors at some point in 2024. There is.
The Twins' offense will undoubtedly take a hit with the departure of Polanco, who spent 10 seasons with the club and was one of the anchors at the top of the lineup with a .796 OPS starting in 2019, but cash considerations make that money The Twins need money to continue to strengthen their roster, and Falvey hinted that the Twins could shift reinforcements further toward the position player side and potentially acquire a right-handed bat. did.
“We continue to look at various ways to potentially further increase flexibility in our outfield depth,” Falvey said. “We have a very unique flexibility on our roster…We are not boxed in and only need one position. I think we’re going to be flexible and open-minded about what our additions to the outfield look like.”
The Twins also improved the top of their minor league system with the addition of Gonzalez, a 20-year-old bat-first outfielder who will reach High-A in 2023 and be drafted as the No. 4 option, according to MLB Pipeline. Behind him are only Walker Jenkins, Brooks Lee and Emmanuel Rodriguez. Bowen, a 22-year-old right-hander who pitched for Single-A Modesto in 2023, is also expected to be on the Twins' top 30 prospect list.
DeSclafani isn't the flashiest addition to the rotation. That's because the 33-year-old veteran posted a 4.88 ERA with the Giants last season and was limited to just 99 2/3 innings in 19 appearances (18 starts) due to a right elbow flexor. The tension ended his campaign. Still, given the lack of depth compared to the existing five players, he could be an important addition to the team, even as a back-end starter.
The Twins believe DeSclafani is healthy and believe they could move Louie Berland out of the starting rotation, perhaps initially in a bullpen role, as a needed addition for a long season.
“We like this guy's work,” Falvey said. “We think he has the ability to throw anywhere in our rotation, but we think he had a really great performance when we saw him just a few years ago. He's definitely a player.”
The Twins started the season in the minor leagues with Bailey Ober, who played in the major leagues last season, but was quickly called up due to injuries to Tyler Marr and Kenta Maeda and operated in the same way. Such depth in 2024 was initially unclear prior to this trade, with No. 9 candidate David Festa likely to be the next choice, but that remains unproven.
Topa would also be an important acquisition for the Twins' bullpen, which needed additional defense in the middle innings after the departure of Emilio Pagán to the Reds and Dylan Floro to the Nationals. Topa, a 32-year-old sidearmer, appeared in 75 games with the Mariners in 2023, posting a 2.61 ERA, excelling at off-barrels (97th percentile), and had an elite ground ball rate of 57.4% (94th percentile). .
In addition to the early acquisition of Josh Staumont, the Twins' pitching depth is in better shape than it was at the beginning of the offseason, but they still need to expect continued improvement from within the rotation.
