Minnesota executed a trade on January 2, trading away Minor League reliever Kade Bragg for ex-Marlins infielder Eric Wagaman. Wagaman becomes the second primary first baseman added to the Twins’ roster this winter, weeks after Minnesota signed Josh Bell.

Twins acquire Wagaman

The Twins acquired Eric Wagaman from the Marlins. Minnesota sent left-handed reliever Kade Bragg to Miami as part of the deal. Bragg was assigned to Double-A Pensacola.

The 28-year-old Wagaman, a longtime Yankees farmhand, got regular playing time in the Majors for the first time in his career this past season. However, over 514 plate appearances, he slashed .250/.296/.378 (.674 OPS).

However, Wagaman hit better against left-handed pitchers, as opposed to right-handed pitchers. Wagaman slashed .283/.321/.462 (.783 OPS) against lefties, and .231/.282/.330 (.612 OPS).

That is worth noting, given that the Twins have several left-handed hitters who can slot in either as a DH or first baseman, including Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner, and Kody Clemens.

His Chase% (25.8%) and average bat speed (73.4 MPH) ranked above the league median in 2025. Wagaman has a relatively short swing and posted a sub-20% K% with the Marlins.

Miami designated Wagaman for assignment after the team traded for Esteury Ruiz just before the calendar change to 2026.

Bragg, a 17th-round pick by the Twins in 2023, struck out 82 batters and walked 31 over 67.1 IP between three levels in 2025. The left-hander started the year in Low-A and worked his way to Double-A by year’s end.

For Bragg, it was primarily a three-pitch mix. Bragg used a 92-94 MPH fastball with ride (18.0” IVB mean in Low-A), a mid-80s changeup, and a low-80s slurve/slider.

His 36.1% Whiff% in the Midwest League ranked 12th-best in the circuit this past season (min. 200 induced swings).

Other moves

Twins infielder Ryan Fitzgerald was designated for assignment as a corresponding move for Wagaman.

The Astros designated reliever Kaleb Ort for assignment. It was a corresponding move to accommodate the newly-signed pitcher Tatsuya Imai, who officially became an Astro on January 2.

Ort posted a 4.89 ERA and struck out 49 over 46 innings.

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