The Twins and Tigers made an intradivision trade on July 28, as Minnesota sent Chris Paddack to Detroit. It’s a three-player deal, as the Twins will send the rest of Randy Dobnak’s contract to Detroit. Minnesota, meanwhile, gets Minor League catcher Enrique Jimenez.

The Tigers’ Return

• SP Chris Paddack (4.95 ERA, 83 K over 111 IP)
• SP/RP Randy Dobnak (1.69 ERA, 1 K over 5.1 IP (MLB))

Chris Paddack looked like a potential ace six years ago, a year that saw him strike out 153 over 140.2 IP with the Padres. However, after two uneven seasons with the Padres in 2020-21, San Diego traded him and Emilio Pagan to Minnesota in exchange for Taylor Rogers and then-Minor Leaguer Brent Rooker.

Since then, Paddack’s dealt with a myriad of injuries: elbow inflammation, Tommy John surgery, arm fatigue, and a forearm strain. His 111 innings pitched this season are his most since the 2021 campaign with the Padres.

Paddack’s results have been fine, yet not spectacular. While his 4.95 ERA is high, much of that can be attributed to recent struggles. Between April & May, Paddack pitched fine, as he posted respectable numbers (2.67 ERA, 3.53 FIP), along with 38 strikeouts over 54 innings.

The 29-year-old relies heavily on his four-seamer and changeup, while mixing in a slider and curveball. Paddack doesn’t generate a lot of swings-and-misses — but he does get chases and fly balls.

His fastball has carrying action upward, while that changeup works very well down, thanks to velocity differential (nearly a 10 MPH difference), along with sinking, running action.

Primarily a four-pitch pitcher throughout his career, Paddack introduced a cutter and two-seamer into his arsenal.

Paddack is a free agent at the end of the 2025 season.

Additionally, the Tigers are acquiring Randy Dobnak, per ESPN. Dobnak was once a highly-touted pitcher for the Twins, so much so that Minnesota locked him up to a five-year, $9.25MM deal at the start of the decade as part of a pre-arbitration extension, plus three club options.

However, he struggled with the home run ball — 11 over 50 innings — in the 2021 season and has been largely buried in the Minors since then. He’s only pitched in six MLB games since the start of the 2022 campaign. Dobnak threw 5.1 MLB innings of relief earlier in the season in mop-up duty early on in the year.

That contract runs through the end of the 2025 season.

The Twins’ Return

• C/1B Enrique Jimenez (.250/.339/.440, 6 HR & 18 XBH over 48 GP (FCL))

The lone piece going to Minnesota is 19-year-old Enrique Jimenez, who’s repeating the FCL for the second straight season.

Jimenez was a bonus baby just two years ago, as the switch-hitting catcher — ranked the 32nd-best international prospect by MLB.com — was given a $1.25MM bonus out of Venezuela. Reports indicated that he had raw power at the time of signing, and that’s started to show up on the stat sheet.

Last year, Jimenez batted .242 with three home runs and a .366 OBP for the FCL Tigers.

Analysis

Detroit didn’t need an ace at the deadline but rather depth. As of this writing, the Tigers’ rotation included Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, Jack Flaherty, and Reese Olson, along with rookie Troy Melton. Keider Montero was recently demoted to Triple-A. However, Olson, diagnosed with a shoulder strain, is done for 2025.

Paddack offers himself as an upgrade to Montero & Melton, given his experience & stuff. More importantly, a replacement for Olson. Not to mention, the Tigers didn’t have to break the bank to upgrade the back-half of their rotation.

The Twins, meanwhile, get a raw yet projectable piece with Enrique Jimenez. At 19 years of age and in the FCL, there’s significant bust risk with a player like him. However, with a high ceiling, it can be worth it, especially when taking into account the improved power output.

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