The Twins were reportedly in on outfield help and Minnesota got just that on February 26. The Minnesota Twins reportedly acquired outfielder Manuel Margot from the Dodgers via trade, just weeks before the start of the 2024 regular season.
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A Look at Margot
Manuel Margot has moved around this winter. Margot began the offseason with the Rays but went to LA in the Tyler Glasnow trade. Now, he’s headed back to the American League.
Margot is a glove-first defender with good speed and range in the outfield. He can play all three outfield positions, a plus for a Twins team. However, his bat never fully developed as hoped, given the pedigree he had a decade ago as a top prospect.
The 29-year-old doesn’t strike out a lot, or walk much. Margot has a career OPS of .694 and ISO of .130.
Margot wasn’t the only piece Minnesota received. The Twins also reportedly acquired infield prospect Rayne Doncon from the Dodgers, per ESPN.
Doncan only has a .719 career OPS in the Minors but the 20-year-old is an intriguing prospect. The new Twins prospect has a good power stroke, which has allowed him to crack double digits in home runs in each of the last two seasons, including in 2023 in Low-A ball.
In return, the Dodgers received infielder Noah Miller. Miller was the 36th pick by the Twins in the 2021 MLB Draft out of high school in Wisconsin.
Miller, rated the 62nd-best prospect in that class per MLB.com, was lauded for “his advanced approach” at the plate despite coming from a cold-weather state but that hasn’t translated to success at the MiLB level.
The 21-year-old posted a career OPS of .644 in his first three pro seasons.
Analysis
For the Dodgers, the move not only clears some of the $10MM, as cash is part of this deal, owed to Margot for 2024 and the $2MM mutual option buyout for 2025 but also opens up a spot for Enrique Hernandez. Hernandez is reportedly close to rejoining the Dodgers in 2024.
And, Los Angeles also acquires a toolsy infielder who’s shown some speed and has a prospect pedigree.
As for the Twins, the deal is less about the prospect — even though Doncon has shown more pop than Miller — and more about adding outfield depth. The Twins lost center fielder Michael A. Taylor, who showed power and played very good defense in center, after a 21-home run campaign in 2023
While Minnesota does have plenty of corner outfielders like Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach, Max Kepler, and Alex Kirilloff, having another viable defender who can play center well is critical given the injury troubles that have plagued Byron Buxton.