The first major domino of the Twins offseason fell Monday and the team’s longest-tenured shortstop, Jorge Polanco, was traded to the Seattle Mariners in a five-player deal.
The Twins received two right-handers as rookies for their big league club. Anthony Desclafani and sedation Justin TopaAnd two minor league, outfielder Gabriel Gonzalez And Peter Darren BowenA replacement for Polanco, a switch second baseman who has been a regular fixture in the Twins infield since 2016. The crew also sent money to the twins, the teams announced.
“Adding a starter, a reliever and a couple of prospects was a deal we couldn’t pass up,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said.
The Twins picked up a $10.5 million club option on Polanco’s contract in November, but he was one of the club’s top trade candidates because of their outfield depth. Polanco spent time at third base to accommodate Edouard Julien in the second half of last season. Brooks Lee, the top infielder in the organization, reached Class AAA last year.
Polanco, the 2019 All-Star, was an above-average player in his 10 seasons with the Twins. Limited to 80 games last season due to a hamstring strain, Polanco hit .255 with 14 homers and 48 RBI.
In the year He signed with the Twins in 2009, one day after his 16th birthday. All he has done since then is become an integral part of the organization. He made his MLB debut at 20, the youngest since Joe Mauer. In the year He hit for the cycle on April 5, 2019 and received MVP votes against the Bombers that season.
“As we speak [Polanco] I told Falvey earlier, ‘Listen, in a lot of ways you’re always going to be a Twin and you don’t know how this world is going to turn around in baseball.’ How we treat him as a player, but more for who he is as a person.
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In the year There was an 80-game suspension for using a performance-enhancing substance in 2018, but Polanco turned that into a career footnote. In the year In 2021, he had 33 homers and 98 RBI, franchise records for a switch hitter, and five walks.
Mariners general manager Justin Holland said his front office identified Polanco early in the offseason as a “perfect fit” for their roster. Trade talks took place last weekend after the Twins requested a major league hit.
“There’s been a lot of interest in polo, probably on the level of expectations for a good chunk of the finals,” Falvey said. “I’m very consistent in our view of that, which is that we’re trying to find a way to add to ’24 and keep an eye on the future.”
Desclafani, 33, will compete for a spot in the Twins’ starting rotation. If all starters stay healthy in the spring, it could push Louie Varland to Class AAA or the bullpen to start the season.
Desclafani, in the final year of a three-year, $36 million contract, missed the final two months of last season with a sprained right elbow. He finished 4-8 with a 4.88 ERA in 18 starts for the San Francisco Giants, totaling 79 strikeouts and 20 walks in 99⅔ innings.
Falvey talked about how good he felt, going into spring training and getting himself back on the map where he wants to be a starter.
Topa, a 32-year-old outfielder, had his best year in the majors last season, posting a 2.61 ERA in 69 innings out of the Mariners bullpen with 61 strikeouts, 18 walks and four homers. He recorded three hits, pitching primarily in the seventh and eighth innings.
“We feel he has a chance to line up with the guys at the back of the game hoping to give him the ball. [Jhoan] Duran,” Falvi said.
Gonzalez, a 20-year-old outfielder who reached Class A-Advanced last year, was ranked the No. 5 prospect in the Mariners organization by Baseball America. Falvey hopes he can be part of the next wave of Twins outfields alongside top 100 prospects Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez.
Bowen, a 13th-round pick in 2022, had a 3.88 ERA in Class A last season and was ranked as the Mariners’ No. 25 prospect.
The money the Twins received in the deal, Falvey said, gives them more flexibility in free agency when looking to add a hitter.