TAMPA, FLA. – Rocco Baldelli was in the dugout at George Steinbrenner Field when he heard the Twins completed a trade to acquire outfielder Manuel Margot from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday.
Twins acquire outfielder Manuel Margot in trade with Dodgers
Manuel Margot spent the past four seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays before being traded to the Dodgers this winter. He will provide the Twins with critical insurance behind center fielder Byron Buxton.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
February 27, 2024 at 1:23PM
In some ways, it felt like a long time coming. The Twins targeted Margot throughout the offseason. They had an opening on their roster for a righthanded-hitting outfielder. As a spring training game played out in front of Baldelli, the Twins moved closer to settling their Opening Day roster.
The Twins acquired Margot, minor league infielder Rayne Doncon and cash in exchange for minor league shortstop Noah Miller. To make room for Margot on the 40-man roster, the Twins placed pitcher Josh Winder on the 60-day injured list.
“We talked about rounding our team out with the right kinds of players,” Baldelli said. “He is that kind of player.”
Margot is owed $10 million this season with a $12 million club option for 2025 and a $2 million buyout. The Twins will receive $6 million to cover part of Margot’s salary, which includes $4 million the Tampa Bay Rays sent to the Dodgers in an earlier offseason trade involving Margot.
The Twins targeted Margot because he’s a good defender — perhaps better than good when he’s healthy — and he’s been an above-league-average hitter against lefthanded pitching in his career. He doesn’t hit for much power, but he has a low strikeout rate.
“He’s still running really well,” Baldelli said. “Normally at that age [29], some guys are really slowing down. He’s not. His foot speed is pretty close to what it’s been previously. He’s a really good athlete. It’s hard to add quality athletes to your major league roster. There are just not that many of them in the game to go choose from and go grab.”
Margot spent the past four seasons with the Rays before he was dealt to the Dodgers in an offseason trade that included Tyler Glasnow. He missed time in the past two years because of a knee injury in 2022 and surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow last August. He hit .264 with four homers, 21 doubles and 38 RBI in 99 games last year while posting a .310 on-base percentage.
He gives the Twins some insurance behind Byron Buxton, who is returning to center field for the first time since 2022, and he’ll likely see time in the corner outfield spots where the club features lefthanded hitters Matt Wallner and Max Kepler. The Twins had conversations with free agent Michael A. Taylor for a one-year deal, but they chose Margot to fill that void.
“We certainly have a need for a righthanded-hitting outfielder, and we like to have more than one option to go to,” Baldelli said. “I think Austin Martin is going to help us in different roles going forward. ... Adding Margot is something we’ve been looking at — you could call it a targeted move. I was incredibly excited to catch wind of it during the game.”
Derek Falvey, the Twins’ president of baseball operations, didn’t rule out further additions, but he said adding a righthanded-hitting outfielder was the primary focus for the past couple of weeks.
Miller was the No. 36 pick in the 2021 amateur draft. He was considered one of the best defensive shortstops in the minor leagues, but he’s struggled offensively since he was drafted. He hit .223 with eight homers, 20 doubles and 60 RBI in 120 games for Class A-Advanced Cedar Rapids last year.
Doncon, 20, hit .216 with 14 homers, 21 doubles and 52 RBI in 107 games at Class A last year, though he struck out in 103 of his 473 plate appearances. Doncon has experience at shortstop, third base and second base.
The eight Twins headed for arbitration are Royce Lewis, Joe Ryan, Jhoan Duran, Bailey Ober, Ryan Jeffers, Willi Castro, Griffin Jax and Trevor Larnach.
