The Minnesota Twins agreed to acquire outfielder Manuel Margot in a three-player trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday.
The Twins will receive minor league shortstop Rayne Doncon and cash and send minor league shortstop Noah Miller to the Dodgers in the deal for Margot, an experienced right-handed hitter who will provide extra depth.
The 29-year-old Margot just joined the Dodgers two months ago with starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow in a trade with Tampa Bay. Margot hit .264 with a .686 OPS in 99 games for the Rays last season while playing center field and right field. He has also played left field.
Margot made his major league debut with San Diego in 2016 and was the primary center fielder for the Padres from 2017-19, before being traded to the Rays. In 788 major league games, Margot has batted .255 with a .694 OPS, 52 home runs and 91 stolen bases.
Mitch Keller gets signing bonus of just over $2M as part of his $77M, 5-year deal with Pirates.
Margot has a $10 million salary this season as part of $19 million, two-year contract he signed with the Rays, a deal that includes a $12 million mutual option for 2025 with a $2 million buyout. If the buyout is not exercised, the Rays must pay the Dodgers an additional $2 million as part of the Glasnow trade.
Margot will essentially replace Michael A. Taylor, who became a free agent after hitting a career-high 21 homers and playing 126 games in center field last season while star Byron Buxton was limited to designated hitter duty due to knee trouble. Buxton is healthy again and on track to be the regular center fielder, with Matt Wallner in left field and Max Kepler in right field, but multi-position player Willi Castro was the only other sure bet for the opening day roster with reliable outfield experience.
"I feel good. It's great to be healthy, I will say that," Buxton told WCCO's Jason DeRusha during spring training last week. "When I sit back and realize how healthy I am now compared to the last two years, it's a dramatic difference."
The 20-year-old Doncon played last season for Class A Rancho Cucamonga. He was signed out of the Dominican Republic.
Miller was the 36th overall pick by the Twins in the 2021 draft. The 21-year-old finished last season with Class A Cedar Rapids.
To make room for Margot on the 40-man roster, the Twins have placed right-handed pitcher Josh Winder on the 60-day Injured List with a scapular stress fracture.
The trade comes as a report has been circulating about the MLB Players’ Association are considering filing a complaint against the Minnesota Twins due to comments the team's Executive Chair, Joe Pohlad, said on WCCO Radio last week.
The union claims those comments violated a "reservation of rights clause with the use of media in the collective bargaining agreement.”
Twins President Dave St. Peter, speaking to Vineeta Sawkar on the WCCO Morning News, said the team is just moving forward.
"I'm not concerned about any of that, I think that's just a lot of bluster," said St. Peter. "We're just getting ready for the season. That's where our focus is."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.