With the baseball ramping up quickly now that the collective bargaining agreement between owners and players has been settled, the Minnesota Twins have jumped into the trade market and dealt one of their bigger names.
The team announced Saturday that they have acquired infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa and minor league right-handed pitcher Ronny Henriquez from the Texas Rangers in exchange for catcher Mitch Garver.
Kiner-Falefa batted .271 with eight home runs, and 53 RBI for the Rangers last season. He led Texas in games played, hits, triples, and stolen bases as the club’s primary shortstop and finished with career highs in several offensive categories.
The Honolulu, Hawaii native was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the fourth round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Mid-Pacific Institute High School in Honolulu.
Last year's shortstop, Andrelton Simmons, has signed a free agent deal with the Cubs, and the Twins seemed to like the production they got from Jorge Polanco at second base in 2021. This move makes sense, putting Kiner-Falefa in at shortstop while giving Nick Gordon more time to develop.
The Twins are desperately in need of pitching and have added Henriquez who is 16-13 with a 3.85 ERA all in the Texas minor league system. Scouting reports on Henriquez indicate he’s mostly suited for a late-inning relief role. The Twins need both bullpen help and starters.
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Garver was one of the Twins’ main catchers, and won a Silver Slugger Award in 2019 and ranks fourth in Twins history (1961-present) in home runs among catchers. He struggled with injuries in 2021, never quite returning to the hitting threat he was in 2019.
When healthy, Garver is clearly one of the best hitting catchers in the game.
This puts Ryan Jeffers in the spotlight to catch in 2022. The young, 24-year old got some time in 2021 but struggled hitting only .199 with a very high strikeout rate. But it’s clear for now, the Twins front office sees enough upside in Jeffers to move Garver.
Players are in the process of reporting to spring training this weekend, with the first spring games happening Thursday. The Twins will open at Boston in Fort Myers, a game you can hear on 830 WCCO or on the Audacy app.
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