Twins sign former Braves/Brewers/Rockies shortstop Orlando Arcia to minor league deal
The Minnesota Twins and veteran shortstop Orlando Arcia have agreed to a minor league contract, according to MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo. The deal will likely include an invitation for Arcia to attend the Twins' MLB spring camp.
The Colorado Rockies signed Arcia to a big league contract after the shortstop was designated for assignment by the Atlanta Braves in May. In 214 plate appearances last season, he hit .202/.238/.291 (42 OPS+).
While Arcia, 31, has primarily been a shortstop during his 10-year MLB career, which started in 2016 with the Milwaukee Brewers, he played all four infield positions with the Rockies last season. If he has a strong spring training, he'll likely crack Minnesota's Opening Day roster as a utilityman.
Arcia, the younger brother of former Twins slugger Oswaldo Arcia, spent parts of six seasons with Milwaukee to begin his big league career, posting 2.1 bWAR and a .244/.293/.364 (72 OPS+) slash line with 42 homers and 180 RBI across 542 games in a Brewers uniform.
The Brewers traded Arcia to the Braves for pitchers Patrick Weigel and Chad Sobotka on April 6, 2021. Mainly serving in a bench role in 2021, Arcia earned a World Series ring as the Braves defeated the Houston Astros in the 2021 Fall Classic. After a strong 2022 season as a backup for the Braves, Arcia became Atlanta's primary shortstop in 2023 due to long-time Brave Dansby Swanson signing with the Chicago Cubs.
Arcia impressed in his first season as the Braves' starting shortstop, making the National League All-Star Team and posting 1.7 bWAR and a .264/.321/.420 (99 OPS+) slash line with 17 homers and 65 RBI. Notably, he hit .302/.402/.604 in 96 at-bats against lefties that year.
Arcia regressed after his breakout 2023 season, posting just 0.5 bWAR and a 73 OPS+ in 2024 before his disastrous 2025 season. The Twins certainly don't plan to start Arcia in the big leagues regularly, but using him as a backup who has the potential to hit southpaws at an elite rate and can play all four infield positions can be a valuable, especially since infielders Luke Keaschall, Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis have already suffered numerous serious injuries in their young careers.