3 ripple effects Manuel Margot trade will have on Twins
Trading for Manuel Margot has an impact in a few different corners of the clubhouse.
While it appeared the Minnesota Twins were done making offseason moves, the front office had one more trick up its sleeve.
On Monday the Twins traded prospect Noah Miller to the Los Angeles Dodgers for veteran outfielder Manuel Margot and a third base prospect. Margot checks a few different boxes the team was looking to take care of before Opening Day, not the least of which is being a right-handed hitting option to come off the bench.
It's not the splashiest move in the world, and it was a trade quickly overshadowed by the corresponding move the Dodgers made to sign Kiké Hernández as Margot's replacement. He's a useful acquisition, though, one that has an impact beyond just what he might do in the field.
Twins have Byron Buxton insurance in centerfield
Aside from needing to replace starting pitching losses, the biggest need for the Minnesota Twins this winter was figuring out the situation in centerfield.
Byron Buxton didn't play a single inning in the field last year, although all signs point toward him being fully healthy to start the season. Thankfully the Twins had Michael A. Taylor to fill in for Buxton last year, as he unexpectedly became Minnesota's everyday centerfielder, but that safety net wasn't present for most of the winter.
We all knew the Twins needed someone to play behind Buxton and act as insurance in the event he once again misses significant time due to injury. Even if he remains healthy, the wear-and-tear of a full season isn't worth the risk and the Twins needed someone to take the load off Buxton when he requires some time off.
Margot is expected to provide that support.
Since 2020 he's ranked third in outs above average among all qualified outfielders, which rivals the elite defense that Taylor provided in Buxton's absence. His bat is more of a question than most would like, but Taylor wasn't providing much power and there's upside with Margot who is a career .281/.341/.420 hitter against left-handed pitching for a .761 OPS.
Minnesota has learned the hard way that Buxton's health is no guarantee, and team has finally found some much-needed insurance depth -- and peace of mind -- behind him.
Austin Martin's path to the 26-man roster isn't so clear anymore
It once looked like he was almost certain to be in the mix for an Opening Day roster spot, but after the trade for Manuel Margot things are a little more complicated. Martin's somewhat clear path to the 26-man roster is a little murkier now, and it could be that we have to wait to see his debut until later in the season.
Martin projected to be depth behind Byron Buxton in centerfield, with the ability to platoon at shortstop behind Carlos Correa and Kyle Farmer. There's still value in that, but it now seemingly comes down to whether he's the odd-man-out or if that's Willi Castro.
Castro's ability to provide depth on the corners of the outfield might give him an edge over Martin, but it could also work out that neither player begins the year in the majors. With Margot coming over, he'll need not only a spot on the MLB roster but he's going to take someone's 40-man roster spot as well. Neither Castros nor Martin are in danger of getting removed, but Margot's arrival clogs up the big league pipeline a bit.
There's still a chance that Martin is in the mix for an Opening Day roster spot but Margot plugs a lot of the same gaps. Martin's not far off from getting called up, but instead of being on the roster when the Twins head to Kansas City at the end of March he might come up in a similar way that Edouard Julien did last season where an injury to opens up a spot for him to fill.
Adam Duvall, Michael A. Taylor, and Tommy Pham aren't coming to Minnesota
Trading for Manuel Margot is the culmination of the Twins search for right-handed hitting outfield help, but he's not the guy anyone thought would be the answer to that question. In the weeks leading up to the trade, players like Adam Duvall and Tommy Pham were mentioned repeatedly as potential targets, as was former Twins outfielder Michael A. Taylor.
None of those guys will likely be suiting up for Minnesota next season.
An argument could still be made for Duvall or Pham considering they play the corners, but it's still pretty unlikely given the role Margot will play and the cost of bringing him in. Minnesota traded for a $10 million player, but is getting cash back from the Los Angeles Dodgers to help make the deal work, so the team will only be on the hook for $4 million.
That's still an expensive insurance policy to take out on Buxton, and a rather surprising one for a franchise as frugal as the Twins. We're just a week removed from Joe Pohlad saying so definitively that the team won't spend that he might have violated the CBA. Bringing in Margot feels like the last big move of the winter for Minnesota rather than the first in a series of moves that reshape the outfield.
Another part of this puzzle is how everything fits together on the roster. Margot needs a 40-man roster spot, an beyond that will take someone's spot on the Opening Day roster. Minnesota already needs to figure out ways to create space for Austin Martin and potentially Brooks Lee, so adding another outfielder who would require yet another roster spot doesn't seem like something the Twins will entertain.
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