Twins pull off trade with Diamondbacks to help open up a roster spot
Minnesota is more active now than it was all offseason, but at least moves are being made.
We're still a few months away from the MLB Trade Deadline, but the Minnesota Twins have already been pretty active on that front.
Nothing major has gone down, but the Twins front office has been far more active after the season started than it was during a painfully quiet offseason. Minnesota pulled off a trio of trades in April and have kept that streak going in May.
The team was off on Thursday but that didn't stop them from getting in on some trade action, flipping reliever Matt Bowman to the Arizona Diamondbacks. It's a deal that ties a bow around a roster move Minnesota made earlier in the week when it designated Bowman for assignment.
Twins trade Matt Bowman to Diamondbacks after DFA'ing him
Rather than lose Bowman for nothing, the Twins ended up trading him to the Diamondbacks for cash considerations. It's not the sexiest trade in the world, but it nets Minnesota some profit and helps open up a roster spot that is still yet to be determined how it will be used.
The Twins traded reliever Matt Bowman, who was designated for assignment Tuesday, to the Diamondbacks for cash.
— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) May 3, 2024
Bowman was DFA'd to make room for Jhoan Duran's return to the bullpen, but moving him helps keep a roster spot open thanks to other moving pieces. The Twins optioned Kody Funderburk back to St. Paul and selected the contract of Caleb Boushley, who had a cup of coffee with the team before being sent to St. Paul.
All of those moving pieces help open up a roster spot that the Twins will likely use to active Justin Topa from the IL. There’s also the Byron Buxton element at play, as a trip to the IL would likely mean Austin Martin gets called back up but that wouldn’t fill this roster spot. It would be an addition spot created by Buxton hitting the IL, meaning Minnesota is looking at two players to bring up.
Roster flexibility is the main benefit from trading Bowman, as the cash is a nice bonus. He was already going to be off the 40-man roster regardless, but the Twins getting something back for him is a nice kicker.
Funderburk getting optioned was a surprise, but it was probably going to happen eventually. Duran and Topa both have spots earmarked in the bullpen, and someone was going to lose their seat. Bowman getting traded adjacently helps massage the situation, while allowing for Funderburk to rejoin the team at some point in the future.
It also creates another potential move down the road, as Boushley's 40-man roster spot isn't guarunteed. Moving Bowman opened up that spot, which likely hasn't been permenantly filled and is another quiet benefit of this deal.
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