The Minnesota Twins made a trade late on Christmas Eve when they sent reliever Jovani Moran to the Boston Red Sox for utilityman Mickey Gasper. The move didn’t get the fan base eager to run to Target Field but The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman believes it could play a bigger role than expected for the 2025 season – especially when it comes to the future of Christian Vázquez.
Gleeman wrote in his latest notebook that the Twins' front office targeted Gasper thanks to his performance at the plate. While his defense is questionable, his versatility could play a role in helping the 29-year-old earn a roster spot during Spring Training and lead to a trade of one of its priciest veterans in the coming weeks.
Mickey Gasper’s offensive ability caught the attention of the Minnesota Twins
Gleeman traced the groundwork trade back to the Rule 5 draft at the MLB Winter Meetings last month. While Moran was unprotected and considered by other teams during that draft, he went unselected as he would have had to remain on an MLB roster or injured list for a full year to stay with the organization.
With Moran in the final stage of recovery from Tommy John surgery in Nov. 2023, the Twins could have kept the 27-year-old, allowed him to rehab on a minor league contract and elevated him to the 40-man roster when he was ready. But despite having just two left-handed relievers (Kody Funderburk, Brent Headrick) on their 40-man roster, the Twins made the move to acquire Gasper.
Gasper has just 18 major league at-bats since being selected in the 27th round by the New York Yankees in the 2018 draft but has hit well with a .275/.392/.449 batter’s line with 48 homers and 207 RBI in 1,321 minor league plate appearances. He also has had recent success, hitting .367/.471/.592 with eight homers and 36 RBI in 48 games at Triple-A Worcester last season.
There are some deficiencies when it comes to power but Gasper could play at catcher if he can improve defensively. That might be the real challenge as Gleeman cited a few scouts while saying his defense could use improvement but may be necessary considering the Twins’ payroll situation.
Mickey Gasper’s arrival could lead to the Minnesota Twins trading Christian Vázquez
Some will look at Gasper’s experience at first base and see him as a fit. But while Jose Miranda and Edouard Julien are an underwhelming tandem at first base, it’s more likely Gasper sticks at catcher, turning attention to Vázquez.
While Vázquez has played in 195 games over the past two seasons, he’s hit just .222/.265/.322 while logging -0.5 wins above replacement. With a salary of $10 million, the Twins would like to trade Vázquez even if it’s a net loss but it could leave Minnesota without a backup.
In a perfect world, Gasper’s bat will translate to be serviceable enough to play behind Jeffers, who played in a career-high 122 games last season. While the Twins also have Jair Camargo at Triple-A St. Paul, the 25-year-old could use some extra development time after hitting .212/.290/.403 with 12 homers and 51 RBI in 74 games with the Saints last season.
If Camargo rebounds, Gasper could move to a utility role on the left side of the infield when he’s ready to be called up. If not, Gasper could serve as a bench option on a team that tied with the Red Sox for the most pinch-hitting at-bats (159) last season but hit .189/.271/.277 in those situations.
It should lead to Gasper having a role from the moment he arrives at Spring Training and a potential Opening Day roster spot in 2025.