The Minnesota Twins had a huge year in 2019 but watched it fall apart in an American League Divisional Series sweep to the New York Yankees. While their chase for starting pitching had been traced back to June, Minnesota never answered the need and went into the 2020 offseason looking for a starter to solidify its rotation.
That story led to the Twins being involved in one of the most stunning deals in MLB history. Mookie Betts was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Feb. 2020 and while the Dodgers got a centerpiece for two World Series titles, the Twins received a couple of pieces in return and played as a third wheel in a deal that shifted the course of baseball.
Minnesota Twins were originally involved in Mookie Betts trade before deal fell through
The Twins' path to the deal began the previous summer. The “Bomba Squad” set an MLB record with 307 home runs and won 101 games en route to the American League Central title but needed some starting pitching to bring it together. Instead, Minnesota acquired relievers Sergio Romo and Sam Dyson at the deadline and watched its staff meltdown as the Yankees extended a postseason losing streak that would eventually reach 18 games.
Despite the loss, the Twins felt like they were a piece or two away from contending for a championship. Minnesota signed Josh Donaldson to a four-year, $92 million deal that was the largest free-agent contract in franchise history at the time but starting pitching remained a need as the team whiffed on signing Zack Wheeler earlier in the offseason.
Meanwhile, Betts’s drama was unfolding with the Red Sox. Boston was looking to avoid the luxury tax ahead of the 2020 season and Betts was entering the final year of team control without an agreement on an extension which led to talks on a deal with the Dodgers.
With both teams looking to balance things out, the Twins were at the right place at the right time working out a three-team deal that sent Betts to Los Angeles along with starter David Price. The Red Sox would have received top Dodgers prospect Alex Verdugo and top Twins prospect Brusdar Graterol in the deal with Kenta Maeda coming over from the Dodgers to Minnesota.
The deal was one step away from being completed before the Red Sox had questions about Graterol’s injury history which included Tommy John surgery and a shoulder impingement that forced him to the bullpen in 2019. To take on the risk, Boston requested that the Twins include another top prospect in the trade but Minnesota balked, requiring the Red Sox and Dodgers to work out a deal for Betts and the Twins to create a deal with the Dodgers for Maeda.
Los Angeles added catcher Connor Wong and infielder Jeter Downs to the trade to officially make Betts a Dodger. But the Twins sent Graderol, outfielder Luke Raley and the 67th selection in the 2020 MLB Draft to Los Angeles to acquire Maeda, catching prospect Jair Camargo and cash considerations.
Minnesota Twins return in Mookie Betts trade could have been better with a full 2020 season
Baseball fans know how the Betts trade turned out for the Red Sox and Dodgers. Betts continued his push to stardom and helped Los Angeles win World Series titles in 2020 and 2024 while the Red Sox have been trying to find a star to replace Betts. Verdugo spent four seasons with the Red Sox before being traded to the Yankees before the 2024 season and Wong broke out for Boston, hitting .280/.333/.425 with 13 home runs and 52 RBI last season.
But this is a Twins site and you’re probably wondering what Minnesota got out of this deal.
Maeda was fantastic in his first season with the Twins, going 6-1 with a 2.70 ERA and led the majors with a 0.75 WHIP. He also posted a career-high 8-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio while finishing second in the American League Cy Young Award voting but he only made 11 starts due to the shortened schedule.
The Twins were swept by the Houston Astros in the ALDS and Maeda never reached the same level. He went 6-5 with a 4.66 ERA in 2021 and missed the 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Maeda returned to post a 6-8 record with a 4.23 ERA in 2023 but it was his final season with Minnesota, signing with the Detroit Tigers the following winter.
Camargo has become an intriguing prospect in the minor leagues but his path to the majors seems blocked as the Twins have stockpiled catchers including former Dodgers prospect Diego Cartaya this offseason. While Camargo could still carve out a full-time role in the majors, the Twins could have gotten a bigger investment if it weren’t for the pandemic.
There’s no guarantee that a full season of Maeda would have led to a World Series appearance or even ending a postseason losing streak that would become the longest in the history of major North American sports. But while the Dodgers are clear winners, the Twins got something in return and were part of a deal that had a massive impact.