The Minnesota Twins made a surprising move acquiring former top catching prospect Diego Cartaya from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday morning.
The trade, which sends minor league pitcher Jose Vasquez back to the Dodgers, helps the Minnesota Twins bolster their catching depth as they acquire a player who was ranked 14th on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospect list before the 2023 season.
Minnesota Twins trade for Diego Cartaya is a bet on talent
Cartaya signed as an international free agent with the Dodgers in 2018 and quickly became one of baseball’s top prospects. The Venezuelan made his debut on Baseball America’s top 100 prospect list by ranking 97th in 2020 and broke onto MLB Pipeline’s top prospect list at No. 28 ahead of the 2022 season.
That year was big for Cartaya as he hit .254/.389/.503 with 22 home runs and 72 RBI between Low-A Rancho Cucamonga and High-A Great Lakes but his bat lagged as he reached Double-A Tulsa, hitting .189/.278/.379 with 19 homers and 57 RBI in 2023.
Cartaya performed better in a second season with Tulsa, hitting .236/.354/.379 with five homers and 27 RBI across 46 games but once again struggled after he was promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City, hitting .208/.293/.350 with six homers and 25 RBI.
But while his bat hasn’t come around, his defense has improved according to MLB.com’s midseason report.
“Handling one of the best pitching staffs in the Minors, he made progress with his receiving, framing and blocking and he should become a solid or better defender. He features at least plus arm strength, though he needs to improve his accuracy and he earns praise for his game-planning, leadership skills and overall makeup.”
Diego Cartaya gives the Minnesota Twins options at catcher
Cartaya has one minor league option remaining and will likely start the season at Triple-A St. Paul. While his bat needs to progress to make his major league debut next season, his arrival gives the Twins options moving forward even if they decide to trade Christian Vázquez.
Ryan Jeffers will open 2025 as the Twins’ primary catcher but Minnesota also acquired Mickey Gasper in a trade with the Boston Red Sox on Christmas Eve. Jair Camargo also remains in the system and will team with Cartaya in St. Paul.
As Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic notes, the Twins now have five catchers on the 40-man roster heading into next season.