TRADE: Twins Send Jorge Polanco to Mariners in Five-Player Deal

[Matthew Trueblood]

The Twins and Mariners got together on a miniature blockbuster Monday night--one that sends the longest-tenured Twin to a new home, while adding depth to the starting rotation and to the farm system.

Image courtesy of © Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

The deal is pretty significant, and it's one of those times when both sides dispensed with subtlety in favor of letting quantity show you the quality. Jorge Polanco will go to Seattle, in exchange for outfield prospect Gabriel Gonzalez, starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani, reliever Justin Topa, and low-level arm Darren Bowen. Jeff Passan broke the news on Twitter. 

Obviously, this is a monumental move for the Twins, not only in terms of their 2024 roster, but from a fan's perspective. Polanco has been the steadiest force on the team for the last decade, a clutch hitter and up-the-middle defender who has alternated between average and star-caliber but always been versatile and valuable. It's a bitter pill to bid him adieu, but one we've been preparing to swallow for months, even after the team exercised its $10.5-million option on him for 2024 back in November.

In exchange, they land multiple pieces, reflecting the substantial value remaining on a player they could still control through 2025--or rather, whom the Mariners can now control for that long. DeSclafani can be tentatively penciled in as the new fifth starter for the Twins, and Gonzalez will slot somewhere inside the top 10 on our top prospect countdown in the days and weeks ahead.

DeSclafani came to the Mariners in a trade with the Giants earlier this month, and is actually owed more than Polanco for 2024. That's probably why, as is now being reported, there will be cash going to the Twins in the deal, as well. Still, he's a nice addition, and one our Cody Schoenmann recognized as a potential target nearly three weeks ago. The Twins didn't slide Chris Paddack or even Bailey Ober down the depth chart with this move, but they've stabilized the back end of the rotation. 

For his part, Gonzalez is a slugging right-handed outfielder with too little speed for center field, but whom the Twins will hope to refine in terms of approach and turn into another in their recent litany of power hitters. Even if he pans out, he's probably a year and a half from helping in the big leagues, but he's right on the fringe of top-100 lists, so he's a nice get for Polanco. There's a lot of risk here. The approach is not pretty, and there are limitations on even projecting his frame, physically, given his stature. If there's one demographic in which the team needed a bit more minor-league depth, though, it's right-hitting outfielders, so count it as a serendipitous fit.

Topa has always carried some intrigue. He made a splash as a rookie with the Brewers (albeit in a minute sample) during the 2020 COVID season. Health has held him back, but he brings real funk and pretty good stuff, as evidenced by a 2.61 ERA in 69 innings for Seattle in 2023. He gets ground balls by the bushel, which could make him a neat mid-game weapon for Rocco Baldelli. 

Darren Bowen, 23, is in A-ball, and his age and level can tell you he's no top prospect. His fastball touches 95 but gets flat (in the bad way) and hit hard at times, but he's brought along a solid pairing of slider and changeup. It's possible the Twins will try to get him throwing either a cutter or a sinker in lieu of his four-seamer and start limiting hard contact, but he's a true throw-in for now.

There are many more details and ramifications to sort through here, but they'll belong to separate pieces. Suffice it to say, for now, that Polanco will be sorely missed, but that the team got considerable value in this trade. They might not be better, or have more absolute talent, in the immediate future, but they gained both better roster balance and some long-term upside. Much analysis of this move depends on what (if anything) comes next. In particular, we need to see how much (if at all) this deal reduces their payroll, and to what extent (if any) they'll now invest by going out and either signing or trading for more high-end talent, using any extra financial flexibility they gained here and their increased volume of young talent on hand.

What do you think of the deal? What do you hope to see next from Derek Falvey and company? Let's keep the conversation going in the comments.

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[Fat Calvin]

And here we go!

[stringer bell]

Well, we knew there would be some movement before the start of the season. Polanco is a solid professional and he'll help Seattle. I hope DeSclafani can give them a decent season. I know nothing about the minor leaguers, but this is about what I expected.

[Patzky]

What we clamored for is happening with a lump in the throat. Thanks 11 👍

[harmony55]

Ouch.

Jorge Polanco has a new fan.😁

[ashbury]

Wow!  Good luck to Jorge in Seattle.  He'll remain one of my favorite players.  Those intense eyes at the plate!

This amounts to the move I would have made.  Our FO said they wanted need-for-need, but that seems hard to pair up.  DeSclafani and Topa would have been a huge underpay for our guy.  Prospects are fungible.  You can trade prospects for need, as another step.  And Gabriel Gonzalez seems to be a good get.

Edit: big remaining question is the impact on the year's budget.  Giants sent some money to the Mariners when that trade was made earlier, so will some of that come here?

[howeda7]

Meh on the ML return at least. Given they're both arbitration eligible, you could have signed a couple FA's for similar $$ I imagine.

[Brandon]

I was afraid we would somehow end up with DeSclafani.  similar salaries.  I see Seattle threw in a reliever and a good OF prospect and a lotto ticket pitching prospect and I saw cash is involved too.  so the Twins are probably getting a little to offset the salaries of DeSclafani and Polanco.  The reliever was good for a full season for the first time at 32.  so lets hope we get a few more from him.  

[sorney]

Feels salary dumpy/roster clearing....depending on how you feel about DeScal.  However, I know next to nothing about the MiLB, so we shall see how it all pans out.  

[Dman]

Hate to make Seattle better with a really good bat, but I am guessing this is the best the Twins were going to do in a deal.  I think Seattle wins this trade on the short term end pretty easily. Polanco is a tough out and a playoff caliber bat.  I think the Mariners are going to enjoy having him in their lineup.  If he stays healthy he should be a force for them.  Things are looking up for Seattle.

Will have to take a longer look at what we got back to see how the Twins did but getting MLB help and adding prospects seems like a good move since they have a lot of young infield talent right now.  Going to miss Polo,

[stringer bell]

5 minutes ago, ashbury said:

Wow!  Good luck to Jorge in Seattle.  He'll remain one of my favorite players.  Those intense eyes at the plate!

This amounts to the move I would have made.  Our FO said they wanted need-for-need, but that seems hard to pair up.  DeSclafani would have been a huge overpay.  Prospects are fungible.  You can trade prospects for need, as another step.

Some salary freed up.  How will they use it?

No salary freed up--DeSclafani is making more than Polanco.

Cash returned might make save the Twins some $$$. Do we know how much money is involved?

[Mike Sixel]

1 minute ago, stringer bell said:

No salary freed up--DeSclafani is making more than Polanco.

Money is coming to Minnesota.

The prospects are interesting, if not highly ranked last year. I was hoping for more, frankly, maybe that was a mistake.

[stringer bell]

Topa has a nice season last year, but he's 33 in March. First year arb eligible. 

[ashbury]

4 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

No salary freed up--DeSclafani is making more than Polanco.

Oops. I thought the Giants were on the hook.

  Never mind about that, then.

[stringer bell]

I hope the Twins keep DeSclafani long enough that I can spell his name. That didn't happen with IKF. 

[rico7961]

2 minutes ago, Dman said:

getting MLB help and adding

Degrading the team for 2024-25 and acquiring NOTHING 

[Brandon]

Is DeSclafani any better then Varland?  I get that we now have more depth for our rotation and he is at worst Bundy if he has a bad year or he can be a solid #3 type starter and he could be either.

[PseudoSABR]

[wabene]

Damn man I'm going to miss Polo! DeScalfini for one year. It's hard to get excited about this guy. Louie is either on the farm or in the pen now. I'll miss ya Jorge

[weneedneshek]

Not a bad deal as long as Desclafani is not meant to be our answer for the rotation. If he's all that's added I'm going to be very pissed

[PseudoSABR]

Just now, PseudoSABR said:

Sounds like cash is going the other way.

 

[DocBauer]

Knee jerk reaction?

I don't like it. I can see Topa as a solid 6th inning guy for the pen. Gonzalez certainly seems/sounds like a very solid young RH bat for the OF in a couple of years. Solid numbers in his brief career so far! But DeSclafani hasn't been good since the Giants got him in 2021. He'll turn 34yo shortly after the season starts. Can he turn it back around at this stage in his career?

How about Polanco straight up for a better young arm and Seattle can keep everyone else and their $???? I would have liked that deal better. Or Polanco and a solid top 20 prospect for a slightly better arm than pitcher X in a 1 for 1 deal?

This only makes sense to me if Gonzalez is moved in a second deal, OR, helps replace someone else from the Twins system that is included in such a deal for a different, better arm.

Otherwise, we gave Polanco to them for a maybe #5 SP, a middle man for the pen, and a nice 20yo prospect who's got to be 2yrs away.

Nope...don't like this at all!

[KirbyDome89]

Yeah not sure I'm loving this....

Their best (likely to be moved) trade chip is now off the table, and they opted for quantity over quality? No cash savings (if we're to believe this team is hard capped and needed payroll relief to make additions,) and no shakeup of the rotational pecking order, i.e. Polanco wasn't packaged for an impact arm. Those were the two scenarios, barring some hyper rare one for one swap, where moving Polanco made sense to me, even if I didn't really like the idea. 

I don't think DeSclafani stabilizes anything. He wasn't good last year, and SF shut him down with elbow issues. Hopefully the Twins intend to shed his salary elsewhere a la the Garver, IKF, maneuvers a few years ago. 

[harmony55]

15 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Money is coming to Minnesota.

The prospects are interesting, if not highly ranked last year. I was hoping for more, frankly, maybe that was a mistake.

Gabriel Gonzales is currently the 79th-ranked prospect at MLB.com:

https://www.mlb.com/prospects

Anthony DeSclafani and Justin Topa are owed a combined $13.25 million this year.

[rico7961]

Just like the Berrios trade. 
What has that trade done for us?

[Squirrel]

4 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

I hope the Twins keep DeSclafani long enough that I can spell his name. That didn't happen with IKF. 

You didn’t need to learn to spell his name since he’s a nifty acronym. 

[PseudoSABR]

3 minutes ago, Brandon said:

Is DeSclafani any better then Varland?  I get that we now have more depth for our rotation and he is at worst Bundy if he has a bad year or he can be a solid #3 type starter and he could be either.

He allows Varland to move to the bullpen, where Varland showed out.  Basically, he's a placeholder/inning eater in the last year of his contract.  I wonder how many times he can be skipped in April.

[Squirrel]

4 minutes ago, wabene said:

Damn man I'm going to miss Polo! DeScalfini for one year. It's hard to get excited about this guy. Louie is either on the farm or in the pen now. I'll miss ya Jorge

Or DeScalfini finds a place in the pen?

[PseudoSABR]

2 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

Knee jerk reaction?

Gonzalez certainly seems/sounds like a very solid young RH bat for the OF in a couple of years. Solid numbers in his brief career so far!

You're vastly underselling a top 100 prospect.  I didn't think we'd get even that for Polanco, much less actual pitching help in 2024.  

[DocBauer]

5 minutes ago, Brandon said:

Is DeSclafani any better then Varland?  I get that we now have more depth for our rotation and he is at worst Bundy if he has a bad year or he can be a solid #3 type starter and he could be either.

DeSclafani was really good in 2021 when the Giants got him. Barely threw at all in 2022 and I don't recall the reasons why. He was only mediocre in 2023. I'd rather have the younger, cheaper, talented and projectible Varland personally.