The Long-Term Ramifications of the Jake Cave Trade

[Cody Christie]

The Yankees had a 40-man roster crunch back in 2018, so the Twins traded a teenage pitcher for Jake Cave. Since that move, there have been long-term ripple effects for multiple teams.

Image courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Trades can have long-term ramifications for organizations beyond the players initially acquired in them. One such Twins trade was discussed on a recent episode of Gleeman and the Geek. Entering the 2018 season, the Yankees had too many MLB-caliber players on their 40-man roster and were looking to make a deal before the season began. The Twins were among multiple teams interested in acquiring Jake Cave.

To complete the deal, Minnesota sent Luis Gil, a 19-year-old pitcher in the rookie leagues who had struggled with arm injuries. He was far from the big leagues, and the Twins liked what Cave could offer the team as a backup outfielder. Let’s examine the ramifications for the two players involved in the deal, and another decision tied to Cave’s time with the Twins. 

Jake Cave Ramifications
Cave played a part-time role in parts of five seasons with the Twins. He hit .235/.297/.411, with a 93 OPS+ in over 1,000 plate appearances. In his first two seasons, he averaged a 112 OPS+ with double-digit doubles and home runs. As a left-handed batter, he’s been used mostly in a platoon role throughout his big-league career, and his OPS is 168 points higher versus right-handed pitching than against southpaws. He played all three outfield positions with the Twins. He generally looked stretched in center field, but he showed some strong skills in the corners. 

Cave has continued to find big-league opportunities, even after leaving the Twins. Last season, he played 65 games for the Phillies and was on their roster for the NLCS. He’s currently a member of the Rockies, and has a 67 OPS+ in 38 games. Minnesota’s front office correctly identified Cave as a big-league-caliber fourth outfield option for multiple seasons. 

Luis Gil Ramifications
Injuries have marred Gil’s professional career, but he is off to a tremendous start with the Yankees this season. In May 2022, he underwent Tommy John surgery, and he finally returned to the minor leagues at the end of last season. New York is desperate for pitching this season after losing Gerrit Cole until at least June. Gil cracked the roster as the number-five starter and may well be on his way to making the AL All-Star team. 

In 10 starts, he has posted a 2.11 ERA, with a 1.01 WHIP and 31.7 K%. He leads all of baseball with a 4.4 H/9, and his Baseball Savant page is lit up with more red than the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. Gil has only pitched over 100 innings in one professional season, so he will likely be on an innings limit this season. A lot can go wrong with pitcher development from the DSL to the MLB level, and Gil had already dealt with a significant injury, so the Twins can’t be faulted for trading him.

LaMonte Wade Jr. Ramifications
Wade Jr. isn’t directly related to the Cave trade, but the team had a decision to make in 2021 tied to both players. Minnesota had too many outfielders on their roster, and traded Wade for reliever Shaun Anderson. The Twins didn’t stick with Anderson for long, as he allowed nine earned runs in 8 2/3 innings before being claimed off waivers by the Rangers in June. Cave and Wade could have served a similar role for the 2021 Twins, but it seems like the Twins made the wrong choice. 

Wade has posted a 119 OPS+ In over 370 games with the Giants. Over the last two seasons, he has been getting even better at the plate and in the field. In 51 games this season, he has a league-leading .472 OBP, mainly thanks to the best walk rate in the league. He’s also found a defensive home at first base, where he has an OAA and a Fielding Run Value in the 86th percentile. Wade has been one of the NL’s best players this season, and that’s tough for Twins fans to watch.

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Which player is a more significant loss for the Twins, Gil or Wade Jr.? Will Gil have an innings limit this season? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[Oldgoat_MN]

Yes, this trade aged poorly.

Still, Gil pitched 33 MLB innings prior to this year, his age 26 season.

The Yankees traded Cave for a lottery ticket. This lottery ticket paid off (eventually). A lucky trade for the Yankees. 

[Parfigliano]

LaMont Wade pulled a hammy yesterday.  Out 4-6 weeks.

[Rod Carews Birthday]

There was a lot of luck involved in this trade for the Yankees.  Gil wasn't highly touted at the time, and has since had TJ surgery.  I'm certain that no one, not even the Yankees predicted he was likely to become a major league starter.  Also, caution. . . there are plenty of pitchers who have come up as rookies and been good, but who never really develop well enough to have a good career.  That said, I would gladly take him off of their hands now.

To answer the original question, Gil was the bigger loss, because starting pitching is always the most valuable thing out there.  Wade would have been a nice (and better) alternative than Cave at the time when Wade was traded away, but based on the hindsight of the time, it was quite a bit less than obvious who should go between Cave and Wade. 

[RpR]

Jake -Charlie Hustle- Cave sadly was never a great fielder and with each year, his bat, which was pretty darn good year one, went away little by little.

I still loved watch him hustle down he base path even if it on a sure out.

[Doctor Gast]

Twins loved Cave's bat but what the Twins needed was a glove to sub Buxton. The Twins made up their mind that Cave was going to be their CF backup. Wade was a better CFer but was never really given the chance yet he didn't stick in the OF after leaving MN. We suffered many years with Cave's many innings backing up the injured Buxton. We lost Gil & Wade's OBP & better fielding. Here again is an example of Twins blinded by a bat & losing out because of it.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

I'm surrounded by Yankee fans and I'm constantly reminded of the Gil for Cave swap.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

You win some, you lose some. Pretty sure Duran was considered a lottery ticket when the Twins acquired him as part of the Escobar trade.

[Jocko87]

1 hour ago, RpR said:

Jake -Charlie Hustle- Cave sadly was never a great fielder and with each year, his bat, which was pretty darn good year one, went away little by little.

I still loved watch him hustle down he base path even if it on a sure out.

Jake Cave was always the king of holy crap that went a long ways.  He would hit a ball and I'd think "oh that has a chance to get out"  and it would be 453ft or something.  When he hit a ball it stayed hit.

This is a good example of where Aaron has to get out of his own way.  He hasn't quite realized that he is in a position to project his own neurosis on the fanbase.  Nobody cares the Yankees got a pitcher from the Twins that actually has had a few good games in the MLBs.  Except Aaron and a few other MSP sports scribes that is.  Let your fanbase grow up and join the big boys.  The big boy towns aren't worried the least bit about who got away, just cause that one time Big Papi.

It's perfectly encapsulated in this tweet.  Nobody knows Gil was a Twin without Aaron dredging it up and now we get an article.  Just let it go, man.  Like in what circumstances would I care?

[Shaitan]

Team is winning again, so we have to find something to complain about via time machine, eh?

Besides, the Twins coaching staff obviously would have ruined both players.

/s

[jorgenswest]

2 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Twins loved Cave's bat but what the Twins needed was a glove to sub Buxton. The Twins made up their mind that Cave was going to be their CF backup. Wade was a better CFer but was never really given the chance yet he didn't stick in the OF after leaving MN. We suffered many years with Cave's many innings backing up the injured Buxton. We lost Gil & Wade's OBP & better fielding. Here again is an example of Twins blinded by a bat & losing out because of it.

Wade is not a good outfielder even on a corner. He started two games in centerfield for the Giants. Both were in early April of his first season with the team. He did not finish either game in CF. The Giants have played him less in the outfield and more at first base to the point where he has only 5 starts in the outfield this year.

I think Cave was kept because of his defense.

[nicksaviking]

I'm not going to hammer them for trading after thought prospects for a guy who looked like he might pay off, but their evaluations of their internal players seems off.

It's really weird, this front office just seems to have no faith in their own fringy prospects even though the fringy ones seem to pay off almost as often as the top prospects do. I mean, this really is no different than going with Margot and Vazquez over Keirsey and Camargo. No idea what is happening but if I had to guess, it would be that they spend too much time looking at the warts and not enough time looking at the ceiling.

[Linus]

It was a great trade in that I got to enjoy Jake diving for balls in the outfield and landing a solid six feet short of the ball 😂

[bean5302]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

I'm not going to hammer them for trading after thought prospects for a guy who looked like he might pay off, but their evaluations of their internal players seems off.

It's really weird, this front office just seems to have no faith in their own fringy prospects even though the fringy ones seem to pay off almost as often as the top prospects do. I mean, this really is no different than going with Margot and Vazquez over Keirsey and Camargo. No idea what is happening but if I had to guess, it would be that they spend too much time looking at the warts and not enough time looking at the ceiling.

It felt to me like Falvey couldn't care less about the Smith/Ryan draftee's who hadn't yet established themselves as top prospects. He was pretty quick to ditch them.

[mikelink45]

I am not upset by either trade, but who would we like to have?  Both.

[Reptevia]

The Twins never would have given Wade enough AB’s to develop like he has elsewhere. 

[h2oface]

9 hours ago, Twins_Fan_in_NJ said:

You win some, you lose some. Pretty sure Duran was considered a lottery ticket when the Twins acquired him as part of the Escobar trade.

Unfortunately, way more loses. For a group the was touted as great pitching developers and identifiers, they have made mostly gaffs. Great at trading for pitchers that will be injured soon, already were injured, or just became horrible. Win some lose some? Sure, but you pay them to win, not win some lose some. You and I could do that.

https://www.si.com/fannation/bringmethesports/twins/have-the-twins-won-more-trades-than-theyve-lost-under-derek-falvey-and-thad-levine

[h2oface]

8 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

I'm not going to hammer them for trading after thought prospects for a guy who looked like he might pay off, but their evaluations of their internal players seems off.

It's really weird, this front office just seems to have no faith in their own fringy prospects even though the fringy ones seem to pay off almost as often as the top prospects do. I mean, this really is no different than going with Margot and Vazquez over Keirsey and Camargo. No idea what is happening but if I had to guess, it would be that they spend too much time looking at the warts and not enough time looking at the ceiling.

If you are already in the system, you seem to get dissed. But they will trade for someone so bad with the hope and conviction that they can fix them. If we put together a team of cast offs still playing for other teams, I bet we could have a better team. Developers? Not so much. And then we do develop a hitter like Arraez, and just trade him.

[Fatbat]

Its a butterfly effect. No one can say that either Gil or Wade would have developed in the twins system as they have elsewhere. Nothing has really been lost but a few too many games over the years….

[Seth Stohs]

Without any sort of research, I would venture to guess that Jake Cave's career with the Twins organization is better than like 90% of players acquired for a lottery ticket from the DSL. 

The LaMonte Wade for Shaun Anderson trade was a FAR worse trade. 

[Seth Stohs]

3 hours ago, Reptevia said:

The Twins never would have given Wade enough AB’s to develop like he has elsewhere. 

I don't think that's true. His ability to play all three outfield positions, plus play 1B, plus be an on-base machine that would have been fun to team with Luis Arraez at the top of the order. The Twins have had injuries to all three outfield positions and 1B since that time. 

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

9 hours ago, h2oface said:

Unfortunately, way more loses. For a group the was touted as great pitching developers and identifiers, they have made mostly gaffs. Great at trading for pitchers that will be injured soon, already were injured, or just became horrible. Win some lose some? Sure, but you pay them to win, not win some lose some. You and I could do that.

https://www.si.com/fannation/bringmethesports/twins/have-the-twins-won-more-trades-than-theyve-lost-under-derek-falvey-and-thad-levine

That is a disheartening (and accurate) article.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

18 hours ago, Jocko87 said:

 Let your fanbase grow up and join the big boys.  The big boy towns aren't worried the least bit about who got away, just cause that one time Big Papi.

 

"Big Boy Towns" aren't worried? I have 3 words for that: "Boston - Babe Ruth"

[LambchoP]

The fact that a lot of Falvey and Levine recent trades have blown up in our faces, shouldn't discourage them from ever trying again. Just stop taking on injured pitchers! Mahle, Dyson, Disco, Topa....nothing you can do about a guy that GETS hurt while playing for us, but guys that end up hurt before throwing a single inning for us? Are we not doing thorough physicals?!

[nicksaviking]

12 hours ago, h2oface said:

If you are already in the system, you seem to get dissed. But they will trade for someone so bad with the hope and conviction that they can fix them. If we put together a team of cast offs still playing for other teams, I bet we could have a better team. Developers? Not so much. And then we do develop a hitter like Arraez, and just trade him.

Yeah, there's possibly some 'the grass is always greener on the other side' syndrome here. The FO is not alone though, I see a lot of demand for specific free agents from the fans and a lot of it seems to be adoration without a close inspection.

[Oldgoat_MN]

On 5/29/2024 at 2:48 PM, jorgenswest said:

Wade is not a good outfielder even on a corner. He started two games in centerfield for the Giants. Both were in early April of his first season with the team. He did not finish either game in CF. The Giants have played him less in the outfield and more at first base to the point where he has only 5 starts in the outfield this year.

I think Cave was kept because of his defense.

This. Four of Cave's last 5 games he has been put in the game as a defensive replacement. That suggests he's still a better defensive option than some who are starting the games.