From Trade to Transformation: Inside the Twins’ Development Paths for Trade Deadline Additions

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, Saint Paul Saints (Photo of Kendry Rojas)

At this year’s trade deadline, the Minnesota Twins made a series of deals that reshaped both the big-league roster and the minor-league system. With Jhoan Duran, Harrison Bader, Danny Coulombe, Willi Castro, and Louis Varland shipped out, the organization received a wave of prospects who are already making their mark. But as Twins fans know well, talent acquisition is only step one. Development and adjustment are where organizations separate themselves.

On the most recent episode of Inside Twins, Director of Player Development Drew MacPhail pulled back the curtain on how the Twins are working to maximize these new pieces.

Eduardo Tait – The Headliner Catching Prospect
The biggest name coming over in the Duran deal with Philadelphia was Tait, a teenager who is already a consensus top-five catching prospect in baseball. Just 19 years old, Tait’s aggressive High-A assignment at Cedar Rapids has not slowed him down offensively.

MacPhail emphasized that the key for Tait isn’t reining him in, but sharpening his approach.

“I think with Tait, the next sort of step for his development is continuing to refine his approach. That doesn’t mean swinging less," he clarified. "It’s just sort of trying to hone in on what’s your approach, given how this pitcher is going to attack you and how his pitches move. And how are you going to try and be as aggressive as possible over the heart of the plate and leave the edges to the pitcher.”

It’s rare to see a catching prospect this young thrive against advanced competition, and the Twins are letting him attack without undue restraint. In recent years, the Twins have seen a similar approach from other top prospects like Jose Miranda and Brooks Lee. Those two players have struggled to find consistency at the big-league level, but the Twins believe Tait has plenty of time to develop.  

Hendry Mendez – Bat-First, with Defensive Questions
Mendez, part of the Bader deal, has been scorching Texas League pitching, hitting around .340 with Double-A Wichita. He’s younger than nearly everyone he’s facing, which makes his production stand out even more. The Twins see his offensive profile as legitimate, but they know his glove will dictate his future role.

“No question that the bat plays,” MacPhail said. “It’s about improving his route efficiency in the outfield. We are also exploring a little bit of first base with Hendry to open up his options defensively so he can find a position to stick with in the big leagues.”

It’s interesting to hear the Twins talk about a prospect shifting to first base, since the club has seen a revolving door at that position in recent years. Mendez has a bat that can fit in any position, if he learns to get the ball off the ground more. First base might be his ticket to regular MLB at-bats, and as a lanky 6-foot-3 left-handed thrower, he's a prototypical fit for the gig. 

Garrett Horn – A Lefty with Spin and Velocity
From Texas in the Coulombe deal, Horn has wasted little time impressing at Cedar Rapids. Opponents are hitting under .200 against him, and he’s showing mid-90s velocity from the left side with the ability to spin it. Coming off Tommy John surgery, he's in a period of slow buildup; the Twins are being deliberate with his usage.

“With him, it’s focusing on continuing to refine his pitch arsenal. Throwing pitches in-zone a little bit earlier in counts,” said MacPhail. Horn already looks like a potential big-league bullpen weapon, but the Twins will stretch him as far as his command allows.

Ryan Gallagher & Sam Armstrong – Double-A Depth with Upside
In the Castro deal with Chicago, the Twins grabbed two Double-A arms in Gallagher and Armstrong, both of whom had already logged 100+ innings this season. Gallagher’s fastball/slider combo stands out, while Armstrong brings a deeper arsenal.

MacPhail noted that Gallagher’s slider, in particular, was underutilized with the Cubs.

“His slider actually gets the most miss of any pitch in his arsenal. He wasn’t throwing it a ton with the Cubs, so I think that was one area that we saw that we could uptick that in terms of usage.”

On Armstrong, it’s about sorting through the menu of pitches to find a path to more whiffs. MacPhail said,

“He has really impressive pitches, and a lot of them. I think there’s, again, as I kind of referenced with the usages, some things we can kind of tinker a little bit there to get more swing-and-miss out of him.”

Both pitchers are striking out fewer batters since coming over from the Chicago system, but perhaps the fruits of these tweaks will ripen next year.

Kendry Rojas – A Young Arm with Big Velocity
The key return in the Varland trade, Rojas has already touched the upper 90s from the left side while flashing a slider and splitter. At just 21 in Triple-A, he’s facing older competition almost every night.

For the Twins, his next step is as much about acclimation as it is mechanics.

“With Kendry, it’s being more consistent. This is a really raw talent from Cuba," MacPhail said. "For us, it’s been having him come to the organization and get comfortable. Get to know us, trust us, and then kind of focus on January camps and start refining that arsenal a little bit.”

The Twins didn’t go for major-league reinforcements at the deadline. Instead, they stockpiled youth, upside, and depth with an eye toward the next wave. Tait headlines the group, but each of these players has a specific development plan the Twins believe will unlock more.

As MacPhail’s comments suggest, this deadline wasn’t just about adding names, it was about fitting those names into an organizational vision. At the time, Derek Falvey emphasized that the team passed on other versions of deals that would have brought them higher-upside but less polished players; they believe this group can quickly matriculate and make a difference for them. And for a franchise in constant need of impact young talent, that vision will be tested in the months and years ahead.

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What stands out from MacPhail’s comments? Will the Twins be able to make the changes outline above? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[tarheeltwinsfan]

I wonder what players Falvey passed on who had "higher upsides", and why? I know he won't tell us, but  inquiring minds want to know. 

[palmspringstwinsfan]

Given their ability to develop position players, you just gave to cross your fingers and hope…

[mikelink45]

This is not the most inspiring set of observations.

[FlyingFinn]

You may not want to look at Rojas start tonight, as he got all of 1 batter out.

[awmonahan]

Nice get to have MacPhail explain the process. I'm glad the team is feeling urgency enough to allow that. I'd love to hear thoughts on Abel and Bradley, though they may be too high profile for that discussion, having had time in the majors. 

[h2oface]

“At the time, Derek Falvey emphasized that the team passed on other versions of deals that would have brought them higher-upside but less polished players; they believe this group can quickly matriculate and make a difference for them.”

Hmmmmm. they believe, eh? Like they believed the teams they constructed the last couple years could compete. Maybe they should try Fantasy Leagues. 

[Russ]

Player evaluation and development are weak spots in the Twins organization.  The pitching pipeline is a dumpster dive.

Take away the Twins 13 game winning streak the White Sox may not finish last in the Central.

[tony&rodney]

What stands out from the article and from watching these guys play is the continued disdain for defense. More DH types and we are hoping they can learn a position. I'm hoping too, but that's different. I'm a fan and I hope the the players within the organization learn skills needed at the highest level and fit somewhere in the field. If the Twins cannot manage to get players to become skilled at all phases of the game, we can expect a long series of losing seasons. But some of these guys will hit.

The comment on passing on higher upside players is perplexing. So Falvey prefers lesser talent that is more polished now. I have watched a number of these guys, including Kendry Rojas tonight versus Nashville. Rojas has a nice arm and is young. He looks athletic. His pitches do not look too polished. He didn't get out of the first inning. Jenkins, on the other hand, is a higher upside kid. He went 3 for 5 and his two outs were rockets to the warning track. I'm screaming into the wind wanting higher upside talent and now we have a comment from Falvey that answers why the Twins have the team they roster. These players are Falvey's dream team.

[bunsen82]

11 hours ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

I wonder what players Falvey passed on who had "higher upsides", and why? I know he won't tell us, but  inquiring minds want to know. 

Likely prospects in low A or international league.  I would venture he is talking about Mendez, Gallagher and Horn.  They are individuals who are solid players with what appears to be a capped ceiling but all with a real possibility of making the MLB.  Yes they could have taken a flyer but they already have high upside players in Tait and Rojas.  It felt like a nice mix.  The only other trade would have been Jax for Bradley.  

The player who has shown up the most so far is Jimenez.  

[thelanges5]

12 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

This is not the most inspiring set of observations.

Getting harder and harder to find reasons to follow this club. Buck Ryan And Keaschall, maybe Jenkins and Culpepper. 

[SaberNerd]

11 hours ago, awmonahan said:

Nice get to have MacPhail explain the process. I'm glad the team is feeling urgency enough to allow that. I'd love to hear thoughts on Abel and Bradley, though they may be too high profile for that discussion, having had time in the majors. 

Abel added a sweeper already.  It looks like a legit strikeout pitch and should help him get RHH out; he's been better against LHH even though he's a righty.

[bunsen82]

1 hour ago, thelanges5 said:

Getting harder and harder to find reasons to follow this club. Buck Ryan And Keaschall, maybe Jenkins and Culpepper. 

I am the opposite.  I am finding a new assortment of players to cheer for thats going to lead this organization.  Yes its a transition and its been abrupt but we were losing 3 of the players at the end of the season and 4 in the next 2 years.  We sped up the process a bit.   

We have more elite hitters in the minors than we  have had in a significant amount of time.  Trying Mendez at 1st sounds very interesting to me.  Yes he won't have elite power for the position,  but he has excellent hit mechanics.   Mendez and Gonzalez are both players that will have high OBP and keep runners moving on the basepaths.  In my opinion we have been 2-3 professional hitters short on the MLB level.   We have the potential of adding 3-5 more shortly in Jenkins, Gonzalez, Mendez, Culpepper and Rodriguez.   That is a lot of talent on the cusp of the big leagues.  

[Otaknam]

The three high profile starters they got in the carpet bombing trades, Abel, Rojas, and Bradley all have control issues. Hopefully one of these guys develops into a number three starter, but trying to correct command issues is difficult. Let’s hope the franchise has a pitching guru somewhere in the system. 

[DJL44]

Quote

Derek Falvey emphasized that the team passed on other versions of deals that would have brought them higher-upside but less polished players

Please fire him now. They don't need more mediocre players, they desperately need upside.

[tony&rodney]

25 minutes ago, bunsen82 said:

In my opinion we have been 2-3 professional hitters short on the MLB level.   We have the potential of adding 3-5 more shortly in Jenkins, Gonzalez, Mendez, Culpepper and Rodriguez.   That is a lot of talent on the cusp of the big leagues.  

I totally agree that these guys are the hope for the Twins future. I like each of them. It is just a bit of a stretch to hope they all are successful, so there is that concern. However in the meantime, because it is all we have, I'm hoping these players all bust out together. Is next year too soon or am I being greedy? Hey, maybe a few trades bring even more help.

 

[bunsen82]

1 minute ago, tony&rodney said:

I totally agree that these guys are the hope for the Twins future. I like each of them. It is just a bit of a stretch to hope they all are successful, so there is that concern. However in the meantime, because it is all we have, I'm hoping these players all bust out together. Is next year too soon or am I being greedy? Hey, maybe a few trades bring even more help.

 

They don't all have to be successful.  I would say out of Keaschall, Lee, Gonzalez, Rodriguez, Culpepper and Rodriguez  we need at least 1 elite player,  1 really good player,  2 solid mlb players and 2 busts.   If you trade Ryan there will be another big piece being added and I would assume it has to be a bat.  I don't think we need more MLB ready arms.   

[farmerguychris]

16 hours ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

I wonder what players Falvey passed on who had "higher upsides", and why? I know he won't tell us, but  inquiring minds want to know. 

Great question for who we could have gotten back had we been open to eating some salaries.  

[Blyleven2011]

9 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Please fire him now. They don't need more mediocre players, they desperately need upside.

They should have fired falvey yesterday after the 4th straight loss to white sox's  , they are so inferior on predicting anything  ,  they are so much like a weather man , predicting the weather and being wrong  ...