What Would it Cost Minnesota Twins to Trade for Baltimore’s Coby Mayo?

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

One message from the Twins front office came through clearly at the Winter Meetings. Minnesota wants to hold on to its three stars (Byron Buxton, Pablo Lopez, and Joe Ryan) with an opportunity to trade established talent in return for productive big-leaguers who fit their needs better. The Twins have done this in recent years, when trading for Lopez or when trading away Jorge Polanco.

That shift aligns with what is happening in Baltimore. The Orioles surprised much of the league by signing Pete Alonso to a five-year contract. Before the deal, they already had multiple in-house corner infield options, including Coby Mayo. The Alonso signing pushes Mayo further off his defensive home, and Baltimore’s loaded infield creates an opportunity for clubs looking to upgrade at first base. Few teams match up better with Baltimore’s needs than the Twins, who have starting pitchers and young arms they may be willing to move, and who still need help at offense-first positions even after signing Josh Bell.

Mayo remains an intriguing target, despite a challenging 2025 season. Right-handed power has long been his calling card. Scouts and analysts loved the explosiveness in his bat and the potential for middle-of-the-order production. Last season, he posted a 103 wRC+ in Triple A, but was limited to a 95 wRC+ in his big-league time. He remains just 24 years old, with the kind of offensive ceiling that doesn't come around often. A team willing to bet on upside could still dream on a future where Mayo anchors a lineup for several seasons.

Let's consider three realistic trade concepts that could spark a conversation between Minnesota and Baltimore.

Trade Option 1
Twins Receive: 1B Coby Mayo
Orioles Receive: RHP Bailey Ober
Both Ober and Mayo are coming off rough 2025 seasons. Ober ran into uncharacteristic command issues while fighting a hip issue, leading to more hard contact than he had allowed in previous years. However, his track record from 2022 through 2024 still carries weight with clubs. Over that span, he recorded a 115 ERA+ and a 3.74 FIP while showing reliability and strong strike-throwing. With two years of team control remaining, he matches what the Orioles need as they continue to search for durable mid-rotation pitching. For Minnesota, this deal represents a swap that fits their stated direction.

Trade Option 2
Twins Receive: 1B Coby Mayo
Orioles Receive: RHP Mick Abel
Minnesota acquired Abel at last year’s trade deadline in the Jhoan Duran deal, and they have shown optimism about helping him refine his delivery and command. That makes it complicated for the Twins to move him this quickly, but circumstances have shifted for both teams. Mayo and Abel are remarkably similar assets. Both are pre-arbitration players with prospect pedigrees who have taken early lumps in the big leagues. Sometimes a reset is beneficial. This kind of challenge trade allows each organization to take a new developmental approach with a talented young player.

Trade Option 3
Twins Receive: 1B Coby Mayo
Orioles Receive: RHP David Festa, RHP Andrew Morris
This offer gives Baltimore two pitchers who can cover innings in the near future. Festa has flashed a fastball with carry and strikeout ability (32.0% strikeout rate at Triple-A St. Paul last season), and he is big league-ready, so he could slot into their rotation almost immediately. Morris is a step behind, but earned a 40-man spot this winter because of his strong command profile and the likelihood that he can contribute in the next few seasons. Last season, he posted a 4.14 FIP and a 22.4% strikeout rate for the Saints. For a team looking to build long-term pitching depth, this package may be more appealing than a single arm with risk.

Each scenario highlights a different angle for balancing value between the clubs. Baltimore must decide whether it prefers established innings, developmental upside, or a mix of both. The Twins, meanwhile, have to decide whether Mayo is the right risk, as they look for ways to shake up their core and bolster their offense.

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Which deal gets the job done from Baltimore’s perspective? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[Eris]

Coby Mayo is a defensively challenged 1B. Do the Twins need another DH type player on an already defensively challenged team.  Also, they have Bell and Clemens and Julian to play 1B. I think Ober for Mayo is a poor trade for the Twins. 
 

Considering the Twins were below average defensively at 5 positions in 2025, I think there needs to be an emphasis on improving the team defensively. 

[miracleb]

I am not necessarily seeing that he is defensively challenged.  If he is even similar to Josh Bell defensively....I would have rather had Mayo.  With Josh Bell, hasn't this ship........ "sailed?"

[Fatbat]

It would be nice to get another young corner infielder like Mayo on the roster. We should aim for more of a trade package tho. We have been light on LHP for years. Former Twins draft pick, Cade Povich has 22 starts in mlb with pedestrian type stats. 5.21 era 1.5 whip but he won’t be 26 until April. 
we could package Ober, Morris and Julien or something similar for Mayo and Povich.  Makes our roster more flexible while upgrading the O’s SP pool. 

[Drtwins]

Meh, another article about making a trade with the Orioles. Surprised there aren’t any articles about the Twins big bullpen signing yesterday, Dan Altavilla, at least it would give us something new to read. 

[TJSweens]

I like the Mayo option better than Bell. Clemens and Julian are terrible options at 1B unless the goal is to sustain a 72 win threshold. I think Julian has proven that he is not a major league ball player.

If Ober's loss in velo is permanent, which is possible at his age, it is a good time to move on from him and Mayo would be a good return. 

[Cory Engelhardt]

I don’t think Baltimore would want Ober. I could be wrong.

And I’d be willing to bet the Twins wanted Abel for a reason and aren’t itching to trade him this quick.

I do think taking a swing at Mayo would be a fun gamble. They have said they need right handed pop and his September last year was solid. 

[SteveLV]

This might have been a consideration before the Twins signed Bell.  That ship has sailed now.

[JD-TWINS]

55 minutes ago, Eris said:

Coby Mayo is a defensively challenged 1B. Do the Twins need another DH type player on an already defensively challenged team.  Also, they Bell and Clemens and Julian to play 1B. I think Ober for Mayo is a poor trade for the Twins. 
 

Considering the Twins were below average defensively at 5 positions in 2025, I think there needs to be an emphasis on improving the team defensively. 

btw, he’s hit .201 so far at MLB level over 304 AB’s.

[JD-TWINS]

I may try and trade Ober & Morris & E. Rodriguez for Rutschman………they extended young Catcher last year and Alonso has 1B occupied………Twins can then DH Jeffers for all LH starters they face and catch 65 games …… maybe play some 1B?

E. Rodriguez and either one of Ober or Morris plus Raya to Boston for Duran.

TWINS need impact players, not guys that they hope will eventually work out.

[bean5302]

The reason the Orioles signed Alonso is they'd seen enough of Mayo to be uncomfortable trusting him as a key player in the organization going forward.

Looking further into Mayo's stats, a concerning one pops out at me, and that's max exit velocity at 110mph ever at the MLB level. Often times, Max exit velocity can help give a real assessment of raw power. There are some more impressive numbers from AAA, but I'm not buying MiLB stats as so trustworthy. Average exit velocity was poor, max exit velocity was about league average, and he's struggled to hit fastballs.

I think there's definitely some ceiling there, still, but the floor is AAAA. I think some of the packages being proposed are a little heavy for Mayo, and I view Mayo as a rebuild team target.

[Cory Engelhardt]

20 minutes ago, SteveLV said:

This might have been a consideration before the Twins signed Bell.  That ship has sailed now.

I disagree completely. They’ve said all offseason they want a right handed hitter with thump. Bell is a good hitter against right handed pitching (hitting left handed) but has been fairly poor or at least below average facing left handed pitching (hitting right handed.) 
There is still room to add a right handed hitter with some thump to the lineup. Doesn’t have to be Mayo, but adding someone that can play 1b is easy in this lineup both for 2026 and ongoing

[TopGunn#22]

Mayo is certainly a bat I'd be willing to take a chance on.  I have not heard that he's a bad defensive 1B.  There is probably confusion with his 3B defense being subpar but his 1B defense being above average.  I would also say that acquiring Bell does NOT preclude the Twins from also acquiring Mayo...in fact, it might enhance the acquisition of Bell if it makes Bell the full time DH.  Bell AND Mayo would add some juice to the lineup.

There is too much to like with Abel's stuff and I want to see how Festa adapts to a BP role.  I'm hanging on to them.  The obvious guy to trade is Ober.  He's got a track record that would interest Baltimore as a reliable rotation piece anywhere from #2-#5.  Remember, they traded away the promising Grayson Rodriguez for Taylor Ward.  They need "several" SP.  Plus, I don't want Ober limiting innings for Bradley, Abel, SWR or Matthews (and possibly Connor Prielipp).  

I like Ober to the D-Backs for Jordan Lawler more, but a trade of him to Baltimore for Colby Mayo is very similar.  Moving a veteran pitcher with a track record of success (but some current questions) for a young position player with upside potential is a smart move for the Twins in their current roster configuration.  Many teams have screaming rotation needs.  The time to trade Ober is now.

[Otaknam]

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

The reason the Orioles signed Alonso is they'd seen enough of Mayo to be uncomfortable trusting him as a key player in the organization going forward.

Looking further into Mayo's stats, a concerning one pops out at me, and that's max exit velocity at 110mph ever at the MLB level. Often times, Max exit velocity can help give a real assessment of raw power. There are some more impressive numbers from AAA, but I'm not buying MiLB stats as so trustworthy. Average exit velocity was poor, max exit velocity was about league average, and he's struggled to hit fastballs.

I think there's definitely some ceiling there, still, but the floor is AAAA. I think some of the packages being proposed are a little heavy for Mayo, and I view Mayo as a rebuild team target.

You make some good points. But Alonso is a proven slugger and run producer. The Orioles must think they can make a run in 2026, so hoping that Mayo takes a step forward doesn’t fit their plan, making him expendable. And the Twins have no apparent heir at first, so they are just patching it with players playing out of position, like Clemons and Julien. 

[old nurse]

To trade for Mayo is to think the Twins can get out of Mayo what Baltimore could not.  To trade for him would be to send them back players that are similar to that situation.  Pick a pitcher, the Twins have quite a few that meet the criteria, pick a few lottery tickets and make a trade. 

[Otaknam]

11 minutes ago, TopGunn#22 said:

Mayo is certainly a bat I'd be willing to take a chance on.  I have not heard that he's a bad defensive 1B.  There is probably confusion with his 3B defense being subpar but his 1B defense being above average.  I would also say that acquiring Bell does NOT preclude the Twins from also acquiring Mayo...in fact, it might enhance the acquisition of Bell if it makes Bell the full time DH.  Bell AND Mayo would add some juice to the lineup.

There is too much to like with Abel's stuff and I want to see how Festa adapts to a BP role.  I'm hanging on to them.  The obvious guy to trade is Ober.  He's got a track record that would interest Baltimore as a reliable rotation piece anywhere from #2-#5.  Remember, they traded away the promising Grayson Rodriguez for Taylor Ward.  They need "several" SP.  Plus, I don't want Ober limiting innings for Bradley, Abel, SWR or Matthews (and possibly Connor Prielipp).  

I like Ober to the D-Backs for Jordan Lawler more, but a trade of him to Baltimore for Colby Mayo is very similar.  Moving a veteran pitcher with a track record of success (but some current questions) for a young position player with upside potential is a smart move for the Twins in their current roster configuration.  Many teams have screaming rotation needs.  The time to trade Ober is now.

An excellent synopsis of this situation. But Mayo makes more sense to me than Lawler. The Twins have other young infielders, with Lewis, Lee, and Keaschall likely the starting infield, and Culpepper making the roster sometime this year. Maybe Lawler has an upside, but he hasn’t done much offensively.  Mayo is a young first baseman with power, something they don’t currently have, aside from Bell, who is really a DH. Ober for Mayo straight up might get this done, as the Twins have starter depth, albeit unproven on an unproven team. So take a shot!

[tony&rodney]

Coby Mayo's shine as a prospect was his promise as a power hitting corner infielder/DH. Mayo doesn't project to hit for average, is pretty slow, has defensive shortcomings but has a big arm and that power. He hasn't shown much in a brief run with Orioles. That makes Mayo a logical choice for the Twins style of baseball. He would fit in well with Jeffers, Bell, Julien, Larnach, and Wallner. 

What would it cost? The options are plentiful. Pick a guy with talent that doesn't fit as a Twins because of too much speed or a good arm. The author made Festa and Morris one of the options. People in Baltimore would be delighted with that deal. Emmanuel Rodriguez doesn't seem very popular because he can run and play defense, so add him too. Coby Mayo is a Twins type of player and he could hit 40 home runs like Wallner.

Can the author or someone explain this statement, "The Twins' apparent shift toward challenge-style trades." Apparently I missed something. Was that the trade that brought Alex Jackson?

[amjgt]

42 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I disagree completely. They’ve said all offseason they want a right handed hitter with thump. Bell is a good hitter against right handed pitching (hitting left handed) but has been fairly poor or at least below average facing left handed pitching (hitting right handed.) 
There is still room to add a right handed hitter with some thump to the lineup. Doesn’t have to be Mayo, but adding someone that can play 1b is easy in this lineup both for 2026 and ongoing

Bell was really bad vs LHP in 2025, but over the course of his career he's been perfectly fine against LHP (worse than vs RHP, but still above average). You only need to go back to 2023 to see a year where he was actually better against lefties than righties and in that case he was significantly better against lefties (he was also better against them in 2022 and 2021).

In fact, his career splits that show him as much better vs righties seem to be largely due to his horrendous 2025 against lefties.

[Fatbat]

1 hour ago, JD-TWINS said:

I may try and trade Ober & Morris & E. Rodriguez for Rutschman………they extended young Catcher last year and Alonso has 1B occupied………Twins can then DH Jeffers for all LH starters they face and catch 65 games …… maybe play some 1B?

E. Rodriguez and either one of Ober or Morris plus Raya to Boston for Duran.

TWINS need impact players, not guys that they hope will eventually work out.

Duran is in Boston for a long time!! Nothing outside of Pablo or Ryan will get Duran.

[tony&rodney]

18 minutes ago, Fatbat said:

Duran is in Boston for a long time!! Nothing outside of Pablo or Ryan will get Duran.

Would you trade Pablo for Duran?

[Trov]

I think he is a big risk.  After 2024 he would have been a strong target as he had back to back big offense years in minors.  However, last year he struggled not just at MLB level but back when he was in AAA.  What caused that?  Was it injury, or was he finally scouted well and pitchers know his holes?  Will he fix that or just become another power hitter that once pitchers know how to pitch him and he falls apart? 

Clearly Baltimore was not sold on him long term with the fact they paid huge for some to be ahead of him.  Maybe he could DH for them but my guess they may have concerns of him long term.  I would not give up much for him at this point. 

[Coach Wheels]

1 hour ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I don’t think Baltimore would want Ober. I could be wrong.

And I’d be willing to bet the Twins wanted Abel for a reason and aren’t itching to trade him this quick.

I do think taking a swing at Mayo would be a fun gamble. They have said they need right handed pop and his September last year was solid. 

I'm not sure the Twins want to trade more.pitching for a corner infielder right now. 2hen you dump as many pitchers as we did in July, I'd like to get the new guys out there and see who they are.

[LA Vikes Fan]

5 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Would you trade Pablo for Duran?

No. The guy to swing for from Boston is Abreu. Not worth Lopez or Ryan, but worth Ober plus a good pitching prospect not named Prielipp, Abel, or Matthews,  

[rdehring]

Thanks for the post, Cody.  Interesting!

[TJSweens]

1 hour ago, SteveLV said:

This might have been a consideration before the Twins signed Bell.  That ship has sailed now.

I disagree. Bell is a short term place holder who can easily be shifted to DH. Mayo would be brought in to be a long term piece. The Twins don't currently have a long term 1B option.

[Major League Ready]

1 hour ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I disagree completely. They’ve said all offseason they want a right handed hitter with thump. Bell is a good hitter against right handed pitching (hitting left handed) but has been fairly poor or at least below average facing left handed pitching (hitting right handed.) 
There is still room to add a right handed hitter with some thump to the lineup. Doesn’t have to be Mayo, but adding someone that can play 1b is easy in this lineup both for 2026 and ongoing

Bell had better splits against LHP in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024.  Prior to 2021 he was weaker against LHP every year and he was bad last year in 100 ABs against LHP but he no doubt has been a better RH hitter in recent years.  I would think they view him at this point as a better RHH at this point.  He has not been much better than Clemens against RHP in recent years and Clemens is the by far the better defender, so it looks to me like they signed Bell for his RHH.  

[TJSweens]

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

The reason the Orioles signed Alonso is they'd seen enough of Mayo to be uncomfortable trusting him as a key player in the organization going forward.

Looking further into Mayo's stats, a concerning one pops out at me, and that's max exit velocity at 110mph ever at the MLB level. Often times, Max exit velocity can help give a real assessment of raw power. There are some more impressive numbers from AAA, but I'm not buying MiLB stats as so trustworthy. Average exit velocity was poor, max exit velocity was about league average, and he's struggled to hit fastballs.

I think there's definitely some ceiling there, still, but the floor is AAAA. I think some of the packages being proposed are a little heavy for Mayo, and I view Mayo as a rebuild team target.

You don't view the Twins as a rebuild team? I think your making a lot of assumptions about Mayo at 24 with just over 300 major league ab.

[TopGunn#22]

I'm not sure Lopez straight up for Jarren Duran would be enough for Boston.  Duran is the more consistent offensive player and better base stealer than Wilyer Abreu, but as good as fielder as Duran is, Abreu is elite. He won a Gold Glove in his first FULL season with the Red Sox last year. 

I would LOVE an Ober for Abreu deal with Boston-straight up.  But with Boston already acquiring Sonny Gray, I think their looking for a Ryan or Lopez caliber of pitcher, not a guy like Ober who would slot in #4 or #5. 

    

[Jose Herrera]

Josh Bell just signed with us, so I like the idea of trading for Dylan Beavers or Heston Kjerstad instead. They’re both left-handed, MLB ready outfielders with high upsides.

At least one of them looks to be snubbed from the Orioles outfield mix, so we need to take a chance at upgrading our outfield.

[Elliot]

I am not a fan of giving up much for a defensively challenged 1B.  Especially one that has not shown anything at the MLB level.  This type of deal comes down to the ability of the FO to judge the talent level of the players involved.  Is Mayo Baltimore’s version of Aaron Sabato, just with a better pedigree? 

The Twins have a lot of young talent to figure out.  Is Lewis a future star or a flash and burn? What do they have in Lee? I loved the pick at the time; a high level college switch hitter who would hit no matter where they played him.  However; I have soured on him. Bad defensive player with what appears to be a very slow tentative swing. That being said, 16 HRs and 64 RBI’s is a good start.  More power than I expected.  Had Mayo put up those numbers in the big leagues there would be a lot more interest in him. 

Lee will not finish the year as the Twins SS.  I expect Lewis will be the 3B barring injury, but optimism for his 3B defense is based more on potential than actual production. In either case, a defensive move  is not out of the realm of possibilities, especially if they come to life offensively.  The defensive value is higher at 2B if either is a better fit there, however 1B could be in the picture. Keaschel’s arm concerns could move him towards first if his bat turns out to be as good as it looked in 2025’s SSS. All this to say I like idea of having 1B open as an option for the young players currently on the roster. Not from a versatility perspective but with it as a permanent defensive home for a young developing offensive player.

With the value of pitching in general, and the glaring BP needs of the Twins, they had better be very confident that Mayo is as close as you can get to a sure bet future offensive star if they are going to spend valuable pitching resources to get him.