Twins Trade for Eric Wagaman, Designate Ryan Fitzgerald for Assignment

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of © Albert Cesare/ The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins traded left-handed minor-league pitcher Kade Bragg to the Miami Marlins Friday, in exchange for recently-DFAd first baseman Eric Wagaman. To make room on the 40-man roster, they jettisoned shortstop Ryan Fitzgerald, who got his first-ever big-league time for the team last season.

Dan Hayes of The Athletic reported the deal on Twitter.

Wagaman, 28, batted .250/.296/.378 with the Marlins in 2025, in the first extended opportunity he'd ever gotten in the majors. It's not hard to see what the Twins see in him. He had solidly above-average bat speed in 2025, and it was up 2.3 miles per hour from his brief stint with the Angels in 2024. Wagaman's whole hitting process changed, as he moved his contact rate 7.2 inches farther out in front of his frame and flattened his swing to get around the ball more.

Big and strong, Wagaman has a fairly short stroke for his size, which prevents him from swinging and missing at disastrous rates. The key for him is staying disciplined at the edges of and outside the strike zone, which he did better with Miami last season. He's not much of an athlete, and is not an adequate defender anywhere but first base, but he has the tools to hit for power, especially against lefties. 

To jump the waiver wire and snare Wagaman, the Twins sent the Marlins lefty reliever Kade Bragg, who split his 2025 between Low-A Fort Myers, High-A Cedar Rapids, and Double-A Wichita. A 17th-round pick in 2023, Bragg is a low-grade prospect, and turning him into any kind of value for the 2026 big-league roster is a nice piece of business.

The bigger question, of course, is how this move affects the somewhat creaky positional roster picture for the 2026 Twins. Wagaman makes a plausibly excellent platoon partner for Kody Clemens, but if the two are manning first base all or most of the time, Josh Bell will have to DH nearly every day. That would limit the available at-bats for Ryan Jeffers and Byron Buxton, as well as Trevor Larnach—if, indeed, Larnach still fits on the roster at all. Wagaman is a poor defender in either outfield corner or at third base, so he reduces (rather than increasing) the team's expected defensive utility, and pushing backup shortstop Ryan Fitzgerald off the roster amps up existing concerns about the team's defensive depth. 

One possible way of making all this work could be:

• A trade of Larnach creating more roster flexibility, making it possible for the team to carry Ryan Kreidler as the backup shortstop;
• Clemens working solely as a second baseman and corner outfielder, leaving Wagaman to platoon with Bell at first base
• Luke Keaschall being pushed to the outfield, including some center field, leveraging his speed and giving Buxton the chance to DH on days when Bell is at first base

For now, though, the trade doesn't so much answer any questions as it does confirm fans' existing notions of what the team values heading into the new season: plus bat speed, matchup value, and frugality, even if they come at the expense of clear roles on the roster or well-rounded defensive groups.

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[Jose Herrera]

Wagaman is a corner infielder with some pop. I’m upset we traded Bragg, but this trade will make the Major league team better.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

I don't totally hate this!

[nicksaviking]

Looking at his stats, I don't see where the 'thump' is. 

I hope there's a clear off-ramp for this player come April. Outside of a half dozen injuries, I don't see how he'd make sense to put on the 40-man roster let alone the 26-man. I wish they'd stop swapping out fringe player for fringe player and just start sloughing off all of the fringe players.

[SF Twins Fan]

A low on base, no power 1st baseman?  Definitely what the Twins team needs next season.

[ashbury]

I'm beginning to look back at the Joe Pohlad Era with unexpected fondness.

[Mike Sixel]

5 minutes ago, ashbury said:

I'm beginning to look back at the Joe Pohlad Era with unexpected fondness.

Truth. 

How does he fit on the roster? He's a bad defender. He didn't hit well last year. I really don't understand what's going on here at all. 

[Permanent Twins Fan]

It is always nice to get some major league talent for a low level prospect. I don't like DFAing Fitzgerald however. He was decent in his time with the Twins even with limited upside. The Twins really don't have anybody else to back up Lee at short unless they plan on bringing up Culpepper early which I would support. I'm not entirely sure what to think of Wagaman, but it sounds like the Twins now have three major league first basemen instead of just one in Kody Clemens. This likely means that Bell will see a bunch of DH time which even furthers the need to trade Trevor Larnach. I'm intrigued to see how new manager Derek Shelton manages this.

[nicksaviking]

11 minutes ago, SF Twins Fan said:

A low on base, no power 1st baseman?  Definitely what the Twins team needs next season.

So basically what you get when you take away the fluke HRs from Kody Clemens.

[chpettit19]

5 minutes ago, ashbury said:

I'm beginning to look back at the Joe Pohlad Era with unexpected fondness.

Tom meant literally big, not metaphorically. Wagaman is 6'4" and Bell is 6'3" and 261 lbs. Our new Pohlad leader believes in building the physically biggest team in MLB history. Expect an extension for Ober any day now.

[Seth Stohs]

I am not a fan of this trade, unless the plan is for Wagaman to be the platoon 1B with Clemens and Bell the full-time DH.

I think Bragg is a future big leaguer for sure... but ultimately, he was an 18th round pick lottery ticket... But why give up a promising AA pitcher for a guy who was DFAd to make room for Esteury Ruiz? And, I get that Fitzgerald isn't a prospect as a 31-year-old, but he can play great defense. I'd rather have him as the backup IF than Kreidler. I just don't think this move does anything...  It's like a move just to make a move.

[ashbury]

4 minutes ago, Seth Stohs said:

It's like a move just to make a move.

Jeremy Zoll was stung by RandBalls Stu's article this morning.

[Permanent Twins Fan]

1 minute ago, Seth Stohs said:

I am not a fan of this trade, unless the plan is for Wagaman to be the platoon 1B with Clemens and Bell the full-time DH.

If Bell does end up being the full time DH there is no reason at all for Trevor Larnach to be on the Opening Day roster. He needs to be traded

[HarmonK03]

22 minutes ago, Jose Herrera said:

Wagaman is a corner infielder with some pop. I’m upset we traded Bragg, but this trade will make the Major league team better.

How?

[sweetmusicviola16]

Only on a bad team does a Wagaman have a chance to break camp. Miami, MN....

Falvey must have a secret fetish for bad men. First Outman and now Wagaman.

[Permanent Twins Fan]

There are now two candidates for first basemen Gold Glove award in the AL. The stakes have never been higher.

[Permanent Twins Fan]

Quote

That would limit the available at-bats for Ryan Jeffers and Byron Buxton, as well as Trevor Larnach

 

In no universe is Josh Bell or Eric Wagaman going to take away at-bats from Buxton. Buxton will be in the lineup almost every day that he is available for.

[TJSweens]

30 minutes ago, SF Twins Fan said:

A low on base, no power 1st baseman?  Definitely what the Twins team needs next season.

Don't forget that he can't field. 

Another 5 tooless player.

[sweetmusicviola16]

I wouldn't Bragg about  Wagaman. This article does a bit.

[The Great Hambino]

18 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Truth. 

How does he fit on the roster? He's a bad defender. He didn't hit well last year. I really don't understand what's going on here at all. 

Sounds like he fits right in to their team concept

[nicksaviking]

33 minutes ago, Twins_Fan_in_NJ said:

I don't totally hate this!

I do. And not because of the player they gave up, but because this is a guy Miami probably would have DFA'd prior to opening day anyway. And now to show the world they didn't make a bad move, the Twins are going to hold on to this guy way past the point where he's proven not to be worthy of a roster spot.

[sweetmusicviola16]

1 minute ago, nicksaviking said:

I do. And not because of the player they gave up, but because this is a guy Miami probably would have DFA'd prior to opening day anyway. And now to show the world they didn't make a bad move, the Twins are going to hold on to this guy way past the point where he's proven not to be worthy of a roster spot.

Like Gasper.

[Permanent Twins Fan]

The Twins infield defense this season is going to be atrocious. Bell/Wagaman/Clemens are all below average defenders, and the rest of the infield is not good defensively either.

[SteveLV]

More milling at the bottom of the roster to no effect.  Nothing to see here.  Move on.

[sweetmusicviola16]

2 minutes ago, Permanent Twins Fan said:

The Twins infield defense this season is going to be atrocious. Bell/Wagaman/Clemens are all below average defenders, and the rest of the infield is not good defensively either.

Clemens is OK, but I suspect he is going to see way too much PT for being just OK. 

[Linus]

I’m sure Falvey has a reason for this move…….

 

 

 

just don’t ask me because I have no idea what he is doing 

[tony&rodney]

Why do we expect these transactions?

[bunsen82]

Granted he could be a AAA option.  However it does lend credence to the continued theory that has been floated,  that they plan for Keaschall to be in the outfield.  Clemens is then a 2nd baseman,  and then you have Bell and Wagaman as a platoon/DH options.   Its still means there is more moves coming and I don't see how Larnach remains on the team if the plan is for Keaschall to be in Left.  His August and September were pretty decent.  

Lets be real,  we took a prospect that is in the 40-50+ range for a player that had a 154 OPS plus for August.  Granted its 1 month.  You want an honest opinion,  I think he is a slightly better Clemens, better hit tool with less power as of now.   It appears we are trying to find more 1-2 WAR players and hoping the studs perform.  As of now,  looking like limited options for rookies in the outfield to start the season.  

[Mike Sixel]

5 minutes ago, bunsen82 said:

Granted he could be a AAA option.  However it does lend credence to the continued theory that has been floated,  that they plan for Keaschall to be in the outfield.  Clemens is then a 2nd baseman,  and then you have Bell and Wagaman as a platoon/DH options.   Its still means there is more moves coming and I don't see how Larnach remains on the team if the plan is for Keaschall to be in Left.  

Three of their best prospects are OF. Why any team moves keaschell there is beyond me. He's had arm issues. He should be at first. 

There isn't even room for this guy in AAA with the prospects they have. You still have the big three, plus Roden and Outman. And Mendez. 

[rdehring]

My biggest concern with this move is whether or not Fitzgerald clears waivers so the Twins can sign him at AAA.  As for the guy they picked up, don't have a clue.  On the other hand, I also don't expect he will be a big help for the Twins in '26.