Perhaps Fittingly, Derek Falvey's Best Trade of 2025 Wasn't at the Deadline

[Matthew Taylor]

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Derek Falvey's final season leading the Twins' baseball operations department will always be remembered for the sheer volume of moves he made. Faced with a disappointing season, Falvey orchestrated a historic selloff at the trade deadline, completing more than 10 trades as he reshaped the organization's future before departing at the end of the year. Some of those deals brought back highly regarded prospects. Others cleared payroll or addressed long-term organizational needs. Looking back now, though, the best trade Falvey made during his final season wasn't one of the blockbuster deadline deals. It came three months earlier, when he quietly acquired Kody Clemens from the Philadelphia Phillies for cash considerations.

On April 26, the Twins sent cash to the Phillies to acquire Clemens after he had been designated for assignment. It was an emergency move after Luke Keaschall suffered a broken forearm, leaving the Twins in need of another infielder. Rather than wait and hope Clemens cleared waivers, Falvey jumped the line to ensure he landed in Minnesota. At the time, the move barely generated a reaction, because there wasn't much reason to believe Clemens would become anything more than organizational depth. Already, the likes of Jonah Bride and Mickey Gasper were conditioning fans not to expect much from such additions.

Before joining the Twins, Clemens owned a career .611 OPS across 402 major-league plate appearances. He had hit just 14 home runs while striking out 102 times, compared to only 22 walks. Players with that type of production don't typically become useful contributors, especially in their late 20s. Clemens had been designated for assignment for a reason, and expecting him to suddenly blossom into an everyday player would have been unrealistic. But Falvey and the Twins clearly saw something the rest of baseball didn't. They didn't have to trade for Clemens. They could have waited to see if he cleared waivers or simply targeted another player who was already available. Instead, they specifically identified Clemens as someone worth acquiring immediately.

Whatever they saw has paid off in a massive way. Since joining the Twins, Clemens has posted a .763 OPS with a 108 wRC+. He ranks second on the team with 35 home runs, third with 96 RBIs, third with 3.2 fWAR, and second in Win Probability Added, trailing only Byron Buxton. Those aren't the numbers of a bench player or a temporary injury replacement. They are the numbers of one of the most valuable players on the roster.

The value becomes even greater when considering what Clemens costs. He has produced all of that while making the league minimum, after being acquired for what amounted to just a couple extra months' worth of a minimum-salary player's earnings. That matters for this version of the Twins. Since the end of the 2023 season, ownership has steadily reduced payroll, limiting the organization's ability to improve through free agency. Finding an above-average everyday player making the minimum salary is exactly how a team operating under financial constraints stays competitive.

Just as importantly, Clemens has been available virtually every day. Since joining the Twins, he ranks fourth on the team in plate appearances and has yet to spend any time on the injured list. In a season where injuries have once again tested the club's depth, that reliability has been incredibly valuable. His defensive versatility has only increased his importance, as the Twins have used him at first base, second base, left field, right field, and even center field. Few players have given the Twins more flexibility when filling out the lineup card, allowing the Twins to shuffle pieces around while keeping Clemens' bat in the lineup almost every day.

The scary part is that he may not even be slowing down any time soon. Over the past 30 games since June 1, Clemens owns an .895 OPS with 10 home runs and 23 runs scored, both of which lead the Twins during that stretch. Rather than cooling off after an unexpectedly productive first couple of months, he has become one of the hottest hitters on the team and continues to exceed every expectation anyone had when the Twins acquired him.

Looking back, it's remarkable how insignificant the trade felt at the time. Falvey's final season featured a whirlwind of transactions, including a historic trade deadline selloff that reshaped the organization. Some of those deals may eventually prove to be franchise-changing, but none have already delivered the kind of value the Clemens trade has. For cash, the Twins acquired one of their best hitters, one of their most valuable players, and one of the best bargains on the team. Considering the acquisition cost, his league-minimum salary, and everything he has produced, it's hard to argue any move Derek Falvey made during his final season with the Twins has aged better than the trade for Kody Clemens.

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Do you think Kody Clemens was the best trade Falvey made last season? Leave a comment below and start the conversation!

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[Tjwalsh65]

I feel that this was luck.  Desperate pick up that worked out great.  

 

[Patzky]

I'm baffled by fans who see no future for Clemens with the clubs and would rather see him replaced with a prospect. He's exactly the kind of difference a budget challenged club needs to have.

[Nebtwinsfan]

It's interesting how some guys improve when they get more consistent chances to play and others end up showing you why they were waived or traded numerous times. I am sure no one on the Twins expected him to be much more than a bench player who they would probably cut loose at some point when a better option came along. 

[Eris]

One of the few players the Twins have who are above average defensively and Clemens can achieve this at multiple positions. 

[Nshore]

When they picked up the Clemens kid I thought "Now they're really scraping rock bottom".   But he can really play obviously and is not intimidated by anyone out there.  Guys like Clemons and Kreidler are critical to a team's success.

[Blyleven2011]

Kind of a nit pik , falvey didn't leave after the season  , he left right before 2026 season and good riddance  , baldelli got fired right after the season and good riddance ...

Clemens was just a depth player to add for keaschalls injury , most likely they never expected anything more than defense  ...

Clemens was productive right away and they found at bats and positions for him to play , he eventually cooled down but had some game changing moments ...

Kody this year has been given regular playing time at multiple positions and is making the most of his opportunity  ...

Nice for Kody , maybe he's a late bloomer and can carve out some good years  , nobody on earth knows ...

[DJL44]

56 minutes ago, Patzky said:

I'm baffled by fans who see no future for Clemens with the clubs and would rather see him replaced with a prospect. He's exactly the kind of difference a budget challenged club needs to have.

He’s also 30. Guys like him rarely have a career past age 32.

[Riverbrian]

2 hours ago, Patzky said:

I'm baffled by fans who see no future for Clemens with the clubs and would rather see him replaced with a prospect. He's exactly the kind of difference a budget challenged club needs to have.

I wasn't happy with his original signing because I wasn't happy with the lack of internal options that made his signing necessary. That had nothing to do with Clemens himself. 

I'm glad he got opportunity to show what he was capable of. Using qualified hitters only. BY OPS... he is currently the 42nd best hitter in baseball in 2026. 

We hope that our prospects develop into that.   

We should be thankful for the free addition of Kody Clemens. For those who can't warm to him after what he has done this season while making the minimum... I'm not sure what to say.

What would it take for them to get behind him? Perhaps nothing because he's been pretty damn good and there are way too many people who are not behind him. 

 

[Rosterman]

He is a keeper as long as he produces and as long as he remains cost-effctive. He has two seasons of reasonable arbitration costs as long as he is a regular. Here's a question today... if you could sign him for 3-5 years, would you and what do you think it would take.  Here is another question, where does he play. Second base is the open position and seems to be doing great there. No one on the immediate prospects lists to be in that position, assuminng Culpepper isn't fulltime until next season and Houston the season after that and the decision is made if Lee is also a keeper or not.