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The Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Dodgers almost seem to exist on different planes. Offseason after offseason, Los Angeles has pursued and signed the priciest, most sought-after free agents on the market, while Minnesota has been forced to sift through the secondary and tertiary market, investing its limited resources in reclamation projects or slightly-above-replacement-level veterans—especially the last two winters, under their sudden austerity budget.
Coming off the eighth World Series championship in franchise history, the Dodgers have extended or signed the following players:
- Tommy Edman - five years, $74 million
- Blake Snell - five years, $182 million
- Michael Conforto - one year, $17 million
- Blake Treinen - two years, $22 million
- Teoscar Hernández - three years, $66 million
Meanwhile, Minnesota (which has yet to sign a player to a guaranteed MLB contract) has acquired Mickey Gasper, a 29-year-old utility infielder/catcher not guaranteed to make the roster, and due only $800,000 in 2025. Still, despite spending $360.2 million less than the Dodgers so far this offseason, the Twins are in position to contend for the AL Central crown again, meaning not all is bleak.
Given where each team has surplus talent and where they have needs, the Twins would be wise to execute their first significant offseason transaction with the reigning World Series champs. When assessing the Dodgers' 26-man roster, one will notice very few areas of weakness. They have a surplus of star power with position players Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani and starting pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and the aforementioned Snell (and Ohtani, of course).
Los Angeles also has oodles of depth. That said, there is one area that could use more star power, and that is their bullpen. At a glance, their closer and top set-up relievers for next season are projected to be Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips, and the previously mentioned Treinen. Anthony Banda, Ryan Brasier, and Alex Vesia are expected to function as the team's primary mid-leverage relievers, with young arms Edgardo Henriquez and Michael Grove rounding out the eight-reliever unit.
Now, the Dodger bullpen isn't a weakness, per se. However, it is not formidable, and would significantly benefit from acquiring an established high-leverage arm. Veteran arms like Tanner Scott, Jeff Hoffman, and Kirby Yates are still available on the free-agent market. Signing free agents means paying a tax of roughly $1 on every $1 at this stage, though, and those guys are non-superstars whose salaries would effectively become superstar prices after factoring in the competitive-balance tax. Los Angeles would be best advised to scour the trade market for a high-leverage late-inning arm instead, and the Twins' fire-throwing closer Jhoan Durán could be at the top of their list.
Hindered by a 1.3 MPH decrease in his fastball velocity from 2023 to 2024, Durán struggled to keep hitters from reaching base and to strand inherited runners, which amounted to his worst regular season campaign as a Twin. He posted a career-high 3.64 ERA and 1.16 WHIP over 54 1/3 innings pitched. Despite this notable decline in performance, Durán was still an effective reliever last season, and his peripheral numbers (2.85 FIP and 2.70 xERA) indicate he was better than his counting statistics suggest. Nevertheless, there is a significant amount of perceived value surrounding Durán, meaning the Twins could net a prodigious package for him.
The Dodgers organization has troves of major league-ready talent sitting at Triple A, waiting for an opportunity with the parent club. Several names could be bundled into a trade package. However, two Los Angeles prospects make the most sense for the Twins, lending to the hypothetical trade proposal below:
- Los Angeles receives: RHP Jhoan Durán
- Minnesota receives: C Hunter Feduccia, RHP Ben Casparius
Trading Durán would not be an easy departure to stomach for the team or fans. However, parting ways with the hurler and his $1.8 million price tag could be the move that finally signals movement for the largely inactive Twins front office.
Now, it should be noted that moving Durán to Los Angeles wouldn't be a move that clears salary. Feduccia and Caspirius's contracts would equal roughly $1.6 million, making the payroll space saved from Durán's departure functionally nil. Still, acquiring these two cost-controlled players could get the ball moving on further transactions that reduce the team's payroll. Feduccia, 27, is an MLB-caliber catcher who has been blocked by Los Angeles having arguably the best catching tandem in baseball in veterans Will Smith and Austin Barnes. Acquiring Feduccia would give Minnesota a viable catching partner for Ryan Jeffers, meaning the front office could comfortably part ways with Christian Vázquez and his $10 million price tag.
Feduccia is an above-average defensive catcher whose contact-skilled profile from the left side of the plate would perfectly complement Jeffers's defensively deficient, power-skilled profile. Feduccia possesses enough talent to usurp Jeffers in the catching pecking order and function as a long-term option behind the plate, given that he's under team control until at least the end of the 2030 MLB season. Casparius offers similar value to Feduccia, in that he would function as a back-of-the-rotation option who could soften the blow of trading away Chris Paddack and his $7.5 million price tag.
Casparius, 25, fits the mold of the ideal Twins pitching acquisition, utilizing a fastball-sweeper combo 85% of the time. Casparius's sweeper is an elite pitch that could become one of the best in baseball, given extended play at the major-league level. He could compete with Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa, and Zebby Matthews for the club's fourth and fifth rotations spots while costing a mere $800,000 next season. Both he and Feduccia can still be optioned to the minors, too. In the long run, though, Casparius might lack the command to start, and he could slide in as more of a direct replacement for Durán over time.
Durán's departure would be a significant blow to the Twins bullpen. That said, the club's relief core is deep, meaning they should be able to absorb the loss. Griffin Jax or Brock Stewart could slot into the closer role, with Jorge Alcalá, Cole Sands, and Justin Topa taking on most of the other medium- to high-leverage situations. Durán's departure could also permit Louie Varland an extended opportunity to become a fixture in the back of the bullpen.
Given their aspirations and a relative lack of needs elsewhere, Los Angeles would be wise to acquire a bona fide high-end closer. Durán fits the bill, and while watching him depart from Twins Territory after three seasons would be a tough pill to swallow, acquiring a cost-controlled platoon catcher and a high-octane swingman with untapped potential would be a worthwhile swap. Also, acquiring Feduccia and Casparius would provide Twins decision-makers the depth pieces necessary to part ways with Vázquez and Paddack comfortably. Trading Vázquez and Paddack would also give the Twins more salary flexibility, allowing them to attack the rest of the roster (albeit in cost-efficient fashion) more aggressively.
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- DannySD, Cory Engelhardt, nclahammer and 1 other
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