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In the midst of a potential ownership change that may be coming as soon as Opening Day and an apparent mandate from the incumbent ownership group to keep payroll at 2024 levels (if not lower), it isn't surprising that the Twins have been relatively inactive this offseason. It's sort of been a theme in the Al Central, though that doesn't excuse Minnesota's sloth-like performance in a key offseason after they collapsed down the stretch in 2024.
Now, they've finally made a notable move, even if it isn't going to fundamentally change the course of the team or the 2025 season. Per the team, the Twins have acquired Diego Cartaya in exchange for minor-league pitcher Jose Vasquez.
Cartaya, 23, split the 2024 season between Triple-A Oklahoma City and Double-A Tulsa in the Dodgers' farm system, combining to slash .221/.323/.363 with 11 home runs in 95 games. The Venezuelan native signed for a $2.5 million bonus as a 17-year-old in 2018 and was Los Angeles' top prospect over the past few seasons before falling down lists in 2024.
Cartaya was at his best in 2021-22, posting an OPS over .900 across both Single-A and High-A. He hit 41 home runs between the 2022-23 seasons and is renowned for his advanced plate approach and above-average power (especially for a catcher). His defense has never been his calling card, though he has improved with his pitch-calling and framing in recent seasons, and his arm has always been regarded as above-average. MLB.com now ranks Cartaya as the Twins' 23rd-best prospect.
Vasquez, 20, has played two minor league seasons for the Dominican Summer League Twins, going 5-2 with an 8.05 ERA in 57.0 innings, producing a 71-47 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 22 games (9 starts). He has not appeared on any top prospect lists and appears to be a pure-upside play by the Dodgers, who were going to lose Cartaya for nothing after DFA'ing him to make room for free agent signing Hye-Seong Kim.
Notably, the Twins' 40-man roster is full and features four catchers (Cartaya, Ryan Jeffers, Jair Camargo, and Christian Vázquez). The team cannot bank on their latest addition to be their catcher of the future after a down season in 2024, though he does make Vazquez or Jeffers even more expendable than they already were. Unless the team plans to carry three catchers on their major league roster in 2025, a follow-up move shouldn't be far behind.
If you want to understand why the Dodgers unceremoniously dumped Cartaya, it's not due to a waning belief in his talents (though a persistent back injury has limited his effectiveness in recent seasons). Los Angeles already has Will Smith locked down on a long-term contract as their starting backstop, while Dalton Rushing's recent emergence (now the Dodgers' top prospect) rendered Cartaya superfluous. When the team signed Kim, they had yet to offload Gavin Lux onto the Reds, making the Venezuelan catcher an unfortunate-but-necessary casualty for their 2025 operation.
Looking into Cartaya's profile, there are some obvious places the Twins can focus their efforts on helping to restore him to his former status. You might be surprised to learn that Cartaya has always been more effective against opposing righties, crushing them to the tune of a .943 OPS in 2022 (compared to .722 mark against southpaws). Even in 2023, when his overall offensive numbers were down, he simply performed better against same-sided pitchers, with a .671 OPS against righties and .604 OPS against lefties. In 2024, however, that trend finally reversed, as his OPS was 79 points better against left-handers compared to right-handers.
Some of that can be traced back to the fact that pitching simply improves at the highest level of the minors, as well as Cartaya's back problems. However, it's Cartaya's weakest link that appears to be holding him back the most. In 2024, Cartaya posted a 28.3% strikeout rate (21.7% vs. lefties, 30.2% vs. righties); in 2023, his strikeout rate was 29.0% (29.8% vs. lefties, 28.8% vs righties) and in 2022, his strikeout rate was 26.7% (27.7% vs. lefties, 26.5% vs. righties). Those overall strikeout numbers are pretty consistent, but his splits have been tilting in favor of his work against southpaws for years. Unless he can refine his plate approach versus same-sided pitchers, he'll continue to struggle, especially against the strikeout artists in the big leagues. Even anecdotally, Cartaya's bat-to-ball skills have been in question as he's risen through the minor league ranks, with MLB.com dropping his "hit" tool from a rating of 50 (average) prior to 2022 to a rating of 40 (below-average) in 2024.
If the Twins can help Cartaya improve his contact numbers without sacrificing the quality of contact that makes him such an intriguing power threat, they may be cooking with gas. Fans should keep their expectations in check for now, but it's rare that a player of this pedigree becomes available at such a cheap price. It may not be the move that changes the balance of power in the AL Central, but, at the very least, it's a smart one.
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