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

    The Twins' apparent shift toward challenge-style trades this offseason could make Baltimore an ideal match, as they sort through corner infield depth following Pete Alonso’s arrival.

    Cody Christie
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    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.


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

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    47 minutes ago, TopGunn#22 said:

    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. 

        

    Ober alone doesn't come close to getting Abrea.   Add ERod to the equation and you get closer.

    41 minutes ago, TopGunn#22 said:

    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. 

        

    Thank you for weighing in on the idea someone above proposed.

    I merely asked the guy if he would trade Lopez for Duran. That brought a thumb down from mickster. How does one click a thumb down on a question? There was zero opinion, refutation or support for the idea but rather a question. 

    Pablo Lopez is valued by the Twins and many of their fans. A majority do not want to see Lopez traded, no matter what the return is for the Twins. The Red Sox may not trade Duran for any package. That is unclear. They also have too many outfielders to give all of them regular playing time. This has resulted in Wilyer Abreu being platooned and he has subsequently struggled when facing LH pitching. Boston would accept the right deals for Ryan or Lopez but the Twins probably don't have a good match there. A trade for Duran or Abreu adds another LH corner outfield bat to Larnach, Wallner, Roden, Outman, Rodriguez, Jenkins. The removal of Lopez's salary does present possibilities for the club though.

    The Twins should consider making a few changes. I don't know if Lopez plus Charlee Soto for Jarren Duran works but it does add offense to the Twins club. What does that mean for Austin Martin? The savings of $14M (Lopez-Duran) can be supplemented by trading Trevor Larnach to create spending options. Trading Ober would add even more financial capital. If one accepts the guessed $115M ceiling for a roster budget, moving Lopez and Larnach while adding Duran leaves about $33M to spend. That is Bo Bichette plus a reliever money. This is just to say that there are options and a budget of $110-115M is not limiting. Refusal to be creative is limiting. That is where the Twins have been for three years now. So it goes. I'm still hoping.

    1 hour ago, LA Vikes Fan said:

    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,  

    Thank you for your thoughts. I hope you know that I wasn't advocating to trade Lopez. I was asking a question from the following comment by Fatbat. I don't know if he favored a trade, so I asked the question.

    "Duran is in Boston for a long time!! Nothing outside of Pablo or Ryan will get Duran." - from comment by Fatbat.

    I thought it was a fair comment so I was curious. 

    Your comment (above in gray- LA Vikes Fan) prefers Abreu and offers Ober plus. I'm wondering why Boston, which is flush with #4-5 starting pitchers but really in need of someone to slot above Sonny Gray, would acquire Ober. I would suggest they are only interested if the Twins talk Ryan or Lopez. I'm not sure Boston fits as a trade partner unless acquiring Jarren Duran for Pablo Lopez plus maybe Charlee Soto is 1) a possibility and 2) part of a couple of additional moves.

    As I stated elsewhere all of these ideas should indicate in some fashion that change is possible, yet we know that slightly more than half of Twins Daily disagrees with that notion. Status quo is also the position of the MN Twins.

    4 hours ago, miracleb said:

    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?"

    Josh Bell has metaphorically "sailed" already dragging anchor and by mid June will have a hull punctured by rocks.  He will still be a daily starter.

    With the Orioles acquiring Shane Baz I'd guess they got their Bailey Ober type. I'm not saying they still won't be looking for more upgrades but they won't be looking for guys with diminished velocity would be my guess. Falvey/Pohlad regime is looking at a team with 65-70 wins as being competitive. There are ways to make this team into a very competitive one in 2-3 seasons. Continuing to sign Josh Bell's isn't the way to do it however.

    1 minute ago, Fatbat said:

    Not straight up

    Ok. Can you explain if you would trade Pablo at all? When you say straight up is that a shortage from Boston's or Minnesota's side. Are you interested in the basic trade is my curiosity; moving Lopez but adding Duran? Why or why not?

    38 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

    Ok. Can you explain if you would trade Pablo at all? When you say straight up is that a shortage from Boston's or Minnesota's side. Are you interested in the basic trade is my curiosity; moving Lopez but adding Duran? Why or why not?

    IM a fan of trade bundles, not one for one.  Obviously a fan of Pablo, Ryan and Duran so if we had a trade package that sent Pablo or Ryan to Boston and we got Duran and a big RH bat in exchange. I just don’t know who to FO values more other than, Duran was traded away and the other two are still here. 
    straight up, Pablo or Ryan is worth more than Duran imho.

    10 minutes ago, Fatbat said:

    IM a fan of trade bundles, not one for one.  Obviously a fan of Pablo, Ryan and Duran so if we had a trade package that sent Pablo or Ryan to Boston and we got Duran and a big RH bat in exchange. I just don’t know who to FO values more other than, Duran was traded away and the other two are still here. 
    straight up, Pablo or Ryan is worth more than Duran imho.

    Thank you. i was just curious and like to see other people's thoughts. FWIW, The Red Sox don't have a RH to trade, maybe a prospect. Of course, I also have no idea how Boston views Ryan or Lopez.

    @tony&rodney I have no info if they would trade Duran in a package to get a younger OF’r like erod? Also it sounds like Tom Pohlad is only willing to take a big swing at adding talent/salary if the current team is competitive first. 

    If I were trading Lopez or Ryan it would not be for an OFer.  I am keeping Buxton and with Jenkins / Martin and all the others, I am pretty confident we will have a very good OF by the end of 2026.

    We have one INFer (Keaschall) that inspires any confidence, and he only has 200 major league ABs.  SS/3B/1B are all very uncertain.  If I am trading Ryan and/or Lopez it's for a middle INfer or high-end pitching prospect.  If we are so fortunate as to have Keaschall continue to hit, and Culpepper make the transition, and Lewis improves substantially, we can move Keaschall to a 1B/OF role.  

    3 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

    Thank you for your thoughts. I hope you know that I wasn't advocating to trade Lopez. I was asking a question from the following comment by Fatbat. I don't know if he favored a trade, so I asked the question.

    "Duran is in Boston for a long time!! Nothing outside of Pablo or Ryan will get Duran." - from comment by Fatbat.

    I thought it was a fair comment so I was curious. 

    Your comment (above in gray- LA Vikes Fan) prefers Abreu and offers Ober plus. I'm wondering why Boston, which is flush with #4-5 starting pitchers but really in need of someone to slot above Sonny Gray, would acquire Ober. I would suggest they are only interested if the Twins talk Ryan or Lopez. I'm not sure Boston fits as a trade partner unless acquiring Jarren Duran for Pablo Lopez plus maybe Charlee Soto is 1) a possibility and 2) part of a couple of additional moves.

    As I stated elsewhere all of these ideas should indicate in some fashion that change is possible, yet we know that slightly more than half of Twins Daily disagrees with that notion. Status quo is also the position of the MN Twins.

    Batting Champ for Lopez wasn’t that long ago and it would fall under something other than “status quo”.

    I don’t care how good Abreu is with the glove if he’s not a consistent bat. (not directed to you but just a general thought) The Sox were reportedly shopping Duran (less control) last season as others became MLB ready. I trade any two pitchers that the Red Sox want, other than Lopez or Ryan. ……. Ober seems that he could be a potential nightmare at Fenway?

    Abel & Raya for Duran? Maybe Twins add another, even younger arm with promise? Bradley is available if desired in Boston as well……..Festa too.

    Larnach at DH v. RH pitching is a good thing for Team’s offense. Bell at 1B ahead of Clemens is generally a good thing for the offense. Letting Martin play 20 games in LF - 20 games in CF - DH 30 games - play 30 games in RF…….and available off the bench in 60 games - to me, that’s a good roll for him and the Club. Duran in LF for 140 games.

    Lewis - Lee - Wallner need to play (hit) much better if Club is to be successful. Adding Bell & Duran to these 3 mentioned along with Martin/Jeffers/Larnach - to me that Team can compete.

    21 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

    Ya, I have no idea why people want to trade for Duran so badly. He already costs 7.7 million a year. Are we thinking this team can afford him for the next 3 years? If not, I'm not sure why you deal for him. 

    He’s a gamer, multi-tool guy, and pretty consistent producer. Team just rid itself of a $34M SS………after partial pay down, they are saving $24M. Should be able to re-invest $8M in ‘26 and if Duran is effective, he may cost $11.5M & $15M going forward. I think it makes sense to add a consistent guy to Buxton/Keaschall at the Top of the line-up…….yes, at these potential costs over 3 years.

    5 hours ago, TJSweens said:

    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.

    His floor is a AAAA caliber player, but he still has upside. That's not a lot of assumptions.

    I don't know if the Twins are a rebuild team, but what we're hearing from ownership and the front office suggests they're not. They've said they're looking to build and compete this year with words, and they haven't traded Lopez, Ryan or Buxton so they're also demonstrating that through actions right now.

    For a rebuilding team, Mayo's upside is absolutely worth acquiring. For a team looking to compete needing a high degree of comfort with slugging performance from a new player, Mayo isn't a safe bet.

    20 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

    Batting Champ for Lopez wasn’t that long ago and it would fall under something other than “status quo”.

    I don’t care how good Abreu is with the glove if he’s not a consistent bat. (not directed to you but just a general thought) The Sox were reportedly shopping Duran (less control) last season as others became MLB ready. I trade any two pitchers that the Red Sox want, other than Lopez or Ryan. ……. Ober seems that he could be a potential nightmare at Fenway?

    Abel & Raya for Duran? Maybe Twins add another, even younger arm with promise? Bradley is available if desired in Boston as well……..Festa too.

    Larnach at DH v. RH pitching is a good thing for Team’s offense. Bell at 1B ahead of Clemens is generally a good thing for the offense. Letting Martin play 20 games in LF - 20 games in CF - DH 30 games - play 30 games in RF…….and available off the bench in 60 games - to me, that’s a good roll for him and the Club. Duran in LF for 140 games.

    Lewis - Lee - Wallner need to play (hit) much better if Club is to be successful. Adding Bell & Duran to these 3 mentioned along with Martin/Jeffers/Larnach - to me that Team can compete.

    Wilyer is a more consistent bat than Duran.

    Wilyer had OPS+ marks of 118 and 116 in his 2 full seasons.
    In Duran's 3 full seasons his were 121, 132, and 114.

    Duran has shown a higher ceiling over a full season, but Wilyer has been more consistent.

    Career OPS+: Wilyer- 118, Duran- 114.

    33 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

    He’s a gamer, multi-tool guy, and pretty consistent producer. Team just rid itself of a $34M SS………after partial pay down, they are saving $24M. Should be able to re-invest $8M in ‘26 and if Duran is effective, he may cost $11.5M & $15M going forward. I think it makes sense to add a consistent guy to Buxton/Keaschall at the Top of the line-up…….yes, at these potential costs over 3 years.

    I have no idea if he's a "gamer" or not....but it comes down to resources and budgets for me (and what you give up). I like the guy a lot as a player for sure.....but I don't know if he's in the budget in 2 years or not. Also, at some point you have to trust that EmRod/Jenkins/et. al. will be good, and do we really trade for an OF? If you give up a Ryan or Lopez to get him, are you just standing still? 

    Why in the world would you want to trade for Coby Mayo?

    There are statlines that you should never look at unless there's something bad on them.  Example Prime A is Baltimore's AA affiliate Bowie.  No matter how good the hitting stats are there, you have to ignore them.

    One of the valuable pieces of information you can get from a good hitting line there, though, is strikeout rate.  So here we go:

    Age 21 AA (that right there indicates he's a little ahead but is not overly special, Jenkins was 20 at AAA)

    86 K in 347 PA which comes to a 25% strikeout rate  (this indicates for age and level that he strikes out too often to be MLB-good

    Age 22 AAA he did the same.  Slash numbers down at Norfolk because it's not the bandbox that Bowie is.  K rate still 25%.  He was promoted to majors for 46 PA, a .293 OPS, and nearly a 50% K rate.

    Age 23 AAA his K rate got worse, his batting slash dropped.  Like Cody, Baltimore made the mistake that he might be good and gave him 294 PA of a .687 slug and a really bad 27% K rate.

    There is zero reason to want Coby Mayo.  His predictors say he'll be mediocre, and those are the types you'll find on the non-tender scrap heap after they've put in 4-5 years.

     

     

    7 hours ago, TJSweens said:

    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.

    Well, if the Twin bring in Mayo, and especially if they pay a price for him, it fits with them not having a clue about hitting.

    2 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

    I have no idea if he's a "gamer" or not....but it comes down to resources and budgets for me (and what you give up). I like the guy a lot as a player for sure.....but I don't know if he's in the budget in 2 years or not. Also, at some point you have to trust that EmRod/Jenkins/et. al. will be good, and do we really trade for an OF? If you give up a Ryan or Lopez to get him, are you just standing still? 

    Ryan / Lopez replacement is whoever is considered the 6th SP so quite a bit of drop-off.  The alternative to Duran is whoever plays the best between Wallner / Roden to start the season and most likely Jenkins by mid-season.  It just does not move the needle.  It's awfully hard to get better short-term by trading your best SP.    If we were to trade pitching, let's target our weaknesses which are the INF.

    13 hours 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 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. 

    What's the fascination with Ober? He's an okay pitcher. but is pigeon-holed as a #4 starter, at best.

    The only option that works in this scenario is Ober for Mayo one for one. However after what the Orioles traded for Baz today. It’s probably going to cost a lot more than that. Festa could be their next closer and there is no way in hell they are trading Abel after just acquiring him. 

    On 12/19/2025 at 8:58 AM, tony&rodney said:

    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?

    I what world is hitting 40 home runs "like Wallner"?

     

    8 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

    I what world is hitting 40 home runs "like Wallner"?

     

    The rough estimate of times that people on Twins Daily have mentioned that Matt Wallner could possibly hit 40 home runs is easily beyond 50 in various comments. Mayo and Wallner can be seen as mirrors to some extent. 

    Do I buy that? If you read the comments you know that answer. A team of DH types appeals to many people. There is a place in every lineup for a DH, one. How do you view a team full of DH types?

    15 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

    The rough estimate of times that people on Twins Daily have mentioned that Matt Wallner could possibly hit 40 home runs is easily beyond 50 in various comments. Mayo and Wallner can be seen as mirrors to some extent. 

    Do I buy that? If you read the comments you know that answer. A team of DH types appeals to many people. There is a place in every lineup for a DH, one. How do you view a team full of DH types?

    I chuckle at folks that consider Wallner a 40 home run type of guy.  Been around four years and hasn't exceeded 22.  Even his per 162 number is only 30.  Don't think he ever gets to 40.




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