The Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins agreed to a trade on Monday, with L.A. sending outfielder Manuel Margot — acquired just a couple months ago from Tampa Bay as part of the Tyler Glasnow deal — to the Twins in exchange for Minor League shortstop Noah Miller. Infield prospect Rayne Doncon will also head to Minnesota to complete the three-player deal.
#Dodgers have traded Manuel Margot to the Twins, source tells https://t.co/JAgfwpSef4.
— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) February 26, 2024
From the moment the Dodgers acquired Margot, he seemed to be a bit of an awkward fit — and a potential trade candidate. Given the platoon splits of starters James Outman and Jason Heyward already in tow, Los Angeles needed another lefty-mashing outfielder to round things out. Margot is technically a right-handed hitter, but he’s been about as mediocre against lefties as righties in recent years. Combine that with his $12 million price tag for 2024 — money that becomes exponentially more expensive given how deep their offseason spending spree pushed the Dodgers into the luxury tax — and keeping him around didn’t feel like the best allocation of resources. (Minutes after word of the Margot trade broke, veteran utility man Enrique Hernandez announced that he’d re-signed with the Dodgers, a far snugger and cheaper fit for L.A.’s roster than Margot given his versatility and career .257/.343/.458 line against lefty pitching.)
In return, they pick up Miller, the 36th overall pick back in 2021 who spent all of last season at High-A. Miller’s calling card will always be his defense: It is a genuinely elite glove at shortstop, one of the very best in the Minors, and he’ll be a plus at the six at the big-league level for a long time. If he can be even passable at the plate, that is. Miller slashed just .223/.309/.340 in 2023, and while he’s a cold-weather prep prospect who didn’t turn 21 until after the season ended, he just doesn’t do much damage with the bat at all right now. Of course, if any organization can change that, it’s the Dodgers, and his defense gives him a reasonable floor either way.
Minnesota, meanwhile, found itself in need of some outfield insurance as it once again hopes that Byron Buxton can hold up over a full season in center field. Buxton’s potential is obvious, but he’s yet to crack even 100 games played in a season since 2017; it was simply untenable to not bring another capable center fielder in just in case things go sideways. Margot fits that bill pretty nicely, a guy who can play all three outfield spots, hits righties and lefties about equally well and provides a right-handed counterbalance to Matt Wallner and Max Kepler. The Twins had reportedly been considering a reunion with Michael A. Taylor, but that apparently wasn’t in the cards.
