Twins Acquire Manuel Margot After Two Month Stint With Dodgers

In a recent trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Minnesota Twins acquired outfielder Manuel Margot and minor league shortstop Rayne Doncon as well as cash considerations in exchange for minor league shortstop Noah Miller. In return, L.A. was also able to free up enough cap space to sign Kiké Hernández to a one-year $4 million deal.

Margot was signed to the Dodgers in December but only appeared in two Cactus League games before being traded to the Twins earlier this week. Before that, the 29-year-old played four seasons each with the Padres and Rays with a .255 batting average, 52 home runs and 91 stolen bases. Margot is set to make $10 million this year, with a $12 million option for the Twins to pick up next year. It was the second time he was traded since December and the fourth time in his career.

“That’s part of the game,” Margot said through an interpreter. “It’s really hard, especially getting adapted. You have to get adapted really quick to the organization you’re going to. … It wasn’t surprising. My lawyer had already told me in the morning that there was a move, that I had to be ready. I was expecting it.”

His role on the team will be in replace of Michael Taylor, who left as a free agent after hitting 23 home runs in 2023. Despite hitting 0/6 in his two spring training games with the Dodgers, Twins’ management was impressed by his quick turnaround between teams.

“A guy that can complement your very well against left-handed pitching,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He helps you in the middle of the field. He does a lot of things skill-set-wise. We talked about rounding our team out with the right kinds of players, he is that kind of player. He’s a great character add for our team off the field and in the clubhouse.”

Margot was acquired to play with and behind center fielder Bryon Buxton following knee injuries last season. And though they’ve met on the field in the past in the form of robbing each other of home runs, Buxton seemed confident about his team’s new signing.

“Him being able to show up today should tell you his character,” Buxton said. “Got traded yesterday and being on the plane and getting here, he actually asked [if he] was playing today. That’s something you don’t see very often, and just shows you the person he is and the character he has to make us better.”

In the trade Minnesota also landed 20-year-old Doncon signed out of the Dominican Republic, who played last season on Class A Rancho Cucamonga.

For the Dodgers, they received 2021 amateur draft pick Noah Miller, who played last season with the Class A Cedar Rapids team. L.A. was also able to keep Hernández, who they received in a trade with the Boston Red Sox last July. He hit .237 for 11 home runs and 61 RBIs in 140 games in 2023 and resigned as a free agent following the trade with the Twins. Hernández also played with the Dodgers from 2015-2020, batting a career-high .307 in his first year with the team.

Minnesota finished last season with an 87-75 record, losing three games to one in the divisional round of the playoffs. With the addition of Margot as a key defensive piece, the team will look to make bigger strides and hope for more playoff success. The Dodgers have won 100 games in five of the past seven seasons, and by holding on to Hernández the team can only hope that they’ll have another successful year.