The Minnesota Twins turned over more than one-third of their active roster at the MLB trade deadline, signaling the start of a massive rebuild. Here is a look at who they kept, who was traded, and who they got in return over the last few days.
On Monday, the Twins traded starting pitcher Chris Paddack and reliever Randy Dobnak to the Detroit Tigers for catching prospect Enrique Jimenez. Paddack was 3-9 this season with a 4.95 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 111 innings. Dobnak pitched in one game early in the season for Minnesota before being sent to the minors. He went five and one-third innings of relief, giving up just one run. Jimenez is a 19-year-old Venezuelan who has only played in 138 Rookie and Single-A games. In those games, spanning three seasons, he has accumulated a .254 batting average with 30 doubles, ten home runs, and 69 RBI in 460 at-bats.
On Wednesday, Minnesota sent closer Jhoan Duran to the Philadelphia Phillies. In return, the Twins received rookie right-handed starting pitcher Mick Abel and catching prospect Eduardo Tait. Duran was 6-4 with a 2.01 ERA and 16 saves. Abel started six games for the Phillies and was 2-2 with a 5.04 ERA. Tait is an 18-year-old Panamanian catcher who has hit .288 with 26 homers and 166 RBI in 206 games in Rookie and Single-A ball.
On deadline day, the Twins sent outfielder Harrison Bader to the Phillies for outfielder Hendry Mendez and righty Geremy Villoria. Bader played all three outfield positions this season, hitting .258 with 12 homers, 38 RBI, and ten steals. Mendez is a 21-year-old out of the Dominican Republic who has hit .290 with eight homers, 46 RBI, and six steals in Double-A ball this season. Villoria is a 16-year-old Venezuelan who has started five games in the Dominican Summer League. he has a 4.50 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 14 innings.
On Thursday, the Twins sent righty reliever Brock Stewart to the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder James Outman. Stewart was 2-1 with a 2.38 ERA in 34 innings so far in 2025. Outman spent much of this season in the minors after hitting just .103 with two homers and four RBI in 22 games for the Dodgers this season.
On Thursday, Minnesota traded reliever Danny Coulombe to the Texas Rangers for 22-year-old righty starter Garrett Horn. Coulombe was 1-0 with two saves and a 1.16 ERA in 31 innings. Horn is 0-3 with a 2.92 ERA in 9 starts in Rookie and Single-A ball. He has struck out 34 in 24 2/3 innings.
In perhaps the Twins’ highest-profile deal on deadline day, the team traded shortstop Carlos Correa to the Houston Astros for left-handed pitcher Matt Mikulski in a major salary dump. Minnesota will pay $30 million of the $103.42 million remaining on Correa’s contract. Correa was hitting .267 this season with 19 doubles, seven homers, and 31 RBI in 93 games. Mikulski is a 26-year-old swingman who has a 6.46 ERA and a 9-12 record across five seasons in the minors.
On Thursday, Minnesota traded 2024 All-Star utilityman Willi Castro to the Chicago Cubs for right-handed minor league pitchers Sam Armstrong and Ryan Gallagher. Castro had played seven positions for the Twins this season, including pitcher. He hit .245 with ten homers, 27 RBI, and nine steals in 86 games. Armstrong, 24, has pitched in 19 games (18 starts) at the Double-A level this season with a 2-7 record and a 4.62 ERA. Gallagher, 22, has made 16 combined starts in High-A and Double-A play. He is 4-6 with a 3.43 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 84 innings.
The Twins traded first baseman Ty France and righty reliever Louis Varland to the Toronto Blue Jays for leftfielder Alan Rhoden and lefty starter Kendry Rojas. France hit .251 for the Twins with 19 doubles, six homers, and 44 RBI this season in 101 games. Varland made 51 relief appearances this season and had a 3-3 record with a 2.02 ERA. Rhoden, a 25-year-old rookie, played in 43 games for Toronto and hit .204 with one homer and eight RBI. Rojas has been fast-tracked through the minors this year, from Rookie ball through Triple-A. He has a 1-3 record with a 3.46 ERA and 62 Ks in 41 2/3 innings.
In the final trade that took place on deadline day, Minnesota traded reliever Griffin Jax for Tampa Bay Rays starter Taj Bradley. Jax was 1-5 with a 4.50 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 46 innings. Bradley, a 24-year-old righty, was 6-6 in 21 starts with a 4.61 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 111 1/3 innings.
So, what is left for the Twins after three days of chaos, Minnesota fans? Here is a breakdown. The Twins’ rotation will be Joe Ryan, Simeon Woods Richardson, Taj Bradley, Zebby Matthews, and Mick Abel. Starters Pablo Lopez, Bailey Ober, and David Festa are all on the injured list. The bullpen will consist of Cole Sands as the probable closer, along with Justin Topa, Kody Funderburk, Michael Tonkin, and Noah Davis, with Anthony Misiewicz on the IL. The rest of the bullpen will have to be filled out with minor leaguers and incoming prospects.
As for position players, the Twins have Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vazquez at catcher. They have Royce Lewis at third base, Brooks Lee at shortstop, and utility men Kody Clemens and Mickey Gasper to cover first and second. 1B/2B Luke Keaschall is on the IL. Edouard Julien may be recalled again to play second, as well. In the outfield, Minnesota has Byron Buxton (currently on the IL) in center, Matt Wallner in right, and Trevor Larnach in left. Outman, Rhoden, or DaShawn Keirsey will play centerfield until Buxton returns. Calling up 3B/DH Jose Miranda or corner infielder Jonah Bride is also a possibility.
The main losses for Minnesota were in the bullpen. Losing Duran, Jax, Stewart, Coulombe, and Varland completely decimates what was a fairly solid bullpen. On offense, losing Correa, Bader, and Castro will definitely hurt. That said, the Twins massively overpaid for Correa and were lucky to find a taker for his contract. France and Castro had expiring contracts, as did Bader, although a mutual option could have been exercised for 2026. If Lopez, Ober, and Festa come back healthy, the rotation does not change much.
While it will take Minnesota a while to rebuild the bullpen and figure out who plays where on the right side of the infield, things could have been much worse. Yes, most of the prospects that the Twins received are extremely young, but despite all the talk, the only real star traded away was Correa. This was the biggest sell-off that I have seen any team execute since the Cubs’ post-World Series teardown a few years back, but Chicago traded away most of their core. The Twins kept Buxton, Ryan, Lopez, Ober, Lewis, Lee, Wallner, and Larnach to build around.
I know that it must all seem pretty bleak to Twins fans right now, but as it stands, the team could be back in contention in a couple of years. With all the salary the team dumped this week, it is conceivable that the team could sign a few free agents in the off-season and be back even sooner. Cleveland also sold at the deadline, and the White Sox are still several years from relevancy. So, it is just Kansas City and the Tigers that will be big obstacles next year in the Central.
If I had to grade the trades as a whole, I would give the Twins a B-. I know that sounds overly generous, but hear me out. Minnesota was able to get out of Correa’s terrible contract, saving around $70 million over the next three seasons. Rojas could be in the majors this season. Outman hit very well as a rookie with the Dodgers. That ability is still there if the Twins can just tweak his swing and find it again. Bradley could be a good rotation piece. He is at least as good as Paddock, five years younger, $6 million cheaper, and a little less injury-prone.
So, there it is. The band-aid has been ripped off. Now it is time to let the wound heal. It won’t be long, Twins fans, and you will good as new. Yes, you may want to buy new team merch because many of the names on your jerseys are gone. Beyond that, though, there is still a lot to root for in Minnesota. You just have to dig through the rubble a bit to find it.
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