On December 15, the Tampa Bay Rays traded ace Tyler Glasnow, outfielder Manuel Margot, and $4 million to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for young starter Ryan Pepiot and outfielder Jonny DeLuca.
Margot, a solid defensive center fielder who hits lefties well, was set to enter 2024 as a part-time outfielder for the new-look Dodgers.
The key word here is was, as in it’s no longer the case.
Why?
Because the Dodgers have reportedly just flipped him to the Minnesota Twins.
“The Minnesota Twins are acquiring outfielder Manuel Margot from the Los Angeles Dodgers for shortstop Noah Miller, sources tell ESPN. Twins get outfield depth, Dodgers get relief from the $12 million owed Margot and a former comp-round pick. First on the deal: @juanctoribio,” MLB insider Jeff Passan tweeted.
The Minnesota Twins are acquiring outfielder Manuel Margot from the Los Angeles Dodgers for shortstop Noah Miller, sources tell ESPN. Twins get outfield depth, Dodgers get relief from the $12 million owed Margot and a former comp-round pick. First on the deal: @juanctoribio.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 26, 2024
Margot’s tenure as a Dodger will be remembered for a long time.
All kidding aside, he is now going to a Twins team in which he should play a considerable amount of games.
At the moment, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, and Matt Wallner are the projected starters in the Twins outfield.
However, if you have watched baseball long enough or are a Twins fan, you know that Buxton and Kepler in particular are notoriously injury-prone, particularly the former.
That might open a door for Margot to be a regular eventually.
He has a .760 career OPS against lefties, and hit .264/.310/.376 with four home runs, nine stolen bases, and a .686 OPS in 99 games in 2023 with the Rays.
As for Miller, he is a competitive balance draft pick from 2021 who has reached High-A.
He has a long way to go, but he is still 21 and the Dodgers see potential in him.
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