CLEVELAND — Major Developments in the Twins’ Roster Changes
As a wave of player departures swept through the Minnesota Twins, Griffin Jax sought a trade of his own on Thursday, a request that was granted just minutes before the deadline.
The Twins had uncertainty about finding suitable offers for their high-performing setup man initially, as the trade market was slow to develop. However, an inquiry from the Tampa Bay Rays about trading Jax for promising young pitcher Taj Bradley led to a surprising deal just before the 5 p.m. CT cutoff.
Unlike the earlier trade of Jhoan Duran, which the Twins executed due to attractive offers, the situation with Jax was different. Duran was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, shortly after Jax had a confrontation with manager Rocco Baldelli following a heavy loss to Boston.
The Twins gained promising talent in that Duran deal, including Triple-A pitcher Mick Abel and potential All-Star catcher Eduardo Tait, currently ranked No. 56 on MLB Pipeline’s top-100 prospect list. Interest in Jax grew later in the afternoon, despite an earlier lack of offers.
Derek Falvey, the Twins’ president of baseball operations, noted that while the Duran deal provided high-value returns, discussions regarding Jax were not as fruitful until the connection with Tampa Bay arose. Notably, Jax’s frustration with Baldelli, although not the motivation for the trade, coincidentally contributed to the timing of the deal.
As the team began major roster changes on Thursday, including Carlos Correa’s unexpected return to the Astros, Jax requested a trade from his representative. Despite initial beliefs that he would stay with the Twins, erroneous reports about Joe Ryan’s trade status caused Jax anxiety about his own future on the team.
In the aftermath of these trades, several players were contacted by team ownership to express gratitude. The Twins have also initiated talks with veteran free agent Ryan Pressly for a possible reunion, and they acquired young pitcher Geremy Villoria through a trade with the Phillies. The future of catching prospect Eduardo Tait remains uncertain, with debates over his position viability.
