Twins: What to make of the Gary Sanchez/Josh Donaldson trade
We wanted the Minnesota Twins to make some moves, and they’ve responded in a big way. ESPN’s Jeff Passan broke the news late Sunday night that the Twins are sending Josh Donaldson to the New York Yankees for Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela.
Here’s the full breakdown of the trade.
Twins get:
- Gary Sanchez
- Gio Urshela
Yankees get:
- Josh Donaldson
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa
- Ben Rortvedt
After the Twins traded away Mitch Garver, there was a glaring hole at catcher. Maybe Ryan Jeffers is the answer, but I feel more confident with Sanchez filling that position. Last season the 29-year-old hit .204, with 23 home runs and 54 runs batted in. The power is still there, but his batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage have fallen off.
According to Baseball Savant, Sanchez ranked well in categories involving power, exit velocity, etc. However, he was in the bottom percentiles when it came to strikeouts and base on balls.
Other than his 2016 and 2017 seasons, Sanchez has not been a good hitter in terms of batting average. Unless the Twins retool something, we’ll likely see him hit low .200’s with 20 plus home runs.
Contrary to one report, it appears the Twins are not planning on flipping Sanchez. For now, we can expect to see the former Silver Slugger in a Minnesota uniform this season.
Urshela is a nice addition and maybe the best asset they received. He’s a good hitter and does a good job of getting on-base. Last season he hit .267, with 14 home runs and 49 runs batted in.
Urshela fills a position of need (SS, 3B). He’s solid defensively, but he’s not a Gold Glover. He recorded 12 errors on 308 chances (.961) between third and short.
Sanchez is off the books in 2023, and Urshela will be an unrestricted free agent 2024.
Losing Donaldson isn’t the worst thing in the world. Sure, he’s a good competitive player, but he’s 36 years old with a history of injuries and is owed a lot of money.
The biggest takeaway from this trade is the money aspect. The Yankees are taking all of Donaldson’s salary, which is $50 million.
That’s a lot of money the Twins just saved. That doesn’t mean Minnesota has $40-50 million laying around, but it did free up approximately $5 million. Plus, the front office will have more flexibility to spend in the coming years.
This signals the front office isn’t done making moves. Minnesota needs a third baseman, shortstop and more starting pitching. There aren’t that many good pitchers or third basemen left on the free-agent market, which could mean they’re eyeing a shortstop.
Could they find a way to sign Carlos Correa or Trevor Story? They certainly have the money to do so.
Obviously, getting Correa would be a home run, but it’s not likely. Dan Hayes of The Athletic reported the Twins are in contact with Story.
In my opinion, a one-year deal would suffice. However, I wouldn’t be upset if it was a two-to-three-year deal. If you want to know more about Story, you can check out an article I wrote earlier this week.
Because the Twins traded Kiner-Falefa, signing Story has become a real possibility.
With Donaldson in New York, Minnesota may start Urshela at third. But, if I had to predict, I’d say Jose Miranda will be the opening day starter at third.
Miranda benefits the most from this trade, but let’s not forget about Royce Lewis and Austin Martin. Both players will be making their MLB debut in the near future, and these moves have opened up that door.
A quick recap:
- Minnesota is making win-now moves
- Trading Donaldson = more moves to come
- The possibility of Miranda starting at third is increasingly possible
- Minnesota is targeting Story
Stay tuned to Let’s Talk Minnesota Sports because we’ll be breaking down every move the Twins make, and we know there will be plenty more to come.
