The Minnesota Twins moved Gio Urshela to the Los Angeles Angels for RHP prospect Alejandro Hidalgo. While this is a disappointing move, the trade does make a lot of sense for the Twins.

I was a big fan of Urshela, and I’m going to miss him next season. Moving on from him isn’t a surprise, and it makes a lot of sense for Minnesota. The veteran third baseman was going to make close to $10 million this offseason, and this front office can prioritize that money elsewhere.

On top of that, Urshela was going to become a free agent in 2024. Would the Twins re-sign him then? Probably not. Counter argument: Keep him for one more year because he was productive on both sides of the ball.

This is true, and I’m not opposed to this idea. However, the Twins have options at third base, and giving their young players everyday at-bats will set this franchise up for long-term success.

Who plays third?

• Jose Miranda slides to third base, and Alex Kirilloff and Luis Arraez take turns at first base.
• Twins re-sign Carlos Correa/other free agent, move Royce Lewis to third base
• Kyle Farmer is a stop-gap option before Lewis returns.

I like the second idea the most.

Lewis and Correa on the left side of the diamond have the potential of being one of the best duos in baseball. Both players are explosive on offense and defense. This gives Lewis the chance to develop and build off of his short 2022 season.

Miranda can continue to play first with Arraez, and Kirilloff can play right field. That pushes Max Kepler to a fourth outfield option, which is music to many fans’ ears.

Who is Hidalgo?

Hidalgo was the No. 22 prospect in the Angels system and is now the Twins’ 25th top prospect. Don’t expect to see him in a Twins uniform anytime soon, as he’s only 19 years old.

Hidalgo spent a bit of time on the injured list last year and made his last appearance in June for the Angels Single-A team.

Last season he went 0-3, with an ERA of 4.62 and a WHIP of 1.36. He’s got good command of the ball and finished with a K% of 33.1 and a BB% of 10.9.

His fastball sits in the low 90s and has a pretty-looking curveball. He needs to improve his changeup, but his fastball and curveball have developed nicely. As long as he can work on his changeup, he has the makeup of a future starter.

For someone who is only 19, Hidalgo has moved through the ranks quickly. It’ll be interesting to see how he develops in the Twins system, but it looks like Minnesota got a good one.

While losing Urshela hurts, the Twins were able to add a young starting pitching prospect in Hidalgo. This also opens the door for Minnesota’s young guys like Miranda, Kirilloff and Lewis.

Kyler Farmer:

The Twins made a move for veteran shortstop/third baseman Kyle Farmer. Farmer is 32 years old and hit .255, with 14 home runs.

This is more of a depth move, but he should get playing time behind Miranda, Lewis, etc.

The Twins sent Casey Legumina to the Cincinnati Reds in this trade. Last season, he posted an ERA of 4.80 and a WHIP of 1.44. If we’re being honest, Legumina wasn’t going to progress much further/fare any better. He’s already 25 and didn’t have much success in Double-A. He was even moved to a bullpen role down the stretch.

Be sure to stay tuned to Let’s Talk Minnesota Sports, as we’ll be going over every move the Twins make.