The Minnesota Twins’ trade for Manuel Margot from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for a Top 25 prospect was one of the more unexpected offseason transactions.
The Dodgers’ farm system ranks Noah Miller 26th, so the price wasn’t all that high. Instead, it was the internal costs that left some perplexed about the decision. After receiving $6 million back from Los Angeles, the Twins have paid off the majority of Margot’s contract, leaving them only responsible for $4 million. However, Minnesota continued to increase payroll—something the franchise didn’t seem to be willing to do in a significant way—and could have saved that cash without trading for a top prospect.
Austin Martin was the greatest loser in the Margot trade; prior to the transaction, he appeared to be a lock for a spot on the Opening Day roster. Martin was supposed to platoon with Byron Buxton at centerfield, covering for him in case of injury.
Rather, the Twins acquired Margot as a safeguard against Martin, and we’re going to find out if that turns out to be a wise decision.
At last, the Twins’ trade for Manuel Margot is being tested.
Right knee pain forced Buxton to leave Wednesday’s game against the Chicago White Sox, and it appears that an extended stay on the injured list is imminent. The Twins would be smart to halt Buxton’s season and save the frequently injured superstar for the long run, even if the ailment isn’t serious and the MRI results are benign.
That would imply the insurance coverage for Margot would start to pay out, which hasn’t seemed like a big concern thus far.
This season, Margot has been really awful thus far. He’s getting awful hits.182/.270/.255 with a significantly lower OPS than his previous career high. Not only is Margot’s poor hitting performance concerning, but his offensive was the main selling point in his acquisition.
Michael A. Taylor could have returned to the Twins to play the same role he did the previous season, but Margot’s better offensive ability ultimately proved to be the decisive factor.
Taylor is hitting while Margot is having trouble.253/.301/.293 with the Pirates and maintaining the kind of success the Twins didn’t think he was capable of. That’s something that adds insult to injury to the transaction, even without taking into account the fact that Minnesota trampled on its own rights in terms of having the ideal internal plan.
During the winter, all we heard was that the team had enough talent to get it through the ownership’s $30 million payroll cut. However, Martin was overlooked in favor of Margot even though he might wind up taking Buxton’s spot in the end.
For the Twins, Martin was more effective offensively and had a greater defensive impact than Margot, who has declined this year. Martin is anticipated to be recalled and added back to the 26-man roster if Buxton is placed on the disabled list, but the fact that things have to get this difficult only serves to emphasize how simple things could have been.
Nevertheless, with more playing time, Margot could be able to improve things. When the Twins acquired him, he was hitting.281/.341/.420 for a.761 OPS versus left-handed pitching. If he can return to that level of output, the insurance policy was unquestionably worthwhile.
A large portion of that is wishful thinking, which has shown to be a losing tactic for the Twins. It was the proper decision for Buxton to obtain insurance, but we’re going to find out if they were able to
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