Minnesota Twins do the Los Angeles Dodgers a favor
By Ryan Sanders
The Minnesota Twins have acquired Kenta Maeda as part of the blockbuster Mookie Betts deal. The Twins also sent Brusdar Graterol to Boston to complete the deal.
The NBA and MLB had quite a night of competing trades but since you are reading Call To The Pen, let’s assume you care more about the MLB one. The Mookie Betts trade rumor saga finally came to a close as the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, and Los Angeles Dodgers completed a massive deal that makes the Dodgers NL favorites and probably World Series favorites.
The Red Sox and Dodgers needed a third team to complete the deal and the Twins were willing participants, acquiring RHP Kenta Maeda and sending pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol to Boston.
The Twins have made a number of signings already this offseason to bolster their rotation including Jake Odorizzi, Homer Bailey, Michael Pineda, and Rich Hill. That makes their acquiring of Kenta Maeda a bit confusing especially because it cost them a high-end prospect in Brusdar Graterol.
Maeda is absolutely a solid option that will help the Twins rotation and he comes on a team-friendly contract. Maeda is under team control for the next four years and will only cost the Twins $12.5M.
He has been consistent in each of the past two seasons posting seasons of 2.4 and 2.5 fWAR. The issue is Maeda isn’t always healthy as his innings total the past three seasons has been 153, 125, and 134. Maeda is good when he’s out there but he doesn’t have the premium stuff you want in a playoff rotation.
Pivoting to former Twins prospect Brusdar Graterol, he will roll into Red Sox spring training looking to compete for innings in both the rotation or in the bullpen. Graterol made an electric 10 inning MLB cameo in 2019 and showed video game level stuff.
Graterol features a 70 fastball, a 60 slider, and has the potential for an average change-up. Even with below-average command, potential starters like that don’t grow on trees which make it all the more puzzling from the Minnesota Twins perspective.
Worst case scenario the Red Sox just acquired their future closer for the next six seasons which should excite fans after last seasons boondoggle. The Twins may have been concerned about Graterol’s future health and pitching role as his weight shot up to 265 pounds. Nevertheless, Graterol posted solid numbers throughout the minor leagues and made it to the MLB level as a 21-year-old.
The Twins role in this deal is quite confusing. They weren’t under any pressure to make this deal and while Maeda is an alright pitcher the Twins have a litany of similar options they already signed. If their internal assessments are down on Brusdar Graterol, that’s fine but they could have marketed him in their own deals to acquire someone with more upside. With the current makeup of MLB executives, cheap, young, controllable players are the biggest commodity and the Twins gave up one of their best prospects for four years of a back-end starting pitcher.
The Twins did the Dodgers a huge favor giving up the second high upside prospect needed to secure Betts going to LA. The Red Sox meanwhile have to be ecstatic to bring an arm like Graterol who worst case should be an electric arm out of the bullpen that helps immediately.
Teams should be bold especially as the Minnesota Twins look to repeat as AL Central Champions, but boldness should look different than Kenta Maeda.