The Minnesota Twins are trying to trade Chris Paddack but Roki Sasaki’s decision to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers could finally put a trade in motion
The Minnesota Twins have played the waiting game this offseason but Roki Sasaki’s decision to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night could represent a turning point.
The Twins were never in on Sasaki, pitching to his agent Joel Wolfe but never getting a face-to-face meeting with the Japanese phenom according to The Athletic’s Dan Hayes. But Sasaki’s decision was highly anticipated not just by fans but by baseball executives who were waiting to see where he would end up.
Now that we have the answer, teams could pivot to contingency plans and it could be the perfect opportunity for the Twins to shop Chris Paddack to the teams that lost out on Sasaki..
Twins haven’t been able to find a suitable trade for Chris Paddack
Paddack was widely speculated as an offseason trade candidate and KSTP’s Darren Wolfson reported the Twins had an offer on the table for the right-hander earlier this month, although the trade wasn’t anything Minnesota “could wrap their arms around.”
The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman also said he was surprised the Twins didn’t dump Paddack’s $7.5 million salary this offseason even if meant getting little in return to make moves during free agency.
I
thought they would really make an effort to shed as much of that salary as they could,” Gleeman said on Foul Territory
earlier this week. “Even if it equaled not getting much in return just so…you could go out there and fill some of the most pressing needs for the team.”
The slow market could have been due to Paddack’s track record. A two-time recipient of Tommy John surgery, the 29-year-old hasn’t thrown more than 100 innings in a season since 2021 and is coming off a lackluster campaign with the Twins, going 5-3 with a 4.99 ERA in 17 starts before he was shut down due to arm fatigue.o
Teams also know that the Twins have enough arms to replace Paddack including Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa and Zebby Matthews, leading to some low-ball offers during the early months of the season.
Blue Jays, Padres could be Chris Paddack suitors after missing out on Roki Sasaki
Paddack may not sound appealing but he could become more attractive after Sasaki’s decision. The San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays were runners-up in the Sasaki sweepstakes and may now pivot to affordable options to enhance their starting rotation.
The Padres may be a stretch as San Diego originally traded Paddack to the Twins in 2022 and are dealing with ownership drama involving family members of late owner Peter Seidler. While the Padres could trade for Paddack as an attempt to keep up with the Dodgers, they’re just as likely to go the other direction and start selling pieces including Dylan Cease and Luis Arraez.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays could be a more intriguing partner. Toronto has been in on multiple free agents this offseason from Sasaki to Juan Soto and still seems interested in adding pieces, trading for Cleveland Guardians outfielder Myles Straw and “accelerating” talks with former Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander.
Paddack isn’t going to make anyone forget about losing out on Sasaki but he can be a low-cost option in a market that has exploded with massive pitching contracts. The cliche that it takes one phone call could be true here and Sasaki’s decision could finally allow the Twins to shed Paddack’s salary.
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