It wasn’t that long ago that Diego Cartaya was regarded as one of the best catching prospects in the minor leagues, but his path through the minor leagues hasn’t gone to plan and last week the Los Angeles Dodgers designated him for assignment to make room on their 40-man roster.
On Thursday, the Twins grabbed Cartaya in a trade for minor league pitcher Jose Vasquez as a lottery ticket that could pay off down the road if they can help the 23-year-old find some offensive consistency.
Cartaya, who was Baseball America’s No. 13 overall prospect before the 2023 season, hit .221 with a .686 OPS between Double- and Triple-A last season with 11 home runs and 113 strikeouts. A year earlier he hit .189 with a .379 OPS in Double-A, although he did hit 19 home runs in 93 games.
The Twins now have four catchers on their 40-man roster. Behind Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vázquez, they also have Cartaya and Jair Camargo, as well as utilityman Mickey Gasper, acquired in a trade for Jovani Moran earlier this offseason, who can also catch.
Vasquez, 20, has yet to pitch at a level above the Dominican Summer League. Last year, he posted a 4.99 earned-run average across 30⅔ innings pitched.
No arbitration
The Twins came to terms with all eight of their remaining arbitration-eligible players on Thursday, a large group that includes a lot of regulars, such as utilityman Willi Castro ($6.4 million), catcher Ryan Jeffers ($4.55 million) and relievers Jhoan Duran ($4.125 million) and Griffin Jax ($2.365 million).
Also in that group were starters Bailey Ober ($3.55 million) and Joe Ryan ($3 million), outfielder Trevor Larnach ($2.1 million) and infielder Royce Lewis ($1.625 million). They previously came to terms with relievers Justin Topa, Michael Tonkin and Brock Stewart, who were also arbitration eligible.
With those numbers firmly set, the Twins now have a clearer picture of their payroll situation as they build out the roster for the upcoming year. They have yet to make a big pffseason move to add to their major league roster, though they are expected to at least be active on the trade front ahead of the 2025 season even if they don’t have much flexibility to add to the payroll.
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