Dodgers trade Diego Cartaya to Twins

The Twins have acquired the former top catcher prospect Diego Cartaya from the Dodgers in exchange for a minor league right-hander Jose Vasquezaccording to announcements from both clubs. Cartaya was designated for deployment earlier this week. Minnesota had an open roster spot for 40 players, and their roster is now full.

Just two years ago, Cartaya was one of the top 20 prospects in the entire sport. He’s only 23 years old, but the Venezuela-born backstop’s offensive development has stalled in the upper minors. In 2022, Cartaya slashed .254/.389/.503 with 22 home runs and a 14.3% walk rate at two Class A levels combined. That was followed by lackluster performances in both Double-A (.204/.303/.379 in two seasons) and Triple-A (.208/.293/.350 in 208 plate appearances last year).

Even though his bat hasn’t improved, scouting reports in recent seasons have praised the 6-foot, 200-pound Cartaya’s improved glove workmanship. Both Baseball America and MLB.com noted in their 2024 midseason reports on Cartaya that he has made notable progress with his framing, receiving and blocking. He has already been praised for his superior arm strength, although his shaky accuracy has led to an average steal rate of about 20% in his five minor league seasons.

Last but not least, Cartaya has the tools to be a solid defender behind the plate and a patient, OBP-focused hitter in the batter’s box. Last year, he posted a solid .247/.370/.377 slash against lefties, despite only making 92 plate appearances and having major problems against southpaws in a similar sample a year earlier. Cartaya still has a minor league option year left, so the Twins can send him to Triple-A early in the season without having to pass him through waivers.

The Twins already have an above-average starter Ryan Jeffers and an expensive, glove-wearing backup in Christian Vazquez. Catcher Jair Camargo and catcher/first baseman Mickey Gasper (acquired from the Red Sox last month) are also both on the 40-man roster. Minnesota has hoped to trade Vazquez and some of his $10 million salary to reduce payroll. There could well be a market if they were willing to gobble up around half that sum, and the addition of Cartaya creates a bit more depth in the event they actually move Vazquez (or, more surprisingly, on offers from Jeffers hear).

In exchange for Cartaya, the Dodgers will acquire a project right-hander. Vasquez, listed at 6’3″ tall and weighing 200 pounds, signed with the Twins from the Dominican Republic as part of their 2022 international class. He has spent the last two years – his age 18 and 19 seasons – spent pitching for Minnesota’s affiliate in the Dominican Summer League. The final results aren’t much to look at, as Vasquez was tagged for an 8.05 ERA in 57 innings. Part of that, however, was a sky-high ERA north of 11.00 in 2023. He hit a more comfortable mark of 4.99 in 30 2/3 frames last season.

Command was a major problem for Vasquez in 1923, as evidenced by an atrocious 21.9% walk rate. However, he made major strides in 2024, cutting that mark in half (10.7%) while also nearly doubling his strikeout rate from 17.8% to 32.1%. He was a little older than the average DSL player last year and expects to move to one of the Dodgers’ seasonal affiliates in 2025. There’s obviously potential for the lanky right-hander to not hit the bat, but he needs to use his command to make further gains and find a way to shut out left-handed opponents. Vasquez held righties to a terrible .203/.309/.290 performance in 2024, but was annihilated for a .314/.407/.392 line against southpaws.