Spencer Steer is making the Twins' trade for Tyler Mahle look worse
When the Minnesota Twins traded Spencer Steer for Tyler Mahle last summer, it seemed like a deal that could help jumpstart a middling starting rotation. Everyone knew the Twins were giving up a talented prospect, but Mahle was worth it.
Hindsight being 20:20 and all, the trade has been disastrous for the Twins.
Mahle pitched in five games last season before a bum shoulder shut him down, and his 2023 campaign is over because of continued arm problems that resulted in the veteran right-handed needing Tommy John surgery. Meanwhile, Steer is performing at a high level for the Reds.
On Friday, Steer was named the National League Rookie of the Month after he finished May by hitting .318 with six home runs, eight doubles, a triple and 19 RBIs. For the season, the 25-year-old is slashing .286/.355/.495 with eight home runs, 15 doubles, two triples and 28 RBIs.
Here's how Steer's numbers this season would rank among everyday players if he played for the Twins:
- AVG: #2
- OBP: #2
- SLG: #1
- OPS: #1
- HR: #3
- Doubles: #1
- Triples: #1
- RBIs: #1
- Hits: #1
- Runs: #2
Steer has 59 hits. Byron Buxton leads the Twins with 40 hits.
Steer has 102 total bases. Buxton leads the Twins with 80 total bases.
The only player on the Twins who is playing at a level anywhere near Steer is Alex Kirilloff, who doesn't qualify in rankings with Steer because he only has 77 at-bats.
And it's not just Steer that the Twins have to worry about in the future. They also traded Christian Encarnacion-Strand to the Reds in the Mahle deal. Encarnacion-Strand is at Triple-A Louisville and he's dominating, slashing .333/.388/.693 with 14 homers and 37 RBIs in 37 games this season.
It's not the Twins' fault that Mahle didn't work out. But it's a deal that could hang over their heads for years to come, especially since Mahle is an unrestricted free agent this winter.
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.