Inside The Dodgers

Dodgers Trade Former Top Prospect to AL Contender in Disappointing Development

Noah Camras

Feb 28, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Diego Cartaya against the Cincinnati Reds during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Feb 28, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Diego Cartaya against the Cincinnati Reds during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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The Los Angeles Dodgers traded former top prospect Diego Cartaya to the Minnesota Twins on Thursday for minor league pitcher Jose Vasquez.

Cartaya was designated for assignment by the Dodgers last week, giving them a week to find a potential trading partner for the 23-year-old catcher.

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On Thursday, the Dodgers found one, as the Twins decided to skip the waiver line and add the former No. 1 prospect.

Cartaya signed with the Dodgers as an international free agent in 2018. He quickly rose the prospect ranks, and was the team's No.1 overall prospect in 2023, per MLB Pipeline.

Cartaya was expected to be a future star in Los Angeles, however, upon reaching the upper minor league levels, he struggled.

During the 2023 season, Cartaya slashed .189/.278/.379 with 19 home runs and 57 runs batted in. Then, last season, across Double-A and Triple-A, he slashed .221/.323/.363 with 11 home runs and 52 RBIs. His .657 OPS in 2023 and .686 OPS in 2024 were both a far cry from the .892 OPS he had in 2022, or the 1.023 OPS he had in 2021.

So, despite once being a highly-ranked prospect, Cartaya is now heading to Minnesota, where he'll hope to develop into a solid MLB player.

As for the return, the Dodgers are getting a 20-year-old pitcher who has spent the last two seasons in the Dominican Summer League.

In 2023, he had an ERA of 11.62 across 26.1 innings. In 2024, he had an ERA of 4.99 across 30.2 innings.

The Dodgers will hope to develop Vasquez into a capable major league pitcher. However, he's still a handful of years away from potentially contributing at the MLB level.

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Noah Camras
NOAH CAMRAS

Noah graduated from USC in 2022 with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in Sports Media Studies. He is the lead editor for Inside the Dodgers. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, and grew up a fan of all LA sports. 

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