Twins trade Jorge Polanco to Mariners for four players

Minnesota receives three pitchers in the deal.

The Twins announced they traded second baseman Jorge Polanco to the Seattle Mariners on Monday in a deal that brings four players — two major leaguers and two minor leaguers — to Minneapolis. 

We have announced the following trade: pic.twitter.com/TqxilBSg23

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) January 30, 2024

The Twins acquired right-handed starter Anthony DeSclafani, right-handed reliever Justin Topa, outfield prospect Gabriel Gonzalez and right-handed pitching prospect Darren Bowen. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that the Mariners are also including cash in the deal to offset DeSclafani's salary of $12 million. 

Polanco was the longest-tenured Twins player, but with Minnesota touting a plethora of infield depth, it has been actively shopping Polanco, who hit .255 last season with 48 RBIs and 14 home runs. He'd long been an iron man for the Twins but played just 80 games in 2023 due to a knee injury. 

DeSclafani, 33, made 18 starts for the San Francisco Giants in 2023, finishing the year with a 4-8 record and a 4.88 earned-run average. In 99 2/3 innings, he struck out 79 batters and walked 20 while allowing 104 hits. The Mariners acquired DeSclafani in early January, shipping left-handed starter Robbie Ray to the Bay Area for him, outfielder Mitch Haniger and cash considerations. 

Topa, 32, meanwhile, made 75 appearances in 2023 for the Mariners, posting a 5-4 record and 2.61 ERA. He pitched 69 innings, recording 61 strikeouts and just 18 walks while allowing 61 hits. He also had three saves. 

Gonzalez, 20, is the No. 79 prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline. He hit .298 with 18 home runs and 84 RBIs across Single-A and High-A in 2023. Bowen, 22, was 4-2 with a 2.88 ERA in Single-A last season. In 19 appearances, he pitched 55 2/3 innings, striking out 59 while allowing 36 hits and walking 25.