Dodgers trade Diego Cartaya to Twins

The Twins have acquired previous top catching prospects Diego Cartaya from the Dodgers in exchange for the minor league right-hander Jose Vasquezaccording to announcements from both clubs. Cartaya was designated for assignment earlier this week. Minnesota had an open 40-man roster spot and their roster is now full.

As recently as two years ago, Cartaya was a consensus top-20 prospect in the entire sport. He’s still just 23 years old, but the Venezuelan-born backstop’s offensive development has stalled in the upper minors. Back in 2022, Cartaya slashed a combined .254/.389/.503 with 22 homers and a 14.3% walk rate across two Class-A levels. He has followed that with lackluster performances in both Double-A (.204/.303/.379 in two seasons) and Triple-A (.208/.293/.350 in 208 plate appearances last year).

Although his bat has not progressed, scouting reports in recent seasons have praised improved glove work from the 6’3″, 219-pound Cartaya. Both Baseball America and MLB.com noted in their 2024 midseason reports on Cartaya that he made notable gains with his framing, receiving and blocking. He had already been touted for plus arm strength, though appalling accuracy has led to an average 20% catch-stealing rate in his five minor league seasons.

If nothing else, the tools are there for Cartaya to be a solid defender behind the plate and a patient, OBP-focused hitter in the batter’s box. He posted a solid .247/.370/.377 slash against lefties last year, though it came in just 92 plate appearances, and he struggled mightily against southpaws in a similar test a year earlier. Cartaya still has a minor league option year remaining, so the Twins can send him to Triple-A to begin the season without having to place him on waivers.

The Twins already have an above-average starter Ryan Jeffers and an expensive, glove-first backup in Christian Vazquez. Catcher Jair Camargo and catcher/first baseman Mickey Gasper (acquired from the Red Sox last month) are both on the 40-man roster as well. Minnesota has been hoping to trade Vazquez and a portion of his $10 million salary as they try to trim the payroll. There could well be a market if they’re willing to eat around half that sum, and the addition of Cartaya creates some additional depth in case they actually move Vazquez (or, more surprisingly, listen to offers at Jeffers).

In exchange for Cartaya, the Dodgers will pick up a project right-hander. Vasquez, listed at 6’4″ and 200 pounds, signed with the Twins out of the Dominican Republic as part of their 2022 international class. He has spent the past two years — his age-18 and age-19 seasons — pitching for Minnesota’s affiliate in the Dominican Summer League. The bottom line results aren’t much to look at as Vasquez has been tagged to an 8.05 ERA in 57 innings. Part of that, though, was a soaring ERA north of 11.00 in 2023. He pitched to a more palatable 4.99 mark in 30 2/3 frames this past season.

Command was a big issue for Vasquez in ’23, as evidenced by a terrible 21.9% walk rate. However, he made great strides in 2024, cutting that mark in half (10.7%) while nearly doubling his strikeout rate from 17.8% to 32.1%. He was a bit older than the average DSL player last year and figures to head to one of the Dodgers’ full-season affiliates in 2025. There’s obvious bat-lacking potential for the lanky right-hander, but he’ll have to to do it. further wins with his command and find a way to get left-handed opponents out. Vasquez was entitled to a terrible .203/.309/.290 output in 2024, but was burned for a .314/.407/.392 line against southpaws.