The Los Angeles Dodgers made a series of roster moves on Monday, beginning with the trade of Manuel Margot and prospect Rayne Doncon to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Minor League shortstop Noah Miller.
Margot was originally acquired in the deal that brought Tyler Glasnow to L.A. during the offseason. The 29-year-old always seemed to be a curious fit with the Dodgers due to his high salary, waning production over recent years, and his status as the fifth outfielder and 26th man on the roster.
Moreover, Margot has played in just 188 of 324 possible games since the start of the 2022 season because of several injuries. He was projected to be a possible option to platoon in the outfield, but will now fill that role with the Twins.
Prior to moving him to Minnesota, the Dodgers reportedly discussed a trade that would have sent Margot to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Kenley Jansen, but talks never advanced far, via Juan Toribio of MLB.com:
At one point in the offseason, the Dodgers engaged with the Red Sox on a possible swap that would’ve sent Margot to Boston in exchange for longtime Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen. Those discussions never progressed past the initial stages and fizzled out pretty quickly into the process, sources told MLB.com.
Margot was originally signed by the Red Sox as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2011 but never played in a game with the team. He was traded to the San Diego Padres after the 2015 season in the blockbuster that brought Craig Kimbrel to Boston.
The Red Sox have been looking to shed payroll since the start of the offseason with Jansen being an obvious trade candidate as he is due to earn $16 million this year.
It isn’t clear if the Red Sox are still interested in moving Jansen now that Spring Training has started, but the Dodgers remain a potential fit as a reunion with their all-time saves leader would further strengthen the bullpen.
Manuel Margot trade makes room for Kiké Hernández
The Dodgers trading Margot to the Twins paved the way for the team to re-sign Kiké Hernández to a one-year contract. L.A. worked quickly to clear a spot on their 40-man and active rosters in the wake of reports suggesting the utility man was nearing a free agency decision.
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