The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the market for bullpen help, and one of the targets they have been linked to is the Minnesota Twins’ Griffin Jax.
Jax has a 4.09 ERA and opponents are hitting .243 against him this season, but he ranks in the top five among all relievers in terms of strikeouts and has the best strikeout-to-walk ratio in the group.
Jax is not the only Twins reliever that teams are reportedly interest in, with Jhoan Duran also the subject of MLB trade deadline rumors.
With a 49-53 record, the Twins find themselves in no man’s land as the trade deadline approaches. They are 10.5 games back of the Detroit Tigers for first place in the American League Central. However, they are only five games back of the final Wild Card spot.
Jax knows that the chances he remains with the team that drafted him aren’t great even if he isn’t dealt this season. The whole situation has him feeling very conflicted, according to Dan Hayes of the Athletic:
“Odds are I’m not going to finish my career here,” Jax said. “That’s just kind of like the trajectory of a lot of high-end relievers. That’s typically the path. I’m emotionally torn because a huge part of me wants nothing to do but to spend the rest of my career here. This is basically all they’ve known. But at the same time, it’s exciting to see.”
In some contexts, being traded can be seen as a negative for the player. But for Jax, it is an acknowledgment of his talent and ability to help a contender pursue a championship:
“We know that there’s going to be a lot of pieces moved at different times,” Jax said. “They add and subtract at all times to help boost the major-league roster. … It’s a compliment to know that there’s other teams out there that really think that I could help push them forward. It’s sad, but at the same time, it’s exciting.”
Jax has been a part of the Twins organization since 2016, when he was drafted in the third round. He made his MLB debut in 2021 and has had a role in their pitching staff ever since.
Jax has two arbitration years left before becoming a free agent. He signed a one-year, $2.365 million contract with the Twins in the offseason to avoid arbitration for 2025. The right-hander is set to be a free agent in 2028.
Griffin Jax’s career stats
Jax has a career 4.01 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 374 strikeouts in 334.2 innings. Jax had his best season in 2024, with a 2.03 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 95 strikeouts in 71 innings.
The Dodgers got a first-hand look at Jax during their series against the Twins this week. The right-hander appeared twice in the series, with a scoreless inning in his first outing. But he struggled Wednesday, allowing two runs on two hits while walking two batters as the Dodgers secured a walk-off win.
