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Minnesota Twins Trade Veteran Starter to Division Rival
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- Minnesota Twins Trade Veteran Starter to Division Rival
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Twins have already indicated they are open for business when it comes to their impending free agents. That group has six players including Harrison Bader , Willi Castro , Christian Vazquez , Chris Paddack , Ty France , and Danny Coulombe .
At least three of them should be expected to move prior to Thursday's Major League Baseball trade deadline. There is less certainty regarding Paddack, Vazquez, and France, but the starter has resurrected his value in recent weeks.
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If there's a team looking to piece together innings and add a starter as a bullpen piece before the postseason, then Paddack represents just that. The Detroit Tigers came calling.
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Detroit Tigers acquire Minnesota Twins Chris Paddack
Chris Paddack is in the final year of his three-year contract with the Minnesota Twins. It was assumed the front office may entertain moving his $7.5 million this offseason, but he returned and has been healthy. The Detroit Tigers are now add him as an additional starting option.
Full trade, per ESPN sources:
Detroit receives: RHP Chris Paddack and RHP Randy Dobnak
Minnesota receives: C/1B Enrique Jimenez— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 28, 2025
Across 21 starts this season Paddack has posted a 4.95 ERA (4.39 FIP) for the Twins. He has struck out a career-low 6.7 batters per nine innings but is coming off the best start of his season. Against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, Paddack went six innings allowing just a single run on four hits while striking out eight.
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He gave up 11 runs in two starts during July, but he had a 17 game stretch that culminated in a 3.93 ERA, from April through the July 4. That also includes a nine run (eight earned) blowup against the Houston Astros .
There's no reason to expect a sizable return for Paddack. He's a middling veteran that present a back-end rotation option. Minnesota gets Enrique Jimenez in return though, and they clear the final portion of his salary this season. Of course that last bit is exciting to the Pohlad family in conversations to sell the team.
When the Minnesota Twins traded Taylor Rogers and Brent Rooker to the San Diego Padres , they grabbed Emilio Pagan and Paddack hoping for the rookie version of the starter. He had a 3.33 ERA (3.95 FIP) across 26 starts in 2019 but never returned to that former.
Related: Houston Astros Coming for MN Twins Trade Candidate
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Detroit was not the only team looking to acquire Paddack. Jon Heyman reports that the Tampa Bay Rays also were interested in his services. Again, while Paddack has been mediocre at best, there's no reason he can't eat innings down the stretch.
It will be interesting to see how the Tigers use him in the postseason if he makes the roster. Paddack was scheduled to pitch for Minnesota on Tuesday against Boston . They will now need another arm to fill that opening.
Randy Dobnak included in MN Twins trade
Randy Dobnak being included in the trade also helps the Twins bottom line. He was signed to a five-year, $9.25 million deal prior to the 2021 season. The Tigers are now on the hook for the final amount of his $3 million this season and $1 million buyout next year.
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Dobnak made the Opening Day roster this season for Minnesota, but his career was dramatically altered due to the finger injury he suffered in 2022. He had a 1.69 ERA in 5 1/3 innings with the Twins, but a 7.12 ERA across 60 2/3 innings with Triple-A St. Paul this season.
March 2019: Randy Dobnak drives for Uber during Spring Training.
October 2019: Randy Dobnak starts Game 2 of the ALDS for the Twins at Yankee Stadium.
Life's crazy, man. pic.twitter.com/kG2G12rAWt— Cut4 (@Cut4) October 5, 2019
His success story will go down as one of the best in recent Twins memory. Undrafted out of now-defunct Alderson-Broaddus, he went from independent baseball to pitching in a postseason game at Yankee Stadium for the Twins. He will forever be among the best people to don a Twins uniform.
Enrique Jimenez comes to MN Twins
Paddack will join the Detroit Tigers big league roster immediately. The minor league prospect acquired for him won't be with the Twins for some time. Enrique Jimenez is just 19 years old and played in the Complex League this year for Detroit.
Full trade: The Tigers are acquiring right-hander Chris Paddack from the Twins for catcher/first baseman Enrique Jimenez, source said. Deal is done.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) July 28, 2025
It was his second season in the Complex League. Last year Jimenez posted a .242/.366/.376 slash line across 43 games. In 48 games this year he owned a .250/.339/.440 slash line. Jimenez splits time behind the plate and at catcher while hoping to develop into a big league option.
Enrique Jiménez launches a 2-run homer to left. It's his 4th home run of the season. pic.twitter.com/A6yThduSJz
— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) June 5, 2025
Jimenez ranked 14th in the Tigers system according to MLB Pipeline.
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Realistically this is about the Twins clearing salary, and the addition of potential flier is just icing on the cake. With the Twins catching depth changing in recent weeks, maybe Jimenez can be an option years down the road.
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