The Detroit Tigers have acquired starting pitcher Chris Paddack and reliever Randy Dobnak from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for catcher/first baseman Enrique Jimenez, per multiple reports.
Paddack, 29, was originally an 8th round pick of the Miami Marlins in 2015, and was traded to the San Diego Padres in June, 2016, for Fernando Rodney. Paddack saw his stock skyrocket soon thereafter, and as a rookie in 2019, he put up a 3.33 ERA in 26 starts.
Since then, Paddack has not been good. Since 2020 he has had
a 4.91 ERA in 77 starts and three relief appearances, including a 4.99 ERA last year for the Twins and a 4.95 ERA this year. He was part of a rather unfortunate trade for Minnesota, as the Twins sent Taylor Rogers and a failed former first rounder named Brent Rooker to San Diego for Paddack, Emilio Pagan and a player to be named later right before the 2022 season started. Paddack needed Tommy John surgery almost immediately after being acquired, while Rooker, after being traded to Kansas City and claimed on waivers by Oakland, has become one of the best DHs in the league.
Detroit starter Reese Olson has been placed on the 60 day injured list, so Detroit needed someone to plug into their rotation for the time being, and thus Paddack is now a Tiger. He will be a free agent after this season.
Dobnak, meanwhile, is in the final year of a 5 year, $9.25 million deal that he signed before the 2021 season. Since 2021, he has a 6.85 ERA in 65.2 innings covering six starts and 14 relief appearances, and has spent most of that stretch in the minors. He’s not on the 40 man roster, having been designated for assignment in early April, and he has a 7.12 ERA in 60.2 IP for St. Paul this season. I have to assume he was included in the deal as a way for Minnesota to offload his salary — he’s making $3 million this year, and has a $1 million buyout of a $6 million team option for 2026.
Enrique Jimenez, meanwhile, is a 19 year old switch hitter who got a $1.25 million signing bonus out of Venezuela in 2023. He slotted in at #20 on the Twins’ prospect list on the MLB Pipeline rankings. He’s not much of a return, but then, Detroit didn’t get much for him.
