Once one of the most promising Twins on the roster, Edouard Julien’s time with the Twins has come to a close. The Twins announced they traded Julien and pitching Pierson Ohl to the Colorado Rockies in exchange
for right-handed pitching prospect Jace Kaminska.
Julien, 26, was instrumental to the Twins’ 2023 playoff run when they finally broke their 20-year postseason losing streak. In 109 games, he hit .263/.381/.459 with 16 home runs, a 134 wRC+, and 2.7 fWAR. Unfortunately, in the two seasons since then, he’s combined to hit .208/.299/.324, 11 homers, a 79 wRC+, and -0.8 fWAR. Never a good defender, his defense went from “poor” to “unplayable” in his final two years in Minnesota.
The fall came hard and fast for a player who always struck out too much and started getting exploited by pitchers who had better scouting reports on him. With Julien out of options, him getting surpassed by Luke Keaschall and Kody Clemens, and his lack of defensive ability, there simply wasn’t a role for him on the Twins’ roster anymore. Instead, he’ll get a chance to revitalize his career in hitter-friendly Coors Field where his power should play well.
Ohl, meanwhile, just made his Twins debut last season and served as a multi-inning reliever and spot starter when injuries piled up for the pitching staff in the middle of 2025. His surface level 5.10 ERA was ugly, but his 4.20 FIP and 3.99 xFIP combined with solid, if unspectacular, strikeout and walk rates made him look like he could be a decent mid-game reliever. As a pitcher who relies on his changeup as his “out” pitch, there’s a good chance Ohl will be less affected by the elevation in Colorado compared to other pitchers.
Kaminska, 24, was the Rockies’ 10th-round pick in 2023. He missed all of 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery, but pitched very well in 2024 in the hitter-friendly California League. Kaminska threw 87.1 innings to the tune of a 2.78 ERA/3.13 FIP while striking out 104 batters and walking just 12. His ERA and FIP were 41% and 35% better than league average, for context. He’ll miss the beginning of the 2026 season due to the elbow surgery, but should make his return in the first half of this year.
