The trade that sent Taylor Rogers to the Padres and Chris Paddack to the Twins has been completed, with the Twins receiving 19-year-old pitching prospect Brayan Medina.
Medina qualifies as the “player to be named later” that was announced when the trade went down just before the start of the regular season. The right-hander was signed by the Padres out of Venezuela in 2019 and made his minor league debut in 2021.
According to MLB.com, he was San Diego’s 14th-best prospect and projects as a future starter with a fastball that can reach the mid- to upper-90s.
“Medina is still growing into his 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame but already pitches with good velocity and should be able to add a bit more in the future. His fastball, which features good late life, sits in the mid-90s and touches the upper-90s on occasion. He also throws an above-average slider and shows good feel for a promising changeup.
“Medina repeats his delivery well and aggressively attacks hitters when he’s on the mound. He shows a good feel for all his pitches, but his consistency will need to improve. The right-hander issued 24 walks over 33 2/3 innings last season and although that’s a small sample size, it’s worth noting. That being said, Medina is still just 19 years old and the Padres are high on him. If he’s able to make the necessary adjustments to his command, he projects as a starter long-term.”
Medina struck out 49 batters in 33.1 innings in rookie league last year.
Paddack has made two starts since being acquired by the Twins, most recently allowing two runs on five hits with four strikeouts in five innings against the Royals Wednesday night. The Twins have yet to score a run for Paddack.
Rogers has been dominant as the closer for the Padres, allowing just one hit and one walk in five innings. All five of his one-inning outings have been saves.
