Monday night’s trade that sent veteran infielder Jorge Polanco from the Twins to the Mariners netted Minnesota a fourth prospect who is ranked among the 100 best in baseball.
Details of the trade:
- Mariners get: Jorge Polanco
- Twins get: RHP Anthony DeSclafani, RHP Justin Topa, OF Gabriel Gonzalez, RHP Darren Bowen, cash
DeSclafani figures to compete with Louie Varland for a spot in the starting rotation while Topa will immediately join the bullpen as a right-handed option. Bowen is a pitching prospect while Gonzalez appears to be the most valuable part of the return package as he was Seattle’s No. 3 prospect and was just recently ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 79 prospect in the majors.
Gonzalez is now the fourth Twins prospect in the top 100 at MLB Pipeline, joining outfielder Walker Jenkins (No. 10), shortstop Brooks Lee (No. 18) and outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez (No. 42).
Gonzalez just turned 20 on Jan. 4. Last year between Class A and A+ he slashed .298/.361/.476 with 18 homers, 23 doubles, four triples and 84 RBs in just 116 games.
Here’s how MLB Pipeline describes his upside:
Gonzalez’s ability to drive the ball is important because he’s limited to a corner outfield spot, putting more pressure on his bat. He’s a fringy runner now and might slow down as he matures, though he has decent defensive instincts and has an absolute hose for an arm. He has to keep staying on top of his body and conditioning, and he’s young enough to grow into tapping into his power to fit that corner profile well.
A few years from now the Twins, if they hold onto their prospects, could feature a starting outfield of Jenkins in center with Rodriguez and Gonzalez flanking him in the corner outfield spots.
Gabriel González displayed his power during his first year in the DSL. #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/0hCDPJsGS1
— Mariners Player Development (@MsPlayerDev) October 9, 2021
