Manuel Margot finds a seemingly perfect fit with Twins after trade from Dodgers

FORT MYERS, FLA. – Willi Castro spent 261 innings playing center field last season, roughly one-third of his total playing time and more than any position except left field. So he naturally had a strong opinion this week when the Twins made a trade to acquire Manuel Margot, who figures to eat into Castro’s playing opportunities in 2024.

“It’s a great trade!” Castro said. “He’s going to bring some good games to the team. I’m glad he is here.”

Castro and Margot share the same offseason hitting coach in Tampa during the winter, so “I was with him basically the whole offseason,” Castro said. “We were training together and hitting together. Great guy.”

That seemed to be the consensus opinion in the Twins’ clubhouse on Wednesday — and the 29-year-old Margot appeared equally happy to be part of his third team in three months as well. After being dealt by the Rays to the Dodgers in December, Margot played only two Cactus League games before the Dodgers flipped him to Minnesota.

“That’s part of the game. It’s really hard, especially getting adapted [to new surroundings],” Margot said through interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “You have to get adapted really quick to the organization you’re going to.”

Nobody got a quicker start than Margot, who was playing in Scottsdale, on the east edge of greater Phoenix, when he got word that he’d been traded. He drove 45 minutes across town to his apartment near Dodgers camp, hurriedly packed his belongings, and hustled to the airport for an evening flight to Tampa.

“It was a crazy day. I tried to pack everything, put it all in a suitcase,” Margot said. “My lawyer had already told me in the morning that if there was a move, I had to be ready. … But it was a quick turnaround.”

Now Margot, originally drafted by the Red Sox but who spent four seasons apiece with San Diego and Tampa Bay, will fill the role held most of last season by Michael A. Taylor: A right-handed hitter who can play any outfield position.

Taylor was a more accomplished fielder than Margot, whose glove work declined last year from his previous elite status, but Margot is four years younger and a better hitter, one who gets on base more frequently and strikes out far less than Taylor.

“He’s a plus fielder in the corners, and has a good reputation in center field — we’ve heard a lot about how instinctive he is out there — so he offers us some [injury] protection,” said Derek Falvey, the Twins’ president of baseball operations. “It’s no secret we have left-handed hitting corner outfielders, so there will be some opportunities for [Margot] when you’re facing left-handed pitching.”

Margot battled pain in his right elbow last season before undergoing surgery in mid-August to remove some bone chips, but he returned after missing only a month and posted an .839 OPS to help the Rays earn a wild-card postseason spot.

The elbow “feels really good now,” he said. “I worked really hard this offseason for me to be stronger in spring training.”