So, about that backlog in Minnesota…looks like it’s been taken care of, for now at least. The Twins have traded center fielder Aaron Hicks to the Yankees for catcher John Ryan Murphy.
OFFICIAL: #MNTwins acquire C John Ryan Murphy (@JRMurphy513) from #Yankees for OF Aaron Hicks. pic.twitter.com/6I7M9GsQbJ
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) November 11, 2015
The 26-year old Hicks had a breakout year in 2015 after struggling in both 2013 and 2014. In 97 games, Hicks hit 11 homers and stole 13 bases to go along with a .256/.323/.398 line. However, with Minnesota winning the bidding for Korean first baseman Byung-ho Park, their outfield and corner infield positions got a bit more crowded, opening the door for a player (or maybe even two) to be moved.
Earlier today, we hypothesized about Trevor Plouffe being a fit with the Angels, which looks a bit less likely after the Hicks trade. Plouffe getting moved looks a bit less likely now.
Murphy is a 24-year old catcher that started getting regular playing time behind the plate with the Yankees in 2015, hitting .277/.327/.406 with three homers in 67 games. Veteran Kurt Suzuki was the primary backstop with the Twins in 2015, and struggled to a .240/.296/.314 line with five homers in 131 games. Suzuki is still signed for $6 million in 2016, but it wouldn’t shock me at all if Murphy began to get the bulk of the playing time for the Twins behind the plate.
What about this trade from the Yankees side of things? Hicks will likely end up replacing free agent Chris Young as New York’s fourth outfielder, but I would not be shocked to see him begin to get more playing time in 2016. After all, Carlos Beltran simply cannot play the outfield every day anymore, Jacoby Ellsbury has always struggled with his health (and in 2015, his production level dropped as well), and Brett Gardner’s named has been popping up more and more in trade rumors.
The Twins also gain more control with Murphy than with Hicks – their new catcher won’t be a free agent until after 2020, while Hicks will be a free agent after 2019, and is also eligible for arbitration a year earlier.
Minnesota did pretty well to upgrade their catching while giving up a guy who really didn’t seem to be in their long-term plans. As for the Yankees, Murphy wasn’t going to displace Brian McCann behind the plate any time soon, and McCann won’t be moved from catcher until at least 2017 because of the multiple millions owed to Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez. Hicks helps them replace Young for less money, freeing up a little extra cash (not that the Yankees suddenly need to be worried about their finances) to upgrade the rest of the bench or pitching staff.
