Breaking: Brock Stewart Back to LA in Trade With MN Twins

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Brock Stewart, Minnesota Twins
Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

One of the best success stories over the course of recent Minnesota Twins seasons has been Brock Stewart. Once a 6th round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Stewart had a rising profile only to be wrecked by injuries.

After being out of the big leagues for nearly five years, Stewart resurfaced with the Twins and showcased electric stuff. While the injury concerns persisted, he was among the best high-leverage arms in the sport.

Brock Stewart, Minnesota Twins
Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

As Derek Falvey continues the Twins selloff, that started with Duran and continued with Bader, Stewart gets to go back to where it all started to try and win a ring.

Dodgers get Brock Stewart from Minnesota Twins

Brock Stewart has been healthy for the Minnesota Twins this season, something that is a rather uncommon for him. And now with the season having reached uncompetitive status, it makes sense for him to go and succeed elsewhere. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a perfect landing place.

Minnesota has used Stewart in 39 games this season, and he owns an impressive 2.38 ERA across 34 innings. He has a 41/11 K/BB and is every bit as dominant as any other late-inning reliever.

In 2023, his first season with the Twins, Stewart owned a 0.65 ERA and went 14 games without allowing a run. Across his 28 appearances, he allowed just two, and they came in the same game. Unfortunately injuries cut that season short and he pitched just 43 1/3 innings the past two seasons.

It makes sense for the Twins to cash in on Stewart while he is pitching well and healthy. The Dodgers bullpen needs serious help with Kirby Yates struggling and Tanner Scott hurt. They had interest in both Jhoan Duran (who went to the Philadelphia Phillies) and Griffin Jax.

Related: Breaking: Harrison Bader Traded to Philadelphia Phillies

Ultimately Los Angeles landed on a name that has familiarity to them. This could be a fun full-circle moment for Brock and his family.

James Outman heads to Minnesota Twins

The return for Brock Stewart took time to be reported as the Los Angeles Dodgers poured over the pitcher’s extensive injury history. In the end though, it seems the MN Twins did quite well.

Outman was a seventh round pick in 2018 and isn’t arbitration eligible until 2027. He generated plenty of prospect hype despite never hitting a top 100 list. In 2024 with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Outman slashed .279/.390/.543 with 17 home runs.

This season across 70 Triple-A games Outman owns a .289/.378/.592 slash line with 20 home runs. He already has four years of big league experience under his belt, but most of it has been sporadic.

As a rookie in 2023 Outman played 151 games and batted .248/.353/.437 with 23 home runs. There was a ton of strikeouts (181), but he also drew 68 walks. Opportunity in the Dodgers outfield is tough to come by and he has largely been castoff getting just 75 games of action the last two seasons. He owns a poor .514 OPS but is a prime candidate for a change of scenery.

Outman can play all three outfield positions, but brings a level of redundancy as another left-handed bat. Still, this is a pretty solid return for a reliever with an extensive injury history. Expect him to immediately play on the Twins big league roster as a Harrison Bader replacement.

In his lone season playing primarily at the big-league level, Outman accumulated eight outs above average and seven field run value in centerfield. He might not be peak Byron Buxton in centerfield, but he can be Bader or better defensively.

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