Twins Send Defensive Whiz Noah Miller To Dodgers For Manuel Margot

Image credit: Noah Miller (Mike Janes/Four Seam Images)

If you are making a list of the best gloves in the minors, you won’t go very long before you’re mentioning Noah Miller’s name.

But there are real concerns about whether Miller will ever hit enough to let his defensive wizardry play at the big league level, which is why the Dodgers were able to acquire him from the Twins in exchange for veteran outfielder Manuel Margot. The Twins also received power prospect Rayne Doncon as part of the trade.

Twins Get

Manuel Margot, OF

Age: 29

The Twins have a relatively deep lineup, but one ongoing concern has been the team’s depth in the outfield, especially in center field. The plan for this year is to have Byron Buxton return to the outfield after he served exclusively as a designated hitter in 2023. With Michael A. Taylor still on the free agent market, the Twins didn’t have an experienced backup plan for when Buxton needs a day off or spends time on the injured list, something that has been a normal part of Buxton’s career.

The acquisition of Margot solves that concern, and he gives Minnesota’s lefthanded-heavy outfield a righthanded-hitting option. Margot is set to earn $10 million this year, and has a $12 million team option for 2025, with a $2 million buyout. The Dodgers receive some salary relief with this trade, as well as clearing a spot on the 40-man roster.

Rayne Doncon, 3B

Age: 20

Doncon was a 2021 international signee, who ranked No. 22 on the Dodgers Top 30 Prospects list heading into 2022. Doncon has long impressed with his power potential, but his first exposure to full-season ball in 2023 also illustrated some of his weaknesses. He can crush a fastball, but he hit .215/.283/.368 at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga. Doncon’s strike-zone discipline will have to improve if he’s going to develop into a big leaguer, but he will flash plus-plus raw power. Doncon is a fluid defender at third base and is playable at second base.

Dodgers Get

Noah Miller, SS

Age: 22

Miller is an exceptional defender at shortstop. He projects as a 65 defender at the position, and if a team needed a player to fill in at the major league level to provide solid defense, Miller is likely capable of handling the job right now, even though he’s yet to play a game above Class A. But if Miller is ever going to be a big leaguer, he’s going to have to develop significantly as a hitter. He will draw a walk, but he’s a sub-.220 career minor league hitter with extremely modest power as well. Miller’s defense gives the Dodgers a lot of reasons to try to see if they can help him unlock more offensive impact, but even glove-first shortstops like Jose Iglesias and Nick Ahmed hit in the minors—both of them hit better than .260 for their MiLB careers, Miller has only hit .260 or better for three of the 14 months of his pro career.