The Minnesota Twins acquired infielder Eric Wagaman from the Miami Marlins on Friday in exchange for minor league reliever Kade Bragg. Wagaman, who hit .250 with nine home runs in his first full MLB season last year, adds right-handed balance to the Twins' corner infield and designated hitter positions. The Marlins gain a promising left-handed pitching prospect to bolster their bullpen.
The trade, announced on Friday, sees the Twins sending 24-year-old left-hander Kade Bragg to the Marlins for 28-year-old right-handed hitter Eric Wagaman. Wagaman served as Miami's primary first baseman in 2025, posting a .250/.296/.378 slash line over 514 plate appearances, including nine home runs, 28 doubles, and 53 RBIs. He also appeared in left field, right field, third base, and as the designated hitter for the Marlins. In his MLB debut year with the Angels in 2024, Wagaman played almost exclusively at third base.
Wagaman has shown stronger performance against left-handed pitching, with a career .267/.302/.429 line in 202 plate appearances. This makes him a fit for the Twins, who have an abundance of left-handed hitters like switch-hitter Josh Bell—recently signed as a free agent—along with Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach, Kody Clemens, Alan Roden, James Outman, and Edouard Julien competing for corner and DH spots. Wagaman finished the 2025 season strongly, batting .291/.341/.472 from August 1 onward, with 13 extra-base hits in 138 plate appearances.
Bragg, selected by the Twins in the 17th round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Angelo State University, pitched effectively in relief across three minor league levels in 2025. He recorded a 2.94 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and five saves in 67 1/3 innings, striking out 82 batters. He concluded the year at Double-A Wichita with a 3.22 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 8.46 strikeouts per nine innings, and 3.63 walks per nine in 15 outings.
The Marlins, who designated Wagaman for assignment earlier in the week to acquire outfielder Esteury Ruiz from the Dodgers, addressed a need for left-handed relief options. Their current 40-man roster lefties include Cade Gibson, Josh Simpson, and Andrew Nardi, with limited depth in the upper minors.
To accommodate Wagaman, the Twins designated infielder Ryan Fitzgerald for assignment, giving them seven days to trade or release him.
