The Prospect the Twins Should Trade to Help the Major League Club in 2027

Khadim Diaw’s productive year and Minnesota’s catching depth make him a logical trade candidate, provided the return addresses a meaningful pitching need.

Minnesota Twins mascot T.C. Bear. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Minnesota Twins should be willing to trade catching prospect Khadim Diaw for Major League pitching this offseason. His productive year and the organization’s catching depth give the club a way to pursue help without beginning every negotiation with its highest-ranked prospects.

The Twins would be surrendering a legitimate potential contributor. Diaw’s progress makes him worth keeping, which also makes him worth considering in a deal that improves the 2027 roster.

Minnesota should target a reliever who can handle meaningful innings next year and remain under club control beyond 2027. That is a proposed acquisition standard, not a report that the front office is shopping Diaw or that another organization has made an offer.

The case depends on using a position of strength to address a different weakness. It also requires the Twins to resolve their immediate catching plan before treating a promising young catcher as expendable.

Diaw Has Value, but His Best Position Is Crowded

Minnesota Twins 2026 first-round draft pick Vahn Lackey and manager Derek Shelton. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Diaw hit .306/.417/.452 with nine home runs in 107 games between High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita during 2026. He drew 56 walks against 71 strikeouts, giving interested evaluators a record of contact and on-base production to assess. 

MLB Pipeline ranked Diaw No. 9 in Minnesota’s system, behind fellow catchers Vahn Lackey and Eduardo Tait. Those rankings help illustrate the depth without guaranteeing how any of the three will develop. 

Diaw also reached a higher level than Lackey and Tait this year. That gives him a plausible path to helping the Twins sooner, rather than making him a player with no future opportunity.

His positional flexibility complicates the calculation. On SI’s evaluation of whether Diaw should move away from catcher, he examined his outfield experience and the different offensive demands that would accompany such a switch.

An outfield move would place him in another crowded group. The early 2027 roster projection included Byron Buxton, Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, and Luke Keaschall among the players needing outfield or designated hitter opportunities.

Keeping Diaw at catcher preserves the position where his bat could provide the most value. Trading him could allow another organization to develop that combination while Minnesota acquires pitching it can use immediately.

The Return Must Justify Losing a Potential Catching Answer

Minnesota Twins catcher Victor Caratini. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The strongest argument against moving Diaw is the uncertainty behind the plate. Victor Caratini is under contract for 2027, but the Twins still need to establish how the rest of their catching workload will be covered. 

Minnesota extended Ryan Jeffers a qualifying offer Monday; he has until Nov. 17 to respond. That decision leaves several possible outcomes for the catching position.

If Diaw continues advancing, he could become an inexpensive option before Lackey or Tait is ready. Moving him while relying entirely on younger catching prospects would increase the consequences of an injury or stalled development.

The Twins, therefore, should secure their Major League catching arrangement before completing a trade that sends Diaw elsewhere. Organizational depth has value because prospects can fail; it should never be mistaken for a guarantee that every vacancy is covered.

The pitching return also must clear a meaningful threshold. A reliever capable of protecting leads in the sixth and seventh innings, with additional control, would fit the objective better than a marginal arm acquired merely to complete a deal.

A club with established relief pitching and a thin catching pipeline could have a reason to consider that exchange. Actual availability, medical information and the rest of the package would determine whether the clubs could reach an agreement.

Diaw should not be presented as sufficient by himself to acquire an established star. The Twins would need to evaluate the full prospect cost, salary and expected contribution before deciding whether the improvement justifies the loss.

The Twins’ realistic offseason plan makes multiple bullpen additions a priority. Diaw offers one way to pursue that work while retaining other highly regarded prospects.

Minnesota should explore those conversations and be willing to trade him for a substantial upgrade. If the available return falls short, his catching potential remains valuable enough to keep.