Twins Trade Curtiss to Angels for Daniel Ozoria

[Nick Nelson]

The Twins announced tonight that they've acquired minor-league infielder Daniel Ozoria from the Angels in exchange for RHP John Curtiss, who was DFA'ed to make room on the roster for Blake Parker.

 

Ozoria is an 18-year-old infielder who is listed at 5'9" and an almost impossibly tiny 135 lbs. He has a .222/.293/.263 line in around 500 rookie-league at-bats but the Twins are obviously hoping he gets bigger and stronger. Here's a Baseball America report from when he signed for $125K back in 2016:

 

His youth shows in his extremely thin, underdeveloped frame at around 5-foot-9, 135 pounds, but the actions and instincts are there for him to play shortstop. Ozoria has clean hands, a nose for the ball and can make throws on the run from different angles with an average arm. The biggest thing for Ozoria will be getting stronger, which should help his tools, including his arm and fringy speed, improve. That process could take time though, and might hold him back initially at the plate, but he does make contact against live pitching. Ozoria trained with Felito Cueto.

Definitely a lotto ticket, but nice to at least get that for Curtiss as opposed to nothing. Curtiss joins J.T. Chargois as promising Twins relievers lost to LA in roster crunches over the past year.

[Seth Stohs]

Well, they got something for Curtiss... So, that's something. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

The Twins announced tonight that they've acquired minor-league infielder Daniel Ozoria from the Angels in exchange for RHP John Curtiss, who was DFA'ed to make room on the roster for Blake Parker.

 

Ozoria is an 18-year-old infielder who is listed at 5'9" and an almost impossibly tiny 135 lbs. He has a .222/.293/.263 line in around 500 rookie-league at-bats but the Twins are obviously hoping he gets bigger and stronger. Here's a Baseball America report from when he signed for $125K back in 2016:

 

Definitely a lotto ticket, but nice to at least get that for Curtiss as opposed to nothing. Curtiss joins J.T. Chargois as promising Twins relievers lost to LA in roster crunches over the past year.

 

 

I'll have to check to see his weight... though it may not be too far off, but I'm guessing he's gained weight since signing. when we got Twins minor leaguers weights from season's end, there were so many way off, especially the players from the Latin American countries. I think Brusdar Graterol was listed at like 170 and he's actually like 250 now. 

 

But yes, just a lotto ticket for a DFA guy. Thought maybe there would be more teams competing for Curtiss and they might get something a little more. But, this guy must be a good glove or something.

 

[ashbury]

Well, they got something for Curtiss... So, that's something.

 

"My sixth round draft pick five years ago didn't pan out, but I did trade him for a light-hitting young shortstop. So I got that goin' for me, which is nice."

[Dman]

Fangraphs had this to say about him in January of 2018.  "Daniel Ozoria, INF – Ozoria is a speedy little 17-year-old Dominican shortstop who has promising bat control and makeup. He’s listed at 5-foot-9, 135 and desperately needs to add strength to be a viable prospect, but his build is such that I’m optimistic. He projects as a utility man."  

 

Glad they got something.  Being young they don't have to worry about losing him in rule V for a while.  I was hoping for a good young pitching prospect though.  Sort of pitcher close to ready for pitcher far from ready scenario.  I am guessing this is the best deal they could get though.  

 

Hope he takes off for us but he seems like quite the lotto ticket from what I can find out about him.

[ChrisKnutson]

Surprised we haven’t done this with Jake Reed yet.

[Han Joelo]

It's like they traded Curtiss and a couple of million bucks to the Angels for Parker and (scrolls up, then back down) Ozoria.

[ashbury]

Fangraphs had this to say about him in January of 2018.  "Daniel Ozoria, INF – Ozoria is a speedy little 17-year-old Dominican shortstop who has promising bat control and makeup. He’s listed at 5-foot-9, 135 and desperately needs to add strength to be a viable prospect, but his build is such that I’m optimistic. He projects as a utility man."  

 

Glad they got something.  Being young they don't have to worry about losing him in rule V for a while.  I was hoping for a good young pitching prospect though.  Sort of pitcher close to ready for pitcher far from ready scenario.  I am guessing this is the best deal they could get though.  

 

Hope he takes off for us but he seems like quite the lotto ticket from what I can find out about him.

My (hopefully) good-natured snark earlier aside, I'm not bothered by the trade. You aren't going to get much for a guy you are about to ask waivers on when adding a free agent. They couldn't have gotten much more for Curtiss prior to DFAing him either, since other teams probably value him about the same as the Twins FO does.

 

Regarding the guy we got, he's so young and already has 2 professional years under his belt. I forget exactly how long these Dominican prospects have before becoming eligible for Rule-5. Five years, maybe six? If so, then he'll be only about 21 when the Twins have to make the first big decision about him, before they fully know what they have got. Kind of like the case with Jorge Polanco, and that one wound up being a bit painful to let the process play out. I'm glad they got a young prospect, but one this young is a bit of a mixed blessing.

[DocBauer]

So a 26yo fireballing RP with quality SO numbers but some control issues is not only not worth even a single extended shot, but is in so little demand when available, DFA or not-he's available, that he's worth a diminutive SS flier from rookie ball.

 

Sometimes I just feel like I have no idea what's going on anymore.

[Dman]

 

So a 26yo fireballing RP with quality SO numbers but some control issues is not only not worth even a single extended shot, but is in so little demand when available, DFA or not-he's available, that he's worth a diminutive SS flier from rookie ball.

Sometimes I just feel like I have no idea what's going on anymore.

 

Yeah maybe they should try and work a trade for Chargios and his decent MLB K9 numbers along with his OK ERA and five years of control instead of cutting him for a rule V pick that they got rid of in two months.

 

I guess this FO believes that if you are going to make a mistake do it with relievers because it won't hurt quite so much?  I mean I hope they are right about Curtis and he can't make it but personally I think he is gonna be OK.  He's on a team that will use him now so he should be just fine. I wish him well with his new team.

[jorgenswest]

The Angels opened up a spot on their 40 by not tendering Parker and then fill a spot with a younger reliever who became available when a team signed Parker.

 

Is it a matter of a few million dollars or does it shed light on the Angels confidence in Parker sustaining his performance?

[nicksaviking]

I think the pattern has become pretty clear, the organizational relievers with control issues are getting little to no leash. The starters perhaps a bit more so, which used to be the other way around as far as traditional prerogative went.

 

That’s probably the path we should be expecting going forward anyhow.

[Seth Stohs]

 

It's like they traded Curtiss and a couple of million bucks to the Angels for Parker and (scrolls up, then back down) Ozoria.

 

And, I will not be surprised if Curtiss proves to be better than Parker the next two years. And I think Parker is fine, but again, I just think that Curtiss could be really good... 

[operation mindcrime]

I'm thinking Jose Altuve as a comp for Ozoria!

[gunnarthor]

I don't particularly like this move but I liked Curtiss and didn't think Molly gave him any real chance to prove himself in the majors.

[nater79a]

 

Surprised we haven’t done this with Jake Reed yet.

 

Twins sure like to DFA young pitchers brought on board by the previous regime.  Melotakis, Chargois,  Rosario, Curtiss, Slegers, Jorge...   Also, Burdi and Bard left exposed to the Rule 5.

 

Has the current front office DFA'd a young position player off the 40 yet?  There must be someone I'm forgetting.

[jud6312]

 

Surprised we haven’t done this with Jake Reed yet.

Give it time.

[nater79a]

135 lbs?!!

 

Dig in, Daniel...

 

 

[Nick Nelson]

 

I don't particularly like this move but I liked Curtiss and didn't think Molly gave him any real chance to prove himself in the majors.

I really feel for the guy.

 

One of the frustrating moments of the season was that May 1st game against Toronto where he was called in for the 10th inning of a tie game against Toronto, for his second MLB appearance of the season. Poor guy was a complete mess: can't find the zone, gets stolen on twice, then lets two runs (go-ahead and insurance) in on wild pitches. I'll never forget how terrible I felt for him – a 25-year-old rookie, called up a few days earlier, who never should've been in that position. 

 

He melts down, they lose the game, he gets shipped back to Triple-A until September. 

 

Who knows what'll happen with him, but I feel safe in saying he didn't get a fair shake here. The minor-league numbers are really hard to ignore. 

[KirbyDome89]

I was hoping for moves like this, but in the opposite direction. I thought this FO would be going after hard throwing young guys with minor league success that might be a tweak or two away from being solid, controllable bullpen pieces. The Parker signing is fine in a vacuum but I don't understand:

 

1. Why Curtiss needed to be the roster casualty.

2. Why this FO seems to loathe any young arm they didn't acquire. Kinley and Haley were literally forced onto the active roster via the Rule V for a month each and we had the misfortune of watching Belisle try to pitch for four months last season. Did/does the leash for certain in house options need to be so short?

 

[diehardtwinsfan]

Again, I'd have kept Curtiss instead of say Duffey... 

 

On the flip side, I"m glad they got somethign for him. This is, as others pointed out, a lotto ticket. Maybe when he beefs up the bat improves with it and he's a starting SS.. who knows. I'm not holding out hope for that though.

[Platoon]

The Twins announced tonight that they've acquired minor-league infielder Daniel Ozoria from the Angels in exchange for RHP John Curtiss, who was DFA'ed to make room on the roster for Blake Parker.

 

Ozoria is an 18-year-old infielder who is listed at 5'9" and an almost impossibly tiny 135 lbs. He has a .222/.293/.263 line in around 500 rookie-league at-bats but the Twins are obviously hoping he gets bigger and stronger. Here's a Baseball America report from when he signed for $125K back in 2016:

 

 

Definitely a lotto ticket, but nice to at least get that for Curtiss as opposed to nothing. Curtiss joins J.T. Chargois as promising Twins relievers lost to LA in roster crunches over the past year.

You used "roster crunches" and "Twins" in the same sentence? The question is, after watching the Twins BP for the past several years, why the crunch. What possibly could have been lost by an extended evaluation of some of these crunched relievers? As for Orzoria, when I saw the Strib's online pic, said to myself, "please, I hope it's not the little guy in the middle" .

[MN_ExPat]

Per MLBTR this morning...

 

"The Twins have signed right-hander Jeff Ames to a minor league contract, MLBTR has learned. Ames, 28 at the end of the month, hasn’t cracked the big leagues and had mixed results between Double-A and Triple-A with the Brewers and Nats last season. He’s averaged better than 11 strikeouts per nine innings pitched across the past two seasons but has also averaged more than five walks per nine in that time.

 

Ames has a 4.50 ERA in 64 career innings at the Triple-A level and a 2.66 ERA in 125 frames of Double-A ball. Though he’s been an extreme fly-ball pitcher throughout his minor league career, Ames hasn’t struggled with home runs much outside of the 2018 campaign, when he surrendered six big flies in 38 total innings of relief (1.42 HR/9)."

[rdehring]

We all should disregard the 135#.  That was per the article when he was signed right after his 16th birthday, two years ago.  Don't know what he is today, but is likely more than 135.

 

We all knew the Twins would be in a roster crunch.  Everyone wants them to sign at least two relievers.  Well, the roster is full at 40, so someone has to go.  Agree with Seth and others that Curtiss didn't get a good look.  However, every time I saw him pitch (on tv) it wasn't good.  No surprise that he is the first to go.  If they get another better late reliever, someone else will need to go.  Maybe we all should stop grinding our teeth over it, eh?

[tarheeltwinsfan]

 

Per MLBTR this morning...

 

"The Twins have signed right-hander Jeff Ames to a minor league contract, MLBTR has learned. Ames, 28 at the end of the month, hasn’t cracked the big leagues and had mixed results between Double-A and Triple-A with the Brewers and Nats last season. He’s averaged better than 11 strikeouts per nine innings pitched across the past two seasons but has also averaged more than five walks per nine in that time.

 

Ames has a 4.50 ERA in 64 career innings at the Triple-A level and a 2.66 ERA in 125 frames of Double-A ball. Though he’s been an extreme fly-ball pitcher throughout his minor league career, Ames hasn’t struggled with home runs much outside of the 2018 campaign, when he surrendered six big flies in 38 total innings of relief (1.42 HR/9)."

I'd rather have Curtiss than Ames. What gives?

[AceWrigley]

The Jeff Ames signing is interesting. Kind of a replacement for Curtiss. A 2011 1st round draft pick from Tampa Bay, so maybe Rocco knows this kid and his potential (yeah I know he's 27, but he's a lot younger than me so he's a kid). If they can get his walk rate down, might be useful.

 

Also, thinking about the starting rotation.  I have to admit I like Berrios, Gibson, Pineda, Odorizzi and Mejia. I'm also thinking Trevor May for crunch time/closer. Rogers, Reed, Hildenberger, Parker & Moya and a long reliever/spot starter TBD. Maybe they sign Keuchel and all our heads explode.

 

C'mon spring training.

[Tomj14]

This is what happens when you hoard average to above average prospects.

You lose them before really knowing what you have.

In 2017, maybe they get something good from the assortment of these pitchers.

.Melotakis, Chargois,Rosario, Curtiss, Slegers, Jorge, Burdi and Bard

[tarheeltwinsfan]

 

So a 26yo fireballing RP with quality SO numbers but some control issues is not only not worth even a single extended shot, but is in so little demand when available, DFA or not-he's available, that he's worth a diminutive SS flier from rookie ball.

Sometimes I just feel like I have no idea what's going on anymore.

Doc, I agree with you on this Curtiss situation. It's a head-scratcher. 

[Doctor Wu]

 

I was hoping for moves like this, but in the opposite direction. I thought this FO would be going after hard throwing young guys with minor league success that might be a tweak or two away from being solid, controllable bullpen pieces. The Parker signing is fine in a vacuum but I don't understand:

 

1. Why Curtiss needed to be the roster casualty.

2. Why this FO seems to loathe any young arm they didn't acquire. Kinley and Haley were literally forced onto the active roster via the Rule V for a month each and we had the misfortune of watching Belisle try to pitch for four months last season. Did/does the leash for certain in house options need to be so short?

So, what are the Twins waiting for .... when are they signing Belisle again?

[Mr. Brooks]

I'd rather have Curtiss than Ames. What gives?

Ames doesn't need to be on the 40 man.

They didn't choose Ames over Curtiss. They chose a roster spot for Parker over Curtiss.