Slowly but surely, the Minnesota Twins are retooling their roster for the 2026 season. On Friday, they made a low-wattage trade with the Miami Marlins, acquiring first baseman Eric Wagaman for Double-A LHP Kade Bragg, and designated shortstop Ryan Fitzgerald for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster for Wagaman.

The right-handed hitting Wagaman, 27, has only played two major-league seasons, and last season was his first full year in the majors. He played in 140 games with the Marlins last season, and just 18 with the Los Angeles Angels in 2024.

With ample playing time with the Marlins in 2025, Wagaman compiled 514 plate appearances while hitting .250/.296/.378 with nine home runs, 53 RBI, 28 doubles, a 6.2% walk rate, 19.5% strikeout rate, and 86 OPS+. Wagaman’s splits against left-handed pitchers stand out. He had a .283/.321/.462 slash line with five home runs, 26 RBI, and 14 doubles in 184 plate appearances against them.

Viewing Wagaman purely as a bench player, his addition makes sense to the Twins roster as a platoon corner infield and outfielder off the bench. Even after playing 140 games last year, he shouldn’t expect to play as many with the Twins in 2026 because he will be rotating in and out of a starting role at first base with Kody Clemens and Josh Bell.

117 of Wagaman’s 140 games played were at first base last year. Miami used him sparingly in the outfield, where he played 19 games in left field. Wagaman’s fielding at first base is only a tick better than that of Bell’s. Wagaman produces -2 outs above average compared to Bell’s -4 OAA, which makes it a judgment call whether one or the other could get a start at first versus lefties.

Wagaman only hit .231/.282/.330 with four home runs and 27 RBI in 330 plate appearances against right-handed pitchers last season. Therefore, the Twins will likely use him exclusively against lefties. But Wagaman’s splits against lefties will allow the Twins to pencil him in at first base, given how poorly Clemens (.192/.264/.218 in 89 plate appearances) and Bell (.151/.250/.302 in 120 plate appearances) hit against lefties in 2025.

Trading for Wagaman addresses Minnesota’s need to add right-handed hitting depth to platoon at first and the outfield. But given he only has 588 plate appearances in the majors, adding Wagaman alone doesn’t increase Minnesota’s odds of contending next season.

Still, Wagaman should be meaningfully better than Jose Miranda, who signed with the San Diego Padres on a Minor League Deal last month. Wagaman offers a bit more defensive versatility than Miranda, because he can jump into the corner outfield spots as needed, and has a much better track record against lefties. Miranda only hit .147/.229/.267 in 83 plate appearances for the St. Paul Saints this year versus lefties.

A hidden upside to this signing is that the Marlins did not send Wagaman to the minors last year, so he still has all three of his option years intact. If Wagaman makes the Opening Day roster and struggles in the first month of the season, the Twins can send him down without fear of losing him to the waiver wire. Meanwhile, Miranda and Edouard Julien are out of options.

The Twins only had to give up 24-year-old Double-A reliever Kyle Bragg to acquire Wagaman. Still, Bragg has been an exceptional reliever since the Twins drafted him in the 17th round of the 2023 MLB Draft. He owned a 2.74 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 75 â…” career innings in the farm system.

There are signs that if Wagaman is used more in a platoon role against lefties, he could show off more power numbers. He had an average exit velocity of 91 MPH in 2025, with a maximum of 114.5 MPH. If he can elevate his launch angle a little higher, then his home run totals could inch closer to the 28 doubles he hit in 2025.

But that’s how the Twins should use Wagaman next year. Start him against lefties, use him off the bench in late innings against lefty relievers, and sparingly use him as needed against righties. Wagaman reinforces the floor on the Twins’ depth chart a bit, but they will need more than just his bat to make a case for any sort of contention in 2026.