Twins sign former Braves/Brewers/Rockies shortstop Orlando Arcia to minor league deal

The Minnesota Twins and veteran shortstop Orlando Arcia have agreed to a minor league contract, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. The deal will likely include an invitation for Arcia to attend the Twins’ MLB spring camp.

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The Colorado Rockies signed Arcia to a big league contract after the shortstop was designated for assignment by the Atlanta Braves in May. In 214 plate appearances last season, he hit .202/.238/.291 (42 OPS+).

While Arcia, 31, has primarily been a shortstop during his 10-year MLB career, which started in 2016 with the Milwaukee Brewers, he played all four infield positions with the Rockies last season. If he has a strong spring training, he’ll likely crack Minnesota’s Opening Day roster as a utilityman.

Arcia, the younger brother of former Twins slugger Oswaldo Arcia, spent parts of six seasons with Milwaukee to begin his big league career, posting 2.1 bWAR and a .244/.293/.364 (72 OPS+) slash line with 42 homers and 180 RBI across 542 games in a Brewers uniform.

The Brewers traded Arcia to the Braves for pitchers Patrick Weigel and Chad Sobotka on April 6, 2021. Mainly serving in a bench role in 2021, Arcia earned a World Series ring as the Braves defeated the Houston Astros in the 2021 Fall Classic. After a strong 2022 season as a backup for the Braves, Arcia became Atlanta’s primary shortstop in 2023 due to long-time Brave Dansby Swanson signing with the Chicago Cubs.

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Arcia impressed in his first season as the Braves’ starting shortstop, making the National League All-Star Team and posting 1.7 bWAR and a .264/.321/.420 (99 OPS+) slash line with 17 homers and 65 RBI. Notably, he hit .302/.402/.604 in 96 at-bats against lefties that year.

Arcia regressed after his breakout 2023 season, posting just 0.5 bWAR and a 73 OPS+ in 2024 before his disastrous 2025 season. The Twins certainly don’t plan to start Arcia in the big leagues regularly, but using him as a backup who has the potential to hit southpaws at an elite rate and can play all four infield positions can be a valuable, especially since infielders Luke Keaschall, Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis have already suffered numerous serious injuries in their young careers.

This article was originally published on www.puckettspond.com as Minnesota Twins sign former Atlanta Braves All-Star shortstop to minor league deal.