The Twins traded right-handed pitcher Pierson Ohl and infielder Edouard Julien to the Colorado Rockies Wednesday, a source confirmed to Twins Daily. They’ll receive minor-league righthander Jace Kaminska in return. Dan Hayes of The Athletic first reported the deal.

 

Kaminska, 24, was a 10th-round pick out of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2023, and he had an encouraging first season in the minors. He made 17 appearances and posted a 2.78 ERA for Low-A Fresno in 2024, striking out 104 and walking just 12 of the 353 batters he faced. However, he ended that season on the injured list with elbow trouble, and wound up having Tommy John surgery late last March. After missing the entire 2025 campaign, he will also get a slow start to 2026, after which he’ll be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. However, he should be safely stashable, and there’s a modicum of upside here.

Solidly built, Kaminska has been up to 96 mph with his fastball in the past, and he adds a two-plane breaking ball that has flashed average. His changeup lags behind those offerings, but given his rocky professional road so far, it might not matter much. His best and quickest path to the majors is as a reliever, and while the Twins are likely to keep him stretched out as he builds back up post-surgery, it wouldn’t be surprised if he finishes 2026 as a fast-rising short reliever who can run his heater into the upper 90s.

Minnesota found Julien in the 18th round of the 2019 Draft, out of Auburn University. His combination of plate discipline and power got him to the majors with a bit of prospect steam, and his tremendous rookie season in 2023 (a .381 OBP in 408 plate appearances) raised fans’ expectations. He’s been unable to meet them since then, however, with a .208/.299/.324 line in 158 big-league games since the start of 2024. His vulnerability to whiffs caught up to him, and he was unable to recalibrate and correct the passivity of his approach. A poor second baseman, he’s been increasingly pushed toward first base, where his bat doesn’t meet the standard of acceptability for any would-be contender.

Ohl, 26, was another late find and player-development win for the team, rising from being a 14th-round pick in the 2021 Draft to pitch 14 times for the Twins in 2025. His changeup is a plus pitch, and has a chance to work even in the thin air of Coors Field. However, his results were ugly in his brief stay in the majors. His 5.10 ERA was a bit unlucky, but it also traced back to too few strikeouts and susceptibility to home runs. 

Julien has four years of team control remaining, but can’t be optioned to the minors, so he’ll have to stick on the Opening Day roster to stay in the Rockies organization past spring training. Ohl is under control through at least 2031, and can still be sent to the minors if needed. The Twins designated Ohl for assignment when they made the signings of Taylor Rogers and Victor Caratini official Saturday, so only Julien comes off the 40-man roster with this move.

Once a player is designated for assignment, almost any trade is worthwhile, because the alternative is to lose the player for the very modest waiver fee. In this case, with the Rockies first in the waiver order, the Twins might have known that the team would claim Ohl, and sought to get a deal done to extract any value they could. Julien was probably not long for the roster, anyway, after the offseason additions of Josh Bell and Victor Caratini (each of whom play at least some first base) and with Kody Clemens serving as a better version of Julien for much of 2025. 

This is a sad denouement for the French-Canadian Julien, who briefly looked like a piece of the club’s long-term puzzle. As they try to finish their offseason strongly, though, the Twins clearly felt they were better off with some extra depth and a clear roster spot for their next move than by letting the decision on Julien wait and losing Ohl for a small amount of cash. Kaminska gives them organizational depth, and they can now focus on making their 40-man a more functional big-league amalgam.