Minnesota Twins: Aaron Hicks trade is a great trade for Twins

The Minnesota Twins are kicking off the offseason moves with a lot of moves. Two straight days saw two trades and Wednesday’s trade would have been the biggest surprise if it wasn’t for the Twins winning a huge bid for Korean slugger Byung-ho Park on Monday.

Wednesday saw the Twins deal outfielder Aaron Hicks to the New York Yankees for catcher John Ryan Murphy. While some saw the deal as getting rid of Hicks too early, the move was a great one for the Twins.

The Twins had a crowded outfield going into the offseason, but then Torii Hunter decided to retire and it started to become a little clearer. Monday’s winning bid to negotiate with Park though results in the Twins having another first baseman/designated hitter which will force Miguel Sano to get some playing time in the outfield, so the Twins were back to a crowded outfield once again.

Hicks finally found himself with some value after playing some good ball in the 2015 campaign at the major league level and the Twins needed to strike while the iron is hot.

What the Twins got in return is the man who is more than likely going to be the Twins catcher of the future. Murphy, who is only 24, hit .277/.327/.406 in 67 games for the Yankees and as 1500ESPN points out the average for MLB catchers in 2015 was .238/.302/.376. Murphy is an above average offensive catcher which is something the Twins desperately need with the subpar season Kurt Suzuki put up in 2015.

This is a good deal for the Twins. Does Hicks have the potential to be another All-Star that blooms after he was sent away from Minnesota? He sure does. What we have to remember is that this deal makes a whole lot of sense at the time.