Minnesota acquires first baseman Eric Wagaman in trade with Marlins

The Minnesota Twins made a list of moves on Friday at address the depth of their angleby acquiring first baseman Eric Wagaman from the Miami Marlins in exchange for minor league left-handed reliever Cade Bragg. To make room on the 40-man roster, Minnesota designated infielder Ryan Fitzgerald for assignment.

Wagaman, 28, joins the Twins after spending the 2025 season with the Marlins, where he played his first full major league season. Appearing in 140 games, Wagaman produced a .250/.296/.378 slash line over 514 plate appearances and 476 at-bats. He recorded 119 hits, including 28 doubles and three triples, hit nine home runs and drove in 53 runs. Wagaman scored 56 runs, piled up 180 total bases, swiped four bases in five attempts and finished the year with a .674 OPS and 85 vRC+. He also had 11 double plays.

Defensively, Wagaman primarily played first base, starting 94 games at the position, while also seeing limited action in left field, right field, third base and at designated hitter. He batted .328 in September, doing so in 61 at-bats. Over the final two months of the season that began Aug. 1, he posted a .291/.341/.472 line with 13 extra-base hits in 138 plate appearances. Against left-handed pitching, Wagaman has a career .267/.302/.429 slash line in 202 plate appearances, compared to lower production against righties.

Wagaman’s major league journey includes time with three organizations over three seasons. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 13th round of the 2017 MLB Draft, and spent several years in their minor league system before being selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the minor league stage of the 2023 Rule 5 Draft. He made his MLB debut with the Angels in September 2024, appearing in 18 games, primarily at third base. After being designated for assignment by the Angels, he elected free agency, signed with Miami and became the Marlins’ primary first baseman. Miami re-designated him for assignment in late December while adjusting its roster.

Minnesota added Wagaman to a cornerback rotation that already includes veteran Josh Bell, who signed a one-year, $7 million contract and is likely to play regularly. The Twins also have several left-handed hitters who can step into the corner infield or designated hitter roles.

In return, the Marlins received the 24-year-old Bragg, the Twins’ 17th-round pick in the 2023 draft. Bragg missed most of 2024 with an injury, but returned healthy in 2025, pitching in relief at three levels – Low-A Fort Myers, High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita. He pitched 67 1/3 innings, struck out 82 batters and gave up six home runs, finishing with a 2.94 ERA and 3.73 FIP.

To finalize the move, the Twins designated Ryan Fitzgerald (31) for assignment. Fitzgerald made his MLB debut last season and appeared in 24 major league games while also producing an .837 OPS and 119 vRC+ in 59 Triple-A games. Minnesota has a deadline to trade him or place him on waivers.