The Twins are getting exactly what they hoped for from A.J. Minter so far, but the bigger question from that July 31 deal is starting to take shape on the other side.
Minnesota has gotten solid work from the left-hander since acquiring him from the Mets, with Minter giving up just one run on four hits and one walk while striking out four over five innings in six appearances. But Billy Amick, one of the prospects sent to New York, has come out swinging hard for the Mets’ Double-A club.
Since the trade, Amick has gone 11-for-36 with six home runs and 17 RBI in 10 games. The Mets’ player development account even highlighted his power surge after his sixth homer in nine games, noting that he was slugging .906 since arriving from Minnesota.
Amick, 23, was Minnesota’s second-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of the University of Tennessee. He has split his pro work between third base and first base, and MLB Pipeline had him ranked as the Twins’ No. 21 overall prospect before the deal.
He wasn’t placed among the Mets’ top 30 prospects right away, but that could change quickly if this kind of production keeps rolling. For the season, he hit .217/.338/.482 with 23 home runs and 72 RBI in 86 games for Double-A Wichita.
The other prospect Minnesota sent to New York was Bruin Agbayani, and he carries his own prospect value. The 19-year-old is the Mets’ No. 30 overall prospect after previously ranking No. 29 in the Twins system.
New York has not yet gotten him into a game because he was on the 60-day injured list when the trade went down. Minnesota drafted him in the sixth round last year, and he logged five games in 2024 and 10 more this season for Single-A Fort Myers, going 15-for-57 with three doubles, six RBI and 16 walks.
He has experience at shortstop, second base and third base.
There’s still plenty of time for the Minter trade to settle into its final shape. Minter will be a free agent after the season, and if the Twins wind up missing the playoffs, the deal could leave a sting.
Minnesota is three games under .500 and one game out of the final American League Wild Card spot despite buying at the deadline. If Minter wants to stay in Minnesota and re-sign, that could soften the blow even if the postseason slips away.
But if Amick keeps mashing like this, the Twins may have a hard time feeling good about how the trade turned out.
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