With the MLB trade deadline closing in next Monday, the Twins’ farm system has taken on extra meaning. Every big week from a prospect can change how Minnesota views him - as part of the future, or as a name another club might push for in a deal.
That’s the backdrop for Eduardo Tait, and he made his case loudly at Cedar Rapids.
The 19-year-old catcher, now with the Kernels, turned in one of his best stretches of the season, going deep three times in six games and driving in six runs. He finished the week with a .600 slugging percentage and an .850 OPS, a reminder of the kind of offensive upside that helped make him one of the headliners in last summer’s Jhoan Duran trade with Philadelphia.
Tait’s rise has been fast from the start. The Panama native signed with the Phillies for only $90,000 during the 2023 international signing period, then immediately outplayed that bonus with a .917 OPS in the Dominican Summer League.
He kept climbing in 2024, batting .302 with an .842 OPS in full-season ball as a teenager. By 18, he had reached High-A, earned a Futures Game nod and established himself as one of baseball’s top catching prospects.
Minnesota pushed him right away after the trade, and he helped Cedar Rapids during its playoff push before returning to the Kernels this season.
His season line still leaves room for growth - an 80 wRC+ and a .729 OPS - but weeks like this are why evaluators remain so high on him. Catchers often take time, and Tait keeps flashing the kind of impact power that makes him such a compelling piece.
Cory Lewis also gave the Twins something to think about.
The 25-year-old right-hander has spent much of the last three seasons fighting to stay healthy, and this year has been about proving his shoulder can handle a full workload. Lewis, a Fountain Valley, California, native selected by Minnesota in the ninth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of UC Santa Barbara, signed for $140,000 and moved quickly through the system in 2023, going from Single-A to High-A while leading organizational pitchers with at least 100 innings in ERA, batting average against and strikeouts per nine innings.
Then came the setbacks. A shoulder impingement delayed his 2024 season until late May, though he finished that year pitching effectively in Double-A.
Minnesota sent him to Triple-A for all of 2025, but injuries and inconsistency led to a rough year, including a 7.27 ERA as he bounced between the rotation and bullpen. Another shoulder strain shut him down in spring training this year.
This week was a step forward. Lewis appeared twice, including one start, and threw eight scoreless innings.
He gave up six hits, walked one and struck out 10. For the season, he has a 4.15 ERA, a 1.42 WHIP and a 12.5 K-BB% over 14 appearances, 13 of them starts.
He’s a bit older than the average Texas League pitcher, but that matters less than the simple fact that he’s taking the ball and missing bats.
Chris Vallimont’s path back to the Twins has been even more winding.
Originally drafted by the Marlins in the fifth round in 2018 out of Mercyhurst University, Vallimont first joined Minnesota at the 2019 trade deadline in the deal that sent Lewin Diaz to Miami and brought Sergio Romo to the Twins. He later reached Double-A before Baltimore claimed him off waivers in 2022.
He made one major league appearance for the Orioles in 2023, striking out one batter and allowing one hit in two-thirds of an inning. After stops with Cleveland, the Dodgers organization and independent baseball, Minnesota signed him again in mid-June.
Now 28, Vallimont is trying to get back on the organizational radar, and Saturday gave him a strong argument. He started Wichita’s combined no-hitter, working five hitless innings before Darren Bowen and Ruddy Gomez finished the job in the Wind Surge’s second no-hitter in franchise history. Vallimont struck out a season-high six and kept building on a solid return to affiliated ball.
Since rejoining the system from independent baseball, he has posted a 3.90 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP in 30 innings over eight starts. It’s a small sample, but it’s the kind of showing that can buy more chances when Minnesota is sorting through pitching depth.
Tait is reminding people why he was one of the biggest pieces in last summer’s deadline haul. Lewis is trying to rebuild trust in a shoulder that has let him down too often.
Vallimont has turned a second chance into a real one. With the deadline almost here, those kinds of weeks matter.
In Other News...
Twins Farm System Suddenly Feels In Flux Again
A busy stretch of roster churn hit the Twins minor league side again this week, with the St. Paul Saints making multiple moves and the organization continuing to shuffle pieces as the season rolls on. The Saints transferred right-hander Raul Brito to the Development List, while the Twins also moved on from outfielder Maddux Houghton and right-hander Nick Trabacchi, adding another layer of turnover to a system that has felt especially fluid lately.
There was at least one encouraging note elsewhere in the chain, as Cedar Rapids activated left-hander Ross Dunn from the 60-Day Injured List. But with the Saints, Wind Surge, Kernels, Mighty and FCL Twins all carrying their own recent results and upcoming matchups, the bigger picture is still one of a farm system in motion, with more sorting-out likely before the picture settles. [Read more 🡒]
Twins May Be Closing In On A Deadline Pitching Decision
The Twins have spent much of the 2026 season trying to keep their pitching staff intact, and the latest reminder came with David Festas shoulder issue adding to a growing list of arms on the shelf. Even so, Minnesota has managed to stay in the American League race, which has made the front offices deadline calculus a little more complicated than a simple sell-or-buy decision.
With Pablo Lopez, Anthony Banda, Mick Abel and Mike Paredes already among the injured, the club is weighing whether its current depth can survive the stretch run or whether it needs another dependable arm to stabilize the staff. Joe Ryan is expected back Tuesday, but the broader picture is still uncertain enough that the Twins may be forced to look for pitching help before the deadline closes. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Bullpen Just Took A Turn Fans Wont Want To Ignore
Cole Sands latest turn in the Twins bullpen came at an inopportune time, and the club responded by shuffling the relief mix again. After a rough outing in which he got one out and allowed five runs, Sands is back on the injured list, opening the door for Jack Anderson to return from Triple-A St. Paul and take his place on the roster.
Anderson has already given Minnesota a brief look after coming over on waivers from the Boston Red Sox earlier this month, and the Twins will need more stability from that spot as the season moves on. There is also some encouraging news on the position-player side, where prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez has started a rehab assignment following thumb surgery and could still factor into the major league mix later this year. [Read more 🡒]