Diego Cartaya DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Minnesota Twins catching prospect Diego Cartaya was assigned to minor-league camp on Tuesday. Cartaya was traded to the Twins from the Dodgers in the offseason. The 23-year-old was competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster but instead will continue his development with Triple-A St. Paul. Last season, Cartaya posted a .236/.354/.379 slash line with eight doubles and five home runs at Double-A. He held a 20:57 BB:K and swiped one bag. He then earned a late-season promotion to Triple-A where he posted a modest .208/.292/.350 slash line. At that level, he went deep six times and carried a similar 20:57 BB:K. With Cartaya opening the season in the minor leagues, fantasy managers should expect Ryan Jeffers to be the top catcher in Minnesota with Christian Vazquez operating as the No.2 option. Mickey Gasper is also still on the roster and could break camp as a utility option.

The Minnesota Twins acquired catcher Diego Cartaya from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday in exchange for minor-league right-hander Jose Vasquez. Cartaya was once one of the Dodgers' top catching prospects, but he has struggled at the plate the last two seasons in the minors and slashed .221/.323/.363 with a .686 OPS, 11 home runs, 52 RBI and 113 strikeouts in 400 trips to the plate over 95 games with Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2024. The move to trade the 23-year-old comes after the Dodgers dropped the Venezuelan backstop from their 40-man roster recently. With minor-league options still remaining, expect Cartaya to begin the 2025 campaign at Triple-A St. Paul with his new organization as minor-league depth behind Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vazquez at the major-league level.

According to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Dodgers are designating catching prospect Diego Cartaya for assignment to open a roster spot for infielder Hye-seong Kim. Cartaya was a former top catching prospect but has never lived up to his prospect pedigree. Before the transaction, MLB Pipeline ranked Cartaya as the 16th-best prospect in the Dodger system. In 2023, the backstop held a mere .189/.278/.379 slash line across 93 games at Double-A. Last season across both Double-A and Triple-A, Cartaya posted a .221/.323/.363 slash line with just 11 home runs and a 47:113 BB:K. Cartaya may draw interest from another suitor but will likely need more time at Triple-A in 2025 before making his major-league debut.