Headlines

  • Red Sox Likely To Activate Alex Bregman Tomorrow
  • Astros To Promote Brice Matthews
  • Phillies Reportedly Targeting Controllable Relievers
  • Yankees Prioritizing Pitching, Also Searching For Infield Help
  • Orioles Trade Bryan Baker To Rays
  • Yankees Release DJ LeMahieu
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Twins, Niko Goodrum Agree To Minor League Deal

By Steve Adams | December 22, 2023 at 10:12am CDT

The Twins have agreed to a minor league deal with veteran utilityman Niko Goodrum, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. It’s a homecoming for the Roc Nation client, who was originally selected by Minnesota in the second round (71st overall) of the 2010 draft. Presumably, the switch-hitter will be in big league camp with the Twins this spring and compete for a bench role.

Now 31 years old (32 in February), Goodrum made his big league debut as a Twin back in 2017, but he appeared in only 11 games late in the season, going 1-for-17 in that brief MLB audition. Minnesota removed him from the 40-man roster that winter, and he quickly signed a minor league deal with the division-rival Tigers. It proved to be a shrewd move for Detroit, as Goodrum spent the next four seasons there and enjoyed two particularly productive years as a highly versatile utilityman.

In four seasons as a Tiger, Goodrum hit .232/.306/.401 in 1468 plate appearances. It was below-average production (10% worse than average, by measure of wRC+), though that’s weighed down by shaky performances in his final two seasons there. From 2018-19, Goodrum turned in a roughly average .247/.318/.427 slash with 28 homers and 24 steals in 968 plate appearances. He moved all over the diamond during his time with the Tigers, logging action at every position other than catcher and pitcher. During that two-year stretch in ’18-’19, however, Goodrum’s glovework graded out especially well. Statcast credited him with a whopping 10 Outs Above Average at shortstop in just 326 innings during the 2019 campaign.

Since that four-year stint with the Tigers, Goodrum has been with the Astros (for whom he made a brief MLB appearance in ’22), Red Sox and the KBO’s Lotte Giants. He concluded the 2023 season with that KBO run, posting a nice .295/.373/.387 slash (114 wRC+). Goodrum didn’t homer during his KBO time — a surprise considering he’s typically shown double-digit home run pop in North American ball — but walked at a hefty 11.4% clip.

The Twins’ bench currently projects to include catcher Christian Vazquez, infielder Kyle Farmer and utilitymen Willi Castro and Nick Gordon. Vazquez and particularly Farmer are trade candidates this winter, however, as Minnesota looks to scale back payroll amid uncertainty regarding their television rights situation. Gordon, meanwhile, struggled immensely in 93 plate appearances last year before fouling a ball into his leg and suffering a broken tibia that ended his season. He’s out of minor league options, so he’ll need a nice spring showing to solidify his place on the club. Depending on how things play out with Farmer’s trade candidacy and Gordon’s spring performance, it’s possible Goodrum could force his way into the mix. If not, he’ll likely head to Triple-A St. Paul and give Minnesota a veteran depth option who could provide insurance at the majority of spots on the diamond.

Share 0 Retweet 0 Send via email0

Minnesota Twins Transactions Niko Goodrum

The Opener: Yamamoto, Dodgers, Last-Minute Deals
Main
Diamondbacks Re-Sign Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
View Comments (18)
Post a Comment

18 Comments

  1. Yankee Clipper

    2 years ago

    Made-up name, for sure.

    Reply
    • Guard the Vogt

      2 years ago

      … Every name is made up, what’s your point?

      1
      Reply
      • Yankee Clipper

        2 years ago

        Uh….. not legally it’s not. But, yeah, it could be.

        1
        Reply
        • Guard the Vogt

          2 years ago

          At some point, someone had to make the name up, so, uh, yeah.

          Reply
  2. benhen77

    2 years ago

    Cornering the market on former Tiger utility men

    1
    Reply
    • martras

      2 years ago

      Tigers got him from the Twins…

      2
      Reply
      • benhen77

        2 years ago

        He’s still a former Tiger…

        Reply
  3. Rsox

    2 years ago

    Kind of surprising with how bad the Red Sox middle Infield situation was last season that Goodrum was never given a shot in Boston after putting up decent numbers at Worcester. Don’t really a place for him in Minnesota unless they trade Polanco and/or Farmer

    1
    Reply
    • martras

      2 years ago

      He wasn’t signed with any likelihood of MLB playing time. He’s just MiLB depth. Entering his age 32 season, front offices would have to be blown away to give him playing time unless the team’s shelves were totally bare due to injury.

      Depth chart wise Goodrum is way, way down the list.
      2B – Polanco, Gordon, Farmer, Castro, Julien, Martin, Lee
      SS – Correa, Lewis, Farmer, Castro, Lee

      Reply
  4. Melchez17

    2 years ago

    Great AAA player.

    Reply
  5. martras

    2 years ago

    MiLB depth signing to prevent a vacuum when guys like Miranda, Lee, and Martin are called up.

    1
    Reply
  6. Dumpster Divin Theo

    2 years ago

    Solid pick. Rather have Goodrum any day over Badtequila

    9
    Reply
    • TroyVan

      2 years ago

      Be careful of what you wish for. I witnessed those two final seasons in Detroit. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Surely, there’s a better option in your farm system or even on the waiver wire.

      Reply
      • martras

        2 years ago

        whooooosshhhhhhh!!!!!! that’s the sound of this joke about liquor going right over your head.

        1
        Reply
        • TroyVan

          2 years ago

          I get it now! Haha! I’ll think about a clever comeback and report it should I come up with one. Touché.

          Reply
  7. flyingblindsquirrel

    2 years ago

    … and the post-Yamamoto deal floodgates are open!!!

    2
    Reply
  8. scjohn92

    2 years ago

    Love this move by the Twins! Now they can trade Polanco and Farmer. They can acquire a couple of prospects while offloading some salary.

    Reply
  9. MLBTR needs to hire editors

    2 years ago

    Steve Adams’ writing continues to be brutal. “Meanwhile” HAS to come at the start of the sentence and cannot be in the middle, set off by two commas.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Red Sox Likely To Activate Alex Bregman Tomorrow

    Astros To Promote Brice Matthews

    Phillies Reportedly Targeting Controllable Relievers

    Yankees Prioritizing Pitching, Also Searching For Infield Help

    Orioles Trade Bryan Baker To Rays

    Yankees Release DJ LeMahieu

    Trevor Williams To Undergo UCL Surgery

    Nationals Fire PBO Mike Rizzo, Manager Dave Martinez

    Brewers Activate Brandon Woodruff

    Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Bobby Jenks Passes Away

    Braves Release Alex Verdugo

    Top 40 Trade Candidates For The 2025 Deadline

    Rays Reinstate Ha-Seong Kim

    Yankees Have Shown Interest In Ryan McMahon

    Royals Interested In Bryan Reynolds

    Rangers Option Josh Jung

    Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement

    Braves Place Spencer Schwellenbach On IL With Elbow Fracture

    Giants Exercise 2026 Option On Manager Bob Melvin

    Recent

    Which Other Draft Picks Are Eligible To Be Traded Before Sunday?

    Mets To Designate Rico Garcia For Assignment

    J.D. Davis Signs With NPB’s Seibu Lions

    The Opener: 2025 Draft, Pitchers’ Duel, Mets

    Trade Deadline Outlook: New York Yankees

    Trade Deadline Outlook: Atlanta Braves

    Which Other Relievers Might The Orioles Shop?

    Lee Elia Passes Away

    Red Sox Likely To Activate Alex Bregman Tomorrow

    Poll: Which Teams Should Make The Biggest Push For Jarren Duran?

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Sandy Alcantara Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Alex Bregman Rumors

     

    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version