Twins add Reds starter Mahle in exchange for prospects

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, MN – The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have acquired right-handed pitcher Tyler Mahle from the Cincinnati Reds, in exchange for minor league infielders Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Spencer Steer, and left-handed pitcher Steve Hajjar.

Mahle, 27, made 19 starts for the Reds this season, going 5-7 with a 4.40 ERA (104.1 IP, 51 ER), 39 walks, 114 strikeouts, a 1.25 WHIP and a .232 opponent batting average. In his last nine starts, Mahle (rhymes with rally) has gone 3-2 with a 2.83 ERA (57.1 IP, 18 ER), 16 walks, 64 strikeouts, a .212 opponent batting average and seven quality starts. In 33 starts for the Reds last season, he went 13-6 with a 3.75 ERA (180.0 IP, 75 ER), 64 walks and 210 strikeouts, while ranking tied for the NL-lead in starts and ninth in strikeouts.

He has produced a 10.41 strikeouts-per-9.0-innings pitched ratio since the start of 2020, the fifth-best in the National League and 10th-best in baseball among pitchers with a minimum of 300.0 innings pitched in that span. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound right-hander has pitched parts of six seasons with Cincinnati, going 31-38 with a 4.35 ERA (593.2 IP, 287 ER), 222 walks, 637 strikeouts, a 1.32 WHIP and a .248 opponent batting average. The Newport Beach, California native was originally selected by the Reds in the seventh round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Westminster High School in Westminster, California.

Encarnacion-Strand, 22, has split the 2022 season between High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita, combining to hit .302 (105-for-348) with 25 doubles, 25 home runs and 85 RBI. He was selected by the Twins in the fifth round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft out of Oklahoma State University.

Hajjar, 21, has split the 2022 season between the FCL Twins and Low-A Fort Myers, going 2-2 with a 3.18 ERA (45.1 IP, 16 ER), 26 walks and 73 strikeouts. He was selected by the Twins in second round of the 2021 First-Year Draft out of the University of Michigan.

Steer, 24, has split the 2022 season between Double-A Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul, combining to hit .269 (90-for-335) with 23 doubles, 20 home runs and 62 RBI. He was selected by the Twins in the third round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Oregon and played in the 2022 SiriusXM Futures Game at Dodger Stadium.