Tigers acquire Paddack from division rival Twins to plug rotation hole from Olson’s injury

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers acquired starting pitcher Chris Paddack from the flagging division rival Minnesota Twins in a three-player trade on Monday to plug another injury-created vacancy in their rotation.

The Tigers announced right-hander Reese Olson will miss the remainder of the regular season with a strained shoulder suffered during his most recent bullpen session, joining right-hander Jackson Jobe on the shelf. Olson could return for the playoffs.

“We wish we could’ve added Chris and kept Reese, but that’s not in the cards,” Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said, praising Paddack’s experience, fastball and approach. “He goes right at hitters. That’s always been our pitching philosophy, and we think he’s going to fit in well.”

The Twins packaged Paddack and depth right-hander Randy Dobnak for catcher Enrique Jimenez, who was the Tigers’ 14th-best prospect in MLB’s preseason rankings. After losing six of their first nine games out of the All-Star break, even the wild-card race has become bleak for the Twins, with the fourth-worst record in the AL entering the week.

“World just got twisted upside down, to say the least. It stinks. This business is out of our control sometimes,” Paddack said. “I was really pulling for us, as a Twin. I was hoping we would make some moves and go get that wild-card spot, but I’m excited for this new opportunity with a new team. They have a special group over there.”

Paddack will make his debut for Detroit on Wednesday against Arizona. Dobnak was sent to Triple-A Toledo.

Paddack was one of the six pending free agents who figured to be expendable for the Twins leading up to the trade deadline on Thursday, along with multi-position player Willi Castro, outfielder Harrison Bader, reliever Danny Coulombe, first baseman Ty France, and catcher Christian Vázquez. Still, Paddack said he was surprised when the Twins told him before their game against Boston that he was being traded.

“That just means he was focusing on his job and not worrying too much,” manager Rocco Baldelli said, adding: “The more you’re on your phone, the more you’re going to read and the more you’re going to wonder and speculate and none of that is productive if you’re a Major League Baseball player.”

The 29-year-old Paddack went 3-9 with a 4.95 ERA in 21 starts for the Twins this season, with 27 walks and 83 strikeouts in 111 innings and a .266 opponent batting average.

Acquired by Minnesota in a trade with San Diego right before the start of the 2022 season, Paddack made five starts that year before suffering the second torn UCL of his career and needing Tommy John surgery. He returned for the 2023 postseason in a bullpen role and slotted back in the rotation in what was an up-and-down, injury-affected 2024 season.

Paddack went 10-14 with a 4.88 ERA over 45 appearances with Minnesota, including 43 starts. The Tigers and Twins play seven more times this season, including a three-game series in Detroit next week, so he figures to face his former team soon.

“I’ve had some good outings, some bad ones, and some ones I don’t even want to look at the line because it’s a lot of crooked numbers. But I kept my head down, came into the clubhouse every day, and stayed consistent in my routine,” Paddack said. “And I’m going to continue that over in Detroit.”

The Tigers have struggled to find a fifth starter since Jobe, their top prospect and the third overall pick in the 2021 draft, needed Tommy John surgery in late May. Keider Montero filled the role for most of the season, but he has averaged fewer than five innings per appearance to put more pressure on an overloaded bullpen.

Rookie Troy Melton, who was to make his second career start on Monday, is expected to move into a long-relief role for the Tigers, who took an eight-game lead on Cleveland into the week.

The 19-year-old Jimenez had a .779 OPS with 32 RBIs in 48 games for Detroit’s rookie league club. The switch-hitter, who was signed out of Venezuela in 2023, will add some catching depth to a Twins organization that was lacking it.

The 30-year-old Dobnak is making $3 million this season, but he has spent most of 2025 with Triple-A St. Paul, like he has since signing a five-year major league contract with the Twins in 2021 that guaranteed him $9.25 million. He made the opening day roster and had one relief appearance before being sent down. Dobnak has a 4.86 ERA in 140 2/3 career innings since making his debut with the Twins in 2019.

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AP freelance writer Dave Hogg in Detroit contributed to this report.

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