Could former Blue Jays prospect make an impact with the Twins this season?

A move that raised eyebrows on both sides of the coin was the 2025 trade deadline deal between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Minnesota Twins where each team acquired a pitcher and a hitter. Toronto landed relief pitcher Louis Varland and first baseman Ty France. The Twins got two prospects, outfielder Alan Roden, who made his MLB debut earlier in the season, and Kendry Rojas who has yet to play at the MLB level.

However, that could soon change for Rojas, as the former Blue Jays prospect could quickly become big part of the Twins pitching plans.

Could former Blue Jays prospect make an impact with the Twins this season?

Rojas was one of six prospects added to the Twins 40-man roster ahead of the deadline on Tuesday evening. He currently ranks as the No. 5 prospect in the Twins system and could compete for a role on the big league team in spring. Scouts are saying he could fit in either the starting rotation or as a bullpen arm and they are going to let that play out in Spring Training.

The 22-year-old left hander has battled some injuries over the last few seasons but the signs are encouraging that he could become a useful piece for Minnesota. His fastball has touched 97 mph while his secondary pitches, a slider and a changeup, sit around 86-87 mph. As the Twins top pitching prospect he'll be competing against some stiff competition for an every day role, but after making steady gains, and improving year over year in the Blue Jays system, the Cuban native looks like he's on the cusp of breaking out.

He'll be an interesting player to follow for Blue Jays fans as they are no doubt happy with what they recieved in that deadline deal. Varland turned into one of the most reliable high leverage arms in the Blue Jays bullpen down the stretch and pitched in almost every single playoff game for the AL Champions. In 15 games he pitched 16 innings with 17 strikeouts and a 3.94 ERA.

If Rojas does have a good season it will be one of those trades that holds up to the old adage, "you have to give up something to get something." At the end of the day this might be a trade that benefits both teams for years to come with Varland not able to reach free agency until 2031 and Rojas' MLB service time not even kicking in yet.