Jorge Polanco trade sees former Reds teammates reunite in Minnesota

On Monday night, two clubs the Cincinnati Reds are very familiar with, made a blockbuster trade. The Seattle Mariners acquired All-Star infielder Jorge Polanco from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for two pitchers and two prospects.

The Twins have been rumored to be shopping Polanco for most of the offseason, and the Mariners have been looking to upgrade the lineup. Both teams got what they wanted, as Minnesota is also looking to restock their farm system.

Among the players acquired by the Twins were prospects Darren Brown and Gabriel Gonzalez, relieverJustin Topa, and former Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani. The right-hander will be reunited with his former Cincinnati teammate, Kyle Farmer.

Blockbuster trade sees former Reds teammates reunite in Minnesota

Farmer was shipped to Minnesota last offseason in a deal for reliever Casey Legumina. The Reds were looking to open up a spot for their talented crop of infield prospects, and Farmer became dispensable.

Reds Country took the news of that trade rather hard, as Farmer was a fan favorite in the Queen City. After originally coming to the organization by way of a December trade in 2018 that included Yasiel Puig, Farmer eventually became the Reds everyday shortstop. A tireless worker, Farmer was lauded by the Reds fanbase for his gritty, hard-nosed approach to the game.

Last season with the Twins, Farmer hit .256/.317/.408 with 11 home runs and 46 RBI. Farmer missed good chunk of time midway through the 2023 season after taking a fastball off his face courtesy of former Chicago White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito. Farmer missed a little over a month, but returned to the Twins lineup and still appeared in 120 games.

Anthony DeSclafani came to the Cincinnati Reds in 2014 by way of a trade as well. The Miami Marlins dealt the right-hander and Chad Wallach to the Reds in exchange for Mat Latos. DeSclafani spent several seasons in Cincinnati with a 35-37 record and 4.19 ERA. DeSclafani left the organization after the 2020 season and joined the San Francisco Giants.

During his three seasons in the Bay Area, DeSclafani posted a 3.99 ERA in 55 games. But, as was the case during his Reds' tenure, DeSclafani suffered a myriad of injuries that kept him from reaching his full potential.

This is now the second trade DeSclafani has been involved in during the month of January. The 33-year-old was part of a trade package the Seattle Mariners received a few weeks ago in exchange for Mitch Haniger and Robbie Ray. Now DeSclafani will join his former Reds teammate Kyle Farmer in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Last season, Farmer shared a clubhouse with former Reds Donovan Solano and Sonny Gray. Solano is still a free agent and Gray inked a three-year contract with Cincinnati's division rival, the St. Louis Cardinals.