The Dodgers tend to covet lefty starting pitchers, but several of their southpaw rotation options are either sidelined, in the minors and/or somewhat struggling (including Alex Wood, Julio Urias, Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu). Wheeler is not a top prospect but he is showing increased strikeout ability since last season. Expect him to provide organizational depth for the Dodgers as a possible spot-starter or long man, with a bit of sleeper appeal. For now he will remain in the minors.

It is not as though the Twins are teeming with dominant lefty starting pitching options (they have two middling ones in their rotation in Hector Santiago and Adalberto Mejia), so this is a curious move by Minny. Obviously management felt Wheeler was not part of the team's long-term plans, but his flashes of improvement--plus the fact many lefties take a little longer to develop than righties--suggests there is a risk the Twins might eventually regret this one.

Wheeler is the right age (26 years old) to start putting it all together, so this move to the Dodgers is at least radar-worthy. He is not a player to pick up anytime soon--even in deeper keeper formats--but his name is worth remembering in case he gets a crack at the L.A. Rotation sometime this season.