Twins acquire catcher Villalobos from San Diego in exchange for Hughes

Minneapolis/St. Paul -- The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have acquired minor league catcher Janigson Villalobos from the San Diego Padres in exchange for right-handed pitcher Phil Hughes, cash considerations and their 2018 Competitive Balance B draft selection (74th overall draft pick). Hughes was designated for release or assignment on May 22.
The 21-year-old Venezuela born catcher has yet to appear in a game this year, but he spent the 2017 season with the Arizona Rookie League Padres hitting .275 (22-for-80) over 27 games. The 5-foot-9, 195-pounder has played in parts of two minor league seasons in the Padres system after signing as a minor league free agent on March 5, 2016. Villalobos will report to the Gulf Coast League Twins (Rookie League).
Hughes, who was originally signed by the Twins as a free agent prior to the 2014 season, posted a 6.75 ERA (12.0 IP, 9 ER) in seven appearances (2 starts) for the Twins in 2018. In parts of five seasons with the Twins, Hughes went 32-29 with a 4.43 ERA (489.2 IP, 241 ER) over 92 games (79 starts).