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Remember, like, three days ago when it looked like the Twins were going to be mild buyers at the trade deadline? Well, losing three games in a row to the Dodgers and dropping below .500 for the first time in awhile changes things. Especially when both the Indians and the Royals are enjoying seven-game winning streaks. Now it looks like the Twins are getting ready to sell, sell, sell,
The rumors are rumbling out there. MLB reporter Mark Feinsand tweeted this today:
Source: Twins are fielding calls on Ervin Santana and Jaime Garcia; also receiving interest in both Brandon Kintzler and Brian Dozier.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 27, 2017
These names all make sense.
You may be thinking, “What?! We just GOT Jaime Garcia. He hasn’t even pitched for the Twins yet!” True, but it’s also trade-deadline season and teams are thirsty as hell for some starting pitching. Several teams were reportedly interested in Garcia before he came to the Twins, and the Twins have several reasons to flip him, including:
- They suck now.
- Hector Santiago will need to be activated from the DL soon, and he has to go somewhere.
- Garcia is just going to be a free agent after the season ends anyway.
- Demand is at its highest right now, and the Twins could use that to extract maximum value from another team. They could potentially get an even better prospect than the one they gave up for Garcia (19-year-old pitcher Huascar Ynoa) if they agree to pay some his remaining $4.55M salary.
Trading Brandon Kintzler seems like a good move for the Twins to make too. Like Garcia, he’s going to be a free agent at the end of the year. He’s also about to turn 33, and isn’t your typical strike-’em-out closer, though he somehow made the All-Star Team. I’m sure some other team would be interested, like the Nationals or something. Pat Neshek being off the market also means a bunch of disappointed, not-the-Rockies teams will be looking elsewhere for bullpen help now too.
Ervin Santana and Brian Dozier are both signed through 2018, so they wouldn’t be rentals for any suitors. While that means they could potential garner a better return in a trade, it will also give the Twins more holes to plug in the near future.
What do you guys think?