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Sunday Update: LaVelle Neal updates us that the deal continues to be a work in progress. The Twins have shown they are willing to add a prospect with Graterol, but that prospect would not be a Top 10 prospect. The Twins might be getting a "little" more than Maeda. Jon Heyman adds that the Twins are working directly with the Dodgers.
Updates will continue as we hear anything. Should a trade happen, we will have an article here promptly.
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LaVelle E. Neal of the Star-Tribune has talked to multiple sources telling him that the Twins would not meet the Red Sox requests to add more to the trade than just the hard-throwing Graterol.
According to two sources with knowledge of talks, the Twins were very pessimistic about their end of a proposed three-way deal involving the Red Sox and Dodgers, a deal in which the Twins were to receive righthander Kenta Maeda from the Dodgers while sending righthanded flamethrower Brusdar Graterol to the Red Sox.
Earlier this week, news came out that the Red Sox had agreed to trade Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers. Over the course of a couple of hours, more information trickled in. There was a third team involved. Then we found out that team was the Twins. Then news that Graterol was involved, and finally that the team would receive Kenta Maeda.
Then there were reports of an Angels trade with the Dodgers.
Of course with any of these announcements, the phrase "pending physicals" is included. And, with Graterol's history that included Tommy John surgery several years ago and missing three months in 2019 due to shoulder issues, that was always going to be a question mark.
When the Twins provided the MRI and other medicals to the Red Sox doctors, the Red Sox became more concerned about what they showed.
While the Twins had mentioned that their plan was to start Graterol in their bullpen this year, there was still talk about trying to build up his innings count and starting sometime in the future was still said to be a possibility.
Scott Boras came out on Saturday and spoke on behalf of his hard-throwing client saying that he had returned from injury last year, continued to pitch and throw hard and was 100% healthy.
The Red Sox were said to be asking the Twins to add another prospect, even a top ten prospect, to the deal. The Twins, wisely, did not comply.
In addition to concerns about Graterol's arm, the Red Sox also are aware of some off-field issues of Alex Verdugo, the other player they were to receive in the reported deal from the Dodgers.
My sense is that this trade is not completely dead. In reality, the Red Sox and Dodgers are clearly motivated to make it happen, and likely want it done soon. The Twins clearly would like to add a pitcher as good as Maeda to their staff, so it's possible it could spark up quickly. But as of now, for the trades to happen, someone will have to give. The Star-Tribune articles says that the Twins aren't planning to budge.
Jon Heyman reports that the Twins may not be completely out on the deal.
https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1226241818418991112
This reported deal shows that the Twins front office is willing to trade top prospects to improve the 2020 roster, which is encouraging to many Twins fans. Holding to their Graterol offer shows that they won't go overboard and make a bad deal either.
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