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  • Twins Rumor Central: Sunday Edition

    Seth Stohs

    By Seth Stohs

    On Saturday, we learned that the Twins front office was definitely working as sellers at this point. Another late-inning tough loss for the Twins, this one at the hands of the A's, and it's all but certain that is the appropriate decision.

    In this article, we will discuss some of the rumors that have been out there about the Twins. It will be updated throughout the day as we hear more. Consider this your place to discuss rumors.

    Obviously any actual trades will have their own article within moments of the deal's completion.

    Image courtesy of Brad Rempel, USA Today

    Twins Video

    7:20 p.m. - Ken Rosenthal says that the Diamondbacks are not looking to add an infielder as they have plenty of depth.

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    4:55 p.m. - Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Chris Owings fractured a finger today. He's out for the year. The Diamondbacks may have a need at second base.

    https://twitter.com/ScottMillerBbl/status/891777882682302464

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    1:05 p.m. - Jon Morosi reports that the Twins and Mariners have had at least some level of discussions regarding Ervin Santana.

    https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/891718371418484736

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    11:40 a.m. - Twins GM Thad Levine was on MLB Radio on Sunday morning, talking about where the Twins are in terms of the trade deadline. Said that Cleveland and Kansas City "did us a favor" by going on their winning streaks when they did. Also, "we've probably had our highest volume of calls on Kintzler and some of our other relievers." Also mentions that he hopes the Twins and Kintzler have good enough of a relationship to extend him. So, you never know exactly what to believe and what is posturing, etc. In reality, both things are likely true.

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    Update (8:30 a.m.) Early Sunday morning, the Twins and Yankees announced that Jaime Garcia (along with Cash) has been traded to New York in exchange for RHP Zack Littell and LHP Deitrich Enns. (For more discussion, click here)

    https://twitter.com/morsecode/status/891653191158444033

    The Twins also announced that lefty Craig Breslow has been released.

    I'm sure today will be busy, fully of Twins-related rumors as we anticipate Monday afternoon's trade deadline.

    https://twitter.com/Feinsand/status/891662940738289664

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    On Friday, I posted my thoughts on which Twins players could be traded, and a percent-likelihood that they were dealt.

    Earlier on Saturday, it was youngster Chris Cotillo who first let us know that the Twins were having conversations with buyers about some of their veterans.

    https://twitter.com/ChrisCotillo/status/891426876488593411

    The above tweet also indicates that Derek Falvey and Thad Levine are not going to wait until the deadline to start dealing.

    In fact, shortly after the Twins loss in Oakland, Jeff Passan said that the Twins may be nearing a deal already.

    https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/891532696412983296

    Now, I don't know if that is another Twins trade involving Jaime Garcia that is "close" or not, but the wording certainly indicates that it should happen relatively quickly, probably even on Sunday. Passan followed up by saying that if the Yankees acquire Garcia, it won't stop them from pursuing the A's Sonny Gray.

    According to Jon Morosi, the Twins might be interested in RHP Zack Littell. MLB.com has him ranked as the Yankees #22 prospect.

    https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/891536180663025664

    Littell has split this season between High-A Tampa and AA Trenton. Combined, he is 14-1 with a 1.87 ERA. He's also 5-0 with a 2.05 ERA in seven starts in AA. Seems intriguing at least. The 21-year-old was the Mariners 11th round pick in 2013 out of high school in North Carolina and traded to the Yankees in a minor deal in 2016. And... just because it's fun... his middle name is Stuart...

    It appears that Jaime Garcia will likely be the guy we remember for making one start with the Twins, and it was a Quality Start and a Win.

    Garcia is a free agent at the end of the season. Likewise, Brandon Kintzler is also, and there are several teams showing interest in his services. Of course, when the Twins had a save situation on Saturday night, Kintzler was left in the bullpen. He has pitched a lot of late, including 26 pitches a night earlier. So that was the reasoning given for him not coming into the game, and it is certainly real. But, if the Twins are looking to deal him, not pitching him is likely the best strategy.

    The Twins will not face Sonny Gray on Sunday in the series finale with the A's. The team says that he's being pushed back to Monday, but we all know it is because he's going to be traded by then.

    Along with Kintzler and Garcia, it's possible that teams will be interested in Matt Belisle as well since he is a free agent at season's end too.

    Ervin Santana rumors slowed down some on Saturday. Houston still seems like the one team that might make some sense. It feels to me like Santana is the fall back plan for the teams to go after when they realize that they won't get one of the big fish (like Gray, Darvish).

    And, there has been little talk of Brian Dozier at this point. That, of course, could change at any point.

    (Again, this article will be updated as any rumors about the Twins come out. Please use the comments to discuss said rumors and your thoughts on them. If nothing else, the trade deadline should be very interesting for Twins fans.)

    Seth Stohs has been blogging about the Minnesota Twins since May 2003. A founder and owner of Twins Daily, Seth has been a Twins fan for 40 years and has a passion for covering the minor leagues and prospects.
    Follow Seth Stohs on Twitter: sethtweets

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    Featured Comments

    jorgenswest

    jorgenswest 5,941

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    If they can find a trade partner for a Gimenez, of course they move him.

     

    I don't think it is Gimenez blocking Garver, but rather Garver's defense at catcher that they are developing as well as seeing how he might handle LF. If they can develop Garver into an average receiver, he is a valuable addition to the bench.

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    kab21

    kab21 2,459

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

     

    If they can find a trade partner for a Gimenez, of course they move him.

    I don't think it is Gimenez blocking Garver, but rather Garver's defense at catcher that they are developing as well as seeing how he might handle LF. If they can develop Garver into an average receiver, he is a valuable addition to the bench.

    If his defense is a problem (and I think it is) then he is better off in AAA getting >50% of the starts than up with the Twins getting a day or two when Castro is off. He is intriguing since he can hit and play multiple positions.

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    Mike Sixel

    Mike Sixel 41,021

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

     

    If his defense is a problem (and I think it is) then he is better off in AAA getting >50% of the starts than up with the Twins getting a day or two when Castro is off. He is intriguing since he can hit and play multiple positions.

     

    For how long? He is 26. At some point, he's either going to be a good catcher, or not. Has anyone from the team or outside scouting talked about/written him up lately? I can't recall seeing anything lately.

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    kab21

    kab21 2,459

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

     

    For how long? He is 26. At some point, he's either going to be a good catcher, or not. Has anyone from the team or outside scouting talked about/written him up lately? I can't recall seeing anything lately.

    That is a fair question. I guess this is the time where management needs to decide if catching is his future or not. This seems to be a repeat of the Josmil Pinto situation. Questions about defense and criticism from TD that he wasn't promoted yet. Who was right? I dunno.

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    LaBombo

    LaBombo 14,240

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

     

    For how long? He is 26. At some point, he's either going to be a good catcher, or not. Has anyone from the team or outside scouting talked about/written him up lately? I can't recall seeing anything lately.

     

    Yup, now that the fig leaf of contention is gone, it's hard to see what's keeping the Twins from thanking Top Gimmy for the memories and giving Garver regular playing time, unless it's that they don't believe he'll ever warrant regular playing time.

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    thegambler

    thegambler 49

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

     

    Trade Kintzler, Grossman and Belisle. DL Polanco. Activate Buxton and call up Vargas and 2 relievers. Give Hildenberger the 1st shot at the closer role. Rogers clearly isn't it. 

    Agreed, especially on Vargas.  We need to find a way to keep his bat in the lineup.  Surprisingly, Vargas plays 1B pretty well.  Whether it be 1B or DH, he needs to be in the lineup at get regular at bats.  Either that, or trade him to a contender that needs a 1B/DH (New York anyone?), and get some pitching in return.  

     

    Others teams, like the Dodgers and now Boston with Price, are using the 10 day DL to give players a break or rest when they're slumping. Why the heck haven't the Twins put Polanco on the 10 day DL as a way to send him on a "rehab assignment" to AAA to help him get things figured out?

     

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    LaBombo

    LaBombo 14,240

  • Verified Member

    • Posted (edited)

     

    If his defense is a problem (and I think it is) then he is better off in AAA getting >50% of the starts than up with the Twins getting a day or two when Castro is off. He is intriguing since he can hit and play multiple positions.

     

    I'm hoping the Twins see the rest of this year as a chance to improve their talent instead of literally cutting their losses by fielding the lineups that will provide the fewest losses this year instead of the most wins next year and beyond.

     

    If Castro figures in their future plans, then he could use the rest from Garver playing in half the games.. If not, then that's all the more reason to see what Garver can do in the majors.

    Edited by LaBombo
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