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Please click here to read this story in its entirety at Zone Coverage. Players Weekend is over and it went by without Ervin Santana throwing a single pitch. He still stood true to his jersey nickname on Tuesday night at Target Field, however, as for five innings he performed Magic in a 6-4 win over the Chicago White Sox. It was a nice bounce-back performance for Santana, if that’s what you’d like to call it. The Twins lost his last start 4-3 at Guaranteed Rate field on Wednesday -- also a Santana-James Shields matchup -- but the lanky righty tossed seven innings of two-run ball with eight strikeouts. Facing the same offense the second time in a row, Santana backed it up 6.2 innings of three-run ball with seven strikeouts and a pair of walks. In all, it capped a terrific month of August for Santana. In all, the righty made six starts over the month, pitching to a 2.95 ERA with just 34 hits allowed and 42 strikeouts in 39.2 innings. While that ERA pales in comparison to what Santana did over the first two months of the season, it’s worth noting that it appears he’s gotten his second wind. Santana posted a 6.03 ERA in June and followed it up with a 4.68 mark in July as the Twins went just 4-7 in his starts over that stretch. The offensive star of the night on the Twins side was Jorge Polanco, who continued his torrid August by becoming just the fifth player in team history to homer from both sides of the plate. In doing so, Polanco joined Kennys Vargas, Ryan Doumit, Chili Davis and Roy Smalley -- who was in the Fox Sports North booth doing color commentary -- as the only Twins to reach that feat. "Not too many guys in the history of this franchise have done that," manager Paul Molitor said. "So that was impressive." Polanco himself hasn't done it any level either, he said after the game. "No I haven't," Polanco told Fox Sports North sideline reporter Marney Gellner. "It's the first time."

It’s sunny and warm at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins prepare to open a three-game set against the Chicago White Sox. It’ll be a pair of righties doing battle, as the Twins send Ervin Santana (3.24 ERA, 4.66 FIP in 169.1 innings) to the mound to tangle with James Shields (5.63 ERA, 6.13 FIP in 80 innings) of the White Sox. This will be the second matchup in a row between the pitchers, with the White Sox beating the Twins 4-3 last Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field. More on that in a bit. The Twins announced on Tuesday that Joe Nathan will formally announce his retirement in a press conference on Friday at Target Field. He’ll be joined by Thad Levine — who was an executive during Nathan’s time with the Texas Rangers — and will throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Friday night. He’ll also be honored with a video tribute put together by the team. Nathan spent seven seasons with the Twins, saving 260 games with a 2.16 ERA and 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings. He finished his career with 377 saves, with all but one coming either with the Twins or after he departed. Nathan played two seasons in Texas, two in Detroit and split time between the Cubs and Giants last season before going to spring training with the Nationals this season. Nathan struck out nine batters in 11.2 innings with the Nationals in spring training, opted out of his deal and resigned a minor-league deal with the team before he was released from Triple-A Syracuse at the end of May. Please click through to Zone Coverage here to read the rest of this article.

Twins fans have been trying to dream up ways to get rid of Ricky Nolasco and his nightmare contract basically from the moment the ink dried on his signature.That exercise has usually entailed finding a similarly terrible contract to swap. After a disappointing first season in San Diego, James Shields' name has been often floated out as a target of late.My immediate reaction to a potential Nolasco for Shields trade is it would be a dream swap for the Twins. After looking into it further, and considering the long-term ramifications, I'm not even convinced I'd pull the trigger on a straight up swap if I was Terry Ryan. Yes, Shields is the superior pitcher, but his contract carries far more risk going forward. The Twins still owe Nolasco $25 million ($12 million the next two seasons followed by a $1 million buyout), but Shields still has $65 million left on his deal ($21 million over the next three years and a $2 million buyout for the fourth). That $40 extra million surely could be better spent elsewhere, and while getting rid of Nolasco is an enticing idea, taking on Shields may be a subtraction by addition. Beyond the financial commitment, there are huge question marks surrounding Shields and some reason for optimism for Nolasco. Shields had a 3.91 ERA, gave up a league-high 33 homers and actually had a higher FIP (4.45) in 2015 than the mark Nolasco has posted over his two seasons in Minnesota (4.15). He also had a worse strikeout-to-walk ratio over the same time frames (2.67 to Nolasco's 2.88). Nolasco has been a disaster so far in his time with the Twins, but he may have been a victim of some bad luck as well. His BABIPs the past two seasons have been .392 and .351. He is always going to give up a higher than average amount of hard contact, but I would expect his BABIP to fall more toward his career mark of .314. Shields, in case you were wondering, had a .299 BABIP last season. With all that said, I would certainly still expect Shields to be the superior pitcher in 2016. He also has a reputation of being a positive influence on a pitching staff and has been an absolute horse, pitching more than 200 innings nine-straight seasons. My worry is in '15 we started seeing the beginning of the end and all that work has started to pile up on his arm. If nothing else, Nolasco should be at least have a fresh arm after throwing just 37.1 innings last season. And if we're going to address intangibles and credit Shields for his leadership, Nolasco should also get a tip of the cap for working his way back from an ankle injury to start the final game of the season when he had very little incentive to push to return prior to the season's end. Also, if I'm the Twins I'm trying to move Nolasco for anything but another starting pitcher. There's no question Tyler Duffey deserves to start the '16 season in the rotation, I would also prefer to see Trevor May starting again and Jose Berrios has very little (if anything ) to prove in the minors. What do you think? Am I crazy? Would you trade Nolasco for Shields straight up? Click here to view the article

There are certain days in a baseball season that people just know, just remember. Opening Day is obviously a big one. At Twins Daily, the days of the MLB Draft are very busy and warrant their own thread. The July 31 Non-Waivers Trade Deadline is another one of those days. This article can be used to discuss any trades and rumors that happen up until the 3:00 deadline.Rumors certainly ran rampant throughout the day on Thursday. Things were fairly quiet on the Twins front, though talk picked up later in the evening regarding the San Diego Padres. Are the Padres going to sell? It certainly seems like it. Who are they looking to trade? Could Justin Upton really be of interest to the Twins, and if so, what would they have to give up to get him? Joaquin Benoit and Shawn Kelley are probably available. Which would the Twins prefer? Can, as Jeremy asked a couple of days ago, they really be interested in James Shields? Could they rid themselves of Ricky Nolasco’s contract at the same time? Now it sounds like the Padres and Astros (who have been busy this past week) are talking about relievers, so there will be competition for their players. The Yankees are reportedly now interested in Craig Kimbrel. My sense is that GM AJ Preller and the Padres will be quite busy on Friday. The Twins certainly have some trade chips. Buxton, Sano and Berrios are likely untouchable, but could Max Kepler be in play? If so, getting three hits (including two home runs) on Thursday night likely improves his value. He is now hitting .337/.418/.553 (.971) with 25 doubles, nine triples and six home runs in 77 games with the Lookouts. He has very good speed as evidenced by his nine triples but also his 13 stolen bases. He can play all three outfield positions and first base. If he is traded, the Twins had better get a nice haul for him! He’s certainly demanding people’s attention around baseball circles. Jorge Polanco played well in his start at shortstop on Thursday night, collecting two hits and getting on base three times. Would the Twins consider trading him, or would they prefer to deal Danny Santana? Would teams be interested in him? It was certainly noteworthy that the Twins flip-flopped LHP Stephen Gonsalves with RHP Kohl Stewart in the Ft. Myers rotation. Stewart had his scheduled start pushed from Thursday (before deadline) to Friday (after deadline). Could it be that they just felt Stewart needed a day off? Sure. Could it be that the Twins didn’t want to risk an injury to Stewart so that he could be traded? It sure could. Stewart’s name has popped up in rumors. Now, we know that the Twins typically are not huge players at the trade deadline. They aren’t typically a team that is going to give up a ton of high-quality prospects for elite talents. That said, they have been an active team most years at the deadline. Here’s a quick look at Twins moves in late July in recent years: July 24, 2014 – Traded DH Kendrys Morales to Seattle for RHP Stephen Pryor.July 31, 2014 – Traded OF Sam Fuld to Oakland for LHP Tommy Milone.July 31, 2013 – Traded C Drew Butera to the LA Dodgers for a PTBNL (Miguel Sulburan).July 28, 2012 – Traded LHP Francisco Liriano to the Chicago White Sox for IF Eduardo Escobar & LHP Pedro Hernandez.July 29, 2010 – Traded LHP Joe Testa and C Wilson Ramos to Washington for RHP Matt Capps.July 31, 2009 – Traded SS Tyler Ladendorf to Oakland for SS Orlando Cabrera.July 31, 2007 – Traded 2B Luis Castillo to the NY Mets for OF Dustin Martin and C Drew Butera.July 31, 2006 – Traded RHP Kyle Lohse to Cincinnati for RHP Zach Ward.July 31, 2004 – Traded 1B Doug Mientkiewicz to Boston in a four-team traded, received LHP Justin Jones from the Cubs.July 16, 2003 – Traded OF Bobby Kielty to Toronto for OF Shannon Stewart and a PTBNL (LHP Dave Gassner).July 12, 2002 – Traded OF Brian Buchanan to San Diego for SS Jason Bartlett.July 28, 2001 – Traded LHP Mark Redman to Detroit for RHP Todd Jones.July 30, 2001 – Traded OF Matt Lawton to NY Mets for RHP Rick Reed.July 15, 2000 – Traded OF Butch Huskey and 2B Todd Walker to Colorado for 1B Todd Sears.July 31, 2000 – Traded 1B/OF Mario Valdez to Oakland for C Danny Ardoin.July 31, 1998 – Traded OF Orlando Merced and LHP Greg Swindell to Boston for RHP Matt Kinney, OF John Barnes and LHP Joe Thomas.July 6, 1995 – Traded RHP Rick Aguilera to Boston for RHP Frankie Rodriguez and PTBNL (OF JJ Johnson)July 7, 1995 – Traded RHP Scott Erickson to Baltimore for RHP Scott Klingenbeck and PTBNL (OF Kimera Bartee)July 31, 1995 – Traded LHP Mark Guthrie and RHP Kevin Tapani to LA Dodgers for IF Ron Coomer, RHP Greg Hansell, RHP Jose Parra and PTBNL (OF Chris Latham).July 31, 1989 – Traded LHP Frank Viola to the NY Mets for RHP Rick Aguilera, RHP Kevin Tapani., LHP David West, RHP Tim Drummond and PTBNL (RHP Jack Savage).July 31, 1987 – Traded PTBNL (RHP Jeff Perry) to Cleveland for LHP Steve Carlton.There is certainly a mix of good trades, bad trades and forgettable trades. The trade deadline this year has been surprising. There haven't been a lot of minor trades. There have been a lot of big names traded all over. Just five teams (including the Twins and the Padres) have yet to make a single move this month as we approach these final hours. I’d expect both of them to make moves on Friday. On Thursday, there was a crazy 13-player, three-team trade between the Dodgers, the Braves and the Marlins. Carlos Gomez thought he was going from Milwaukee to the Mets on Wednesday night. That trade was called off, and on Thursday he (and Mike Fiers) were dealt to Houston. After getting Troy Tulowitzki earlier in the week, the Blue Jays gave up LHP Daniel Norris and more to get David Price for the rest of this season. In case you missed it late on Wednesday night, the Rangers sent five prospects to the Phillies for Cole Hamels. It’s been a very interesting deadline and now we are on the actual day of the deadline. Sure, things will happen in August too, but it should be a very exciting day. Feel free to use this thread to discuss moves and rumors throughout the day, particularly those regarding the Minnesota Twins. Twins Daily will attempt to keep up with everything and if the team does make a deal, check back for even more coverage. Click here to view the article

The Twins have been having on-and-off conversations with the Padres for the greater part of a week. Various different reports have them linked to a number of different Padres relief pitchers, primarily 38-year-old Joaquin Benoit.During conversations - not just with the Twins - the Padres have tried to package James Shields (and the three years and $63 million left on his contract, plus the rest of this year) into deals. It was a notion that at first I dismissed, figuring the Twins would try again as the deadline came closer and the Padres would back off of such a crazy demand. But the whispers haven’t left. It’s no secret that the A.J. Preller and the Padres are seeking to be very active at the deadline. It’s no secret that the Twins have always had a little man-crush on “Big Game” James Shields. And the Padres have relievers that the Twins would like to add to their bullpen. Are there specifics? No. But are there on-going discussions? Yes. Is a deal going to happen between the Twins and Padres? Maybe. For the Twins to take on such a big contract - an idea I first mentioned on Twitter Monday night - the belief is the Padres would have to either a ) send substantial money with Shields or b ) take on the contract of Ricky Nolasco (which has about $30 million remaining). If you follow Nolasco on social media, you’re well aware of his love for Southern California. There would still be player-cost as well. Everybody around the league is aware of the Twins having Oswaldo Arcia on the block. They are also aware of Arcia’s struggles both defensively and with the making contact offensively. His value is not that of a prime trade-candidate. There are also rumblings that the Twins have made Kohl Stewart available in trades. Though Stewart recently dropped out of Baseball America’s Top 100 Mid-Season Prospect List, he still is considered an asset. It would definitely take a bigger package to net a return of Shields and Benoit. And that’s where the speculation begins. Jorge Polanco? Max Kepler? Eddie Rosario? Alex Meyer? The Twins extra comp B pick? From the Twins perspective, adding Benoit makes a ton of sense. He’s got a team option for next year at $8 million (with a $1.5 million buyout) and could slide right into an 8th inning role he’s held and succeeded in. Adding Shield would likely be met with more skepticism. He’ll cost $63 million for his age-34 through -36 seasons (not to mention the team option for his age-37 season). But he would add a pitcher to the rotation this year who has a lot of postseason experience and would presumably fill the hole that soon-to-be-free agent Mike Pelfrey will open up. It’s hard not to like a potential top four of Hughes, Santana, Shields, Gibson with either Trevor May or Jose Berrios rounding out the rotation. The Padres continue to talk to many teams about moving pieces. Might the Twins be their first deadline dance partner? Click here to view the article