Search the Community

When examining the Twins roster, it seems simple enough to identify the team’s most prominent trade deadline need. Minnesota’s relievers have blown multiple critical games over the last month, and few bullpen arms can be trusted in late-inning situations. Nearly every contending team will be looking for a bullpen upgrade, so how can the Twins avoid some of their past mistakes? It is crucial to remember that a team is acquiring a reliever with only two months remaining in the season. Relief pitchers acquired at the deadline will only pitch a handful of times during the 2022 season for the team acquiring them. Because of the small sample size, every appearance is magnified for the stretch run. Let’s look back at some of Minnesota’s other big reliever trades and how they panned out. Sergio Romo Trade Minnesota traded for Sergio Romo at the 2019 deadline. The Twins acquired him along with RHP Chris Vallimont for 1B Lewin Diaz. Romo was on an expiring contract and appeared in 27 games following the trade. In 22 2/3 innings, he posted a 3.18 ERA with a 0.93 WHIP and a 27-to-4 strikeout to walk ratio. He pitched well enough that the Twins brought him back for the 2020 season, but age finally started to catch up to Romo. Diaz has played 57 big-league games for the Marlins with a 60 OPS+. Minnesota removed Vallimont from the 40-man roster in May, and Baltimore claimed him. He has a 6.13 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP this season at Double- and Triple-A. Sam Dyson Trade Like Romo, Sam Dyson was acquired to help the Bomba Squad Twins make a playoff run. Unfortunately, multiple things went wrong in this trade. On the field, he was limited to 12 appearances with the Twins due to a shoulder injury. Off the field, Dyson dealt with a domestic violence incident for which he was suspended for the entire 2021 season. Minnesota sent a trio of prospects, including Prelander Berroa, Kai-Wei Teng, and Jaylin Davis, as part of the trade. Berroa topped out at High-A in the Giants organization and is now pitching in the Mariners organization. Teng has a 4.73 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP at Double-A. Davis has 28 big-league games with the Giants and Red Sox while going 12-for-67 (.179 BA) with a 40 OPS+. Matt Capps Trade Minnesota’s trade for Matt Capps is remembered as a poor deal because the Twins gave up catching prospect Wilson Ramos. Ramos went on to multiple All-Star appearances during his 12-year big-league career. Fans may forget how good Capps was down the stretch for the Twins. In 27 games, he posted a 2.00 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP and a 21-to-8 strikeout to walk ratio. His Twins tenure could have ended following the 2010 season, but Minnesota brought him back on a free-agent deal, and that’s when things went poorly. Over the next two seasons, he had a 4.07 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP. He wouldn’t appear in another big-league game after leaving the Twins organization. Overall, relievers can be tricky to analyze due to their baseball role. Small sample sizes and high leverage situations shine a brighter spotlight on their critical spots in the game. Minnesota needs to add to their relief core, but not every reliever trade goes according to plan. Do you think the Twins need to worry about picking up a reliever? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

Subject: Matt Capps Why You Remember Him: Once upon a time, the Twins had a promising catcher named Wilson Ramos stuck behind Joe Mauer. They didn’t have a closer. Joe Nathan was hurt. Terrifying actual giant man Jon Rauch was ineffective. This was also right about the time when people were noticing how much more valuable a good catcher was than a position you could fill with literally any Tom, Ric, or Eddie who could hurl a decent fastball for one inning. But. But! The Twins were still in “we need a proven closer” mode, and they were not going to head into the meat of the schedule without one. What would Goose Gossage think? WHAT WOULD GOOSE GOSSAGE THINK? So, they sent Ramos to Washington for Matt Capps. And Capps was...fine-ish. And “bilateral leg weakness” became a familiar term. And the light-hitting Drew Butera was the catcher instead of Mauer or Ramos. And then the Twins were bad for a long time. Not that I’m bitter about it. What You Don’t Remember: His middle name is Dicus. And he was the winning pitcher in the 2010 All-Star Game. What’s He Up To: Working in the TV booth for the Pirates. One of his co-workers? Former FSN staple Robby Incmikoski. Where have you gone, Telly Hughes? Anything else: The spoonerism for his name is the best one for a Twins pitcher since Willie Banks.

Flags fly forever or so the saying goes. During the 2010 season, the Twins had a roster that seemed built for October success. Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau were in the middle of a powerful line-up that helped to open Target Field with a bang. One of the team’s biggest weaknesses was the bullpen and this meant Terry Ryan went shopping at the deadline to look for a “proven closer.” Minnesota’s bullpen wasn’t completely inept during the season’s first half as players like Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain, and Jose Mijares fit into their designated roles. Jon Rauch was given the opportunity to be the team’s primary closer. Prior to the trade deadline, Rauch posted a 3.05 ERA as opponents hit .283/.321/.395 against him in 37 games. He was doing the job, but more bullpen depth seemed like it would bolster the team for the stretch run. Matt Capps served as Pittsburgh’s closer for parts of three seasons before being non-tendered and eventually signing with the Washington Nationals. During the first half of 2010, he’d make his first All-Star team as he had a 2.74 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP in 46 innings. His ERA was strong, but he gave up a lot of contact and didn’t strike out many batters (under 7.0 K/9 for his career) which can be cause for concern from a reliever. From the Twins perspective, they were acquiring a reliever with control over the next season and a half and their competitive window seemed to be open. He was worth 0.9 WAR during his Twins tenure, but it was more about what the Twins gave up acquiring that slight bullpen boost. To make matters worse, Minnesota doubled down on Capps and signed him to an extension. When that contract ended, he wouldn’t pitch in the big leagues again. Wilson Ramos and Joe Testa were the two players sent to Washington for the rights to Capps. Ramos was a consensus top-65 prospect in all of baseball entering the 2010 season. Before being traded, he also had an impressive big-league debut as he collected seven hits in his first two games. That being said, Minnesota had just signed Joe Mauer to the richest contract in team history and it seemed like he was going to be behind the plate for the foreseeable future. This might have made Ramos more expendable to the team. During his Washington tenure, Ramos turned into a solid piece of their big-league roster. He’d finish fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .267/.334/.445 with 38 extra-base hits in 113 games. His final season in Washington was his best as he posted an .850 OPS with 22 home runs and 25 doubles on the way to winning the Silver Slugger award and being selected to his first All-Star Game. In total, he produced 10.5 WAR in his seven seasons of team control that the Twins let go for under 100 innings of Capps. It’s clear why Washington wanted to make this trade as Ramos became their primary catcher for most of a decade. For the Twins, Mauer was still the team’s primary catcher for the next three seasons before being forced to move to first base. Even considering this, it doesn’t seem like the Twins were able to maximize the value of one of baseball’s top catching prospects. Capps was very good in 2010 and there’s no question that he helped the Twins solidify their bullpen. There was no way the team knew what would happen in the playoffs. Minnesota is often criticized for not going for it and hanging on to their prospects when they have a chance to make a deeper playoff run. This was a time when the front office decided to go against this traditional mantra and the results speak for themselves. What are your thoughts after looking back at this trade? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. OTHER POSTS IN THE SERIES — Tom Brunansky — Johan Santana MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email