Report: Twins Willing to Back Out on Blockbuster Deal

[Seth Stohs]

Updated 1:05 p.m. Sunday: Trade remains work-in-progress.

 

Well that was fun, wasn't it? However, according to the Star-Tribune, the Minnesota Twins sound unwilling to budge on their portion of the reported blockbuster deal that would have sent Brusdar Graterol to the Red Sox as part of a multi-team trade that would have brought Kenta Maeda to the Twins.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 issuesof 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.

 

 

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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[PseudoSABR]

What a mess.  Whether or not Boston's concerns with Graterol were legitimate after a medical review, those concerns never should have leaked to the press.

[Diesel]

The Red Sox organization is in shambles, lost their manager, new front office that botched their first big trade. How does that happen just over a year from being World Series champs?

[Minfidel]

Couldn't the Twins still make a deal with LA for Maeda? Not necessarily for Graterol, and I don't know that I'd be dipping too much into my top-10 prospect list, but there are likely some arms a couple years away that might interest the Dodgers, and they've already indicated that Maeda is expendable as far as this year is concerned. 

[Rigby]

Good call Falvey.

[Dman]

And we are officially out of the trade per MLB trade rumors.  Glad we didn't budge.  I guess Boston\Dodgers found a better offer for Maeda?

 

Happy to have you back Brusdar.  I hope you close out\shut the door on many games against the Sox in the future. 

 

Thank you FO for not caving!!  I am fine with this result given the circumstances.

 

[Squirrel]

Good. It would have been nice to get Maeda, but not at the cost Boston was insisting on.

[Squirrel]

 

What a mess.  Whether or not Boston's concerns with Graterol were legitimate after a medical review, those concerns never should have leaked to the press.

 

The thing is, they weren't saying anything more than what we all knew to begin with ... they were concerned he wasn't going to project as a starter ... well, okay, that's not new. But if Graterol was just not 'good enough' ... then why still want him as part of the deal? That was all just ... bogus ... as far as I'm concerned.

[jorgenswest]

They made the right move a few days late.

[TwinsFan347]

Yes! Can't wait to see Graterol pitching for the Twins this year.

[Halsey Hall]

Falvine went to the bullpen and got Rocco and they went to the main stadium this morning and I figured something had taken place.  

[ChrisKnutson]

If we thought it was necessary to interject ourselves in the deal because there were no other viable starting options beyond Taijuan Walker’s caliber, now what??

[Cholas]

Heyman reporting that the Twins haven't fully backed out, but that they set a deadline of today to resolve their end of the deal with Boston.

 

https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1226241818418991112

 

 

[DocBauer]

Just a complete farce the way this was handled by Boston.

 

Disappointed the trade didn't go through but happy to have Graterol back. Really unfair to the guy the way this was handled.

 

Glad the Twins didn't give in and add more to the deal. Another top 10 prospect when technically the deal went through LA? Please!

[wabene]

Glad to have Brusdar back. I have become spoiled the last few days with a bolstered rotation so I look forward to the next move!

Kenta Maeda I hardly knew ya

[PseudoSABR]

 

The thing is, they weren't saying anything more than what we all knew to begin with ... they were concerned he wasn't going to project as a starter ... well, okay, that's not new. But if Graterol was just not 'good enough' ... then why still want him as part of the deal? That was all just ... bogus ... as far as I'm concerned.

Right. It certainly appears that Boston is using Graterol's medical review as a cover for backing out of the deal due to backlash.

[PseudoSABR]

 

Heyman reporting that the Twins haven't fully backed out, but that they set a deadline of today to resolve their end of the deal with Boston.

 

https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1226241818418991112

Twins may be leveraging the Redsox by going to the media and saying they've pulled out.

[Brandon]

We have a trade.....just kidding.....

[High heat]

I really like the seemingly twins stance of if you don’t like his medical you don’t get him at all. We are not add more to the deal. It’s just him or some other combo but not him +

[Squirrel]

 

Twins may be leveraging the Redsox by going to the media and saying they've pulled out.

 

Yep ... it was really the only move they could make, either way 

[Ebby Calvin Laloosh]

Does this mean we can talk about Maeda in next years "Ex-Twins in 2021" forum or not?

[Doctor Gast]

I applaud the FO for not backing down. It`ll all work out for the best in the end!!!!!!

[Squirrel]

 

Does this mean we can talk about Maeda in next years "Ex-Twins in 2021" forum or not?

 

Unofficially only

[Guest]

The title of the article has just changed from Twins Back Out to Twins Willing to Back Out.  Very dynamic situation, and maybe an indicator that Twins are using media as a negotiating gambit with BOS just as PseudoSABR commented above.

[PseudoSABR]

[operation mindcrime]

Good! Go Twins!!!!! \m/

[Mike Sixel]

The vitriol at a team that got the medical details, and then decided they didn't like the idea as much, is amazing to me. They did nothing wrong at all.

[Squirrel]

 

The title of the article has just changed from Twins Back Out to Twins Willing to Back Out.  Very dynamic situation, and maybe an indicator that Twins are using media as a negotiating gambit with BOS just as PseudoSABR commented above.

 

Still the only move to be made. Willing to walk away. If Boston wants a deal it's in their corner and they know the Twins aren't willing to add and play their game

[Squirrel]

 

The vitriol at a team that got the medical details, and then decided they didn't like the idea as much, is amazing to me. They did nothing wrong at all.

 

I disagree because I don't think this is really about the medicals at this point. They concluded from the medicals that Graterol wasn't likely going to be a starter. Well ... is that new? Not really. And I don't blame them for wanting someone else because it wasn't going to fit their needs. But, they still wanted Graterol ... AND another top 10 prospect? That's the part where I say ... ummmm ... you don't like Graterol, but still want him, and someone equally good, too? That handling was bad and made them look worse. That's where you say, "no, get real". If they could have a different prospect in place of Graterol, this would all be different. But no ... they still wanted him AND. That part bugs me.

[Mike Sixel]

Interestingly, some of the baseball people I follow on Twitter are basically loling the Sox..... So maybe I'm not quite right