Twins Sign Old Friend Huascar Ynoa to Minor-League Deal With Major-League Spring Invite

[Matthew Trueblood]

If the Jaime García trade still keeps you up nights... why? I mean I was gonna say, you can finally rest, but no, skip bed, go straight to therapy. It was seven years ago! Let it go!

Image courtesy of © Mike Watters-Imagn Images

In the Dallas Hilton Anatole's answer to the midnight tumbleweed across a ghost town's main street, MLB reporter Stephanie Apstein clued us all in early Tuesday morning to a minor-league signing that will satisfy one very niche type of Twins prospect nerd.

This would not be newsworthy, really, except that Huascar Ynoa was the teenage hurler whom the Twins sent to Atlanta in the ill-fated Jaime García trade in 2017. Four years later, for the merest blink of an eye, it looked like he would make the team look foolish, as he pitched 91 strong innings across 18 appearances for Atlanta and won a World Series ring (though he was the furthest thing from an instrumental part of their title run), fanning 100 and walking just 25.

A year later, Ynoa crashed back out of the majors, possibly for good. He underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of 2022, missed all of 2023, and struggled for much of 2024. He didn't pitch for Atlanta at all this year and became a minor-league free agent after the season. However, there's a glimmer of hope for some kind of recovery.

Late in the season, Ynoa's fastball seemed to regain the zip that had been missing since his return. He averaged almost 95 miles per hour with the heater in September, without an attendant rise in velocity on his breaking ball. 

At this juncture, Ynoa is unlikely to make a major impact, but his future is most likely in relief. In light of that, even an extra tick—the ability to sit 95 and touch 97, with the good slider—goes a long way. The Twins can bring him to big-league camp without worrying about a roster spot for him right away, and evaluate whatever continued improvement he shows as his fully healed arm continues to progress. He's still only 26 years old, so it's worth at least giving him that extra look.

By way of a refresher, the Twins traded Ynoa for Jaime García and catcher Anthony Recker on Jul. 24, 2017, when they were on the fringes of contention. After just one start, though (and amid a stretch of seven losses in eight games to sag below .500), the team flipped García to the Yankees, picking up Zack Littell in the process. The transaction string worked out fine, really, since Littell would go on to deliver some value for the team in his own run of bullpen success, and the 2017 Twins managed to bravely power through to the playoffs despite the loss of their beloved leader, García. It was so weird, though, that many fans still remember it less than fondly—and for a moment, when Ynoa looked like a potential medium-term contributor for Atlanta, the move was infamous.

Deals like this are functionally free. They cost mostly whatever it took to convince the player in question they have a shot at a real role with the team in question for the coming season. Ynoa will have to show a lot to make the Twins roster before an opt-out date in the contract arrives, but if nothing else, this small move brings an old trade full-circle. It also adds one more intriguing arm to a deep collection of them, come February.

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[Doctor Wu]

I like this signing a lot. A no-risk minor league deal for a guy who could end up being a big contributor to the  team this coming season. He had that one great season in Atlanta before the injury, so here is hoping we can get something even remotely resembling that performance. And don't stop here. I hope the Twins are looking for more potentially valuable players coming back from injuries. 

[Fezig]

This! is the move Twins fans were waiting for. If only they would have gotten him at the trade deadline. Drat!

[dxpavelka]

Jamie Garcia Experience Fun Fact:  Garcia won more games for the Twins that year than he did for the Yankees. 

[old nurse]

By way of a refresher García was a beloved leader?  Littel bullpen success. The link provided doesn’t show a record of that. Humor or more poor writing? That would be debatable. Ynia i the type of reclamation project the Twins feel necessary They probably do not see anticipate much better progress out of their bullpen arms or last year’s rookie starters 

[chpettit19]

I remember when the Twins were the biggest fools in the world for having let this guy slip through their fingers. Nice enough minor league depth to add. If he can get back to what he was when the world was on fire because the Twins were foolish enough to trade him this will be a very nice little nothing pickup on December 10th for a cash strapped Twins squad.

[Hubie29]

And the off-season acquisitions have begun with a block buster!

[mikelink45]

I can feel the ground shake under my feet as the rest of the Central division quakes from this dramatic move.  Normally this would have been an okay move - why not, so I apologize for my sarcasm.  Like most I am waiting for something that really has meaning for the team this next year. 

We add Huascar and the Tigers add Alex Cobb and KC gets India while extending Wacha and Cleveland gets back Bieber.  

[TopGunn#22]

I'm pretty sure the "Garcia, the esteemed leader" writing was just made in jest.  And yes, while I'm waiting for a big trade during these winter meetings...something that brings in a Daulton Rushing/Kyle Teel "Catcher of the Future" kind of deal, I kind of like this under the radar move.

It really has no risk but could prove to a beneficial signing.  Every year, Major League teams make these kind of under the radar signings and a couple of them end up being very successful.  With the possibility that the Twins will actually give Griffin Jax a shot at the starting rotation, this kind of signing can't hurt at all.  

This kind of move is far more beneficial than a risky Rule 5 move because  Ynoa has the ability to be called up/sent down that is not readily available for a Rule 5.  We're ALL hoping for something bigger during the Winter Meetings.  But this is a decent move and I like it.  

[terrydactyls]

1 hour ago, old nurse said:

By way of a refresher García was a beloved leader?  Littel bullpen success. The link provided doesn’t show a record of that. Humor or more poor writing? That would be debatable. Ynia i the type of reclamation project the Twins feel necessary They probably do not see anticipate much better out of their bullpen arms or last year’s rookie starters 

More poor writing?  See highlights above. 

P.S.  There should be a comma after the word "refresher" in the first sentence.

[jmlease1]

I don't hate on moves like this. You're buying a lottery ticket, and if there are some significant bullpen injuries (or ineffectiveness), he might make an impact. Smart teams look for these opportunities to supplement their upper minors and the cost is pretty low; the biggest issue is if the Twins don't have a spot for him when the opt-out hits, he'll leave and then some people will be Big Mad if he does anything for anyone else. Oh, well.

My only issue is when it shakes out that all you've been able to do to improve your team is buy half a dozen or so of these lottery tickets and then you need one of them to pay out rather than looking at them as a bonus and/or extra insurance. 

[LambchoP]

Hopefully he will work out and can be a solid bullpen piece. Or even better we get really lucky and he looks lights out in spring training and wins the number 5 SP job, allowing Festa to start the year in AAA. Wishful thinking, but it could happen. I'm betting we don't make one single major league signings this off-season due to supposed budget issues, so they might as well make like a dozen of these signings and hope one or two work out for us.

[old nurse]

36 minutes ago, terrydactyls said:

More poor writing?  See highlights above. 

P.S.  There should be a comma after the word "refresher" in the first sentence.

I am not paid. 

[Blyleven2011]

Welcome back huscar ynoa  ...

Be healthy and prosper ...

I agree this is a better addition than a rule 5 player , he's young and has mlb experience and showed flashes when healthy ...

[Seth Stohs]

I LOVE this signing! Obviously him getting back to 100% would be amazing, but on an MILB deal, it's fantastic. He's young, and if starting doesn't work, could always try the bullpen too. 

[Jeff K]

4 hours ago, old nurse said:

I am not paid. 

If you comment on someone's writing...it's best to be flawless.  And less ornery

[old nurse]

1 hour ago, Jeff K said:

If you comment on someone's writing...it's best to be flawless.  And less ornery

It is also better off if other people were not thin skinned 

[Coach]

Moving forward, not backward. Hills can be tricky.

[bean5302]

It's a good move. Ynoa's big issue has been walks, and control is the last thing to return after TJ. If Ynoa's control improves this time around, he could be a real nice depth piece for what will undoubtedly cover a rotation injury. It makes Paddack even easier to part with as well.

[Linus]

I love this deal. He’s only 26 and has some actual stuff. Signed to a milb contract means no risk. Would not be surprised if this deal actually works considerably better than the usual Jay Jackson type pickup. 

[Parfigliano]

16 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I can feel the ground shake under my feet as the rest of the Central division quakes from this dramatic move.  Normally this would have been an okay move - why not, so I apologize for my sarcasm.  Like most I am waiting for something that really has meaning for the team this next year. 

We add Huascar and the Tigers add Alex Cobb and KC gets India while extending Wacha and Cleveland gets back Bieber.  

So all equal moves

[Blyleven2011]

On 12/10/2024 at 8:31 AM, TopGunn#22 said:

I'm pretty sure the "Garcia, the esteemed leader" writing was just made in jest.  And yes, while I'm waiting for a big trade during these winter meetings...something that brings in a Daulton Rushing/Kyle Teel "Catcher of the Future" kind of deal, I kind of like this under the radar move.

It really has no risk but could prove to a beneficial signing.  Every year, Major League teams make these kind of under the radar signings and a couple of them end up being very successful.  With the possibility that the Twins will actually give Griffin Jax a shot at the starting rotation, this kind of signing can't hurt at all.  

This kind of move is far more beneficial than a risky Rule 5 move because  Ynoa has the ability to be called up/sent down that is not readily available for a Rule 5.  We're ALL hoping for something bigger during the Winter Meetings.  But this is a decent move and I like it.  

catcher Kyle Teel and 3 others traded to Chicago  for pitcher crochet  ...

Bostons not afraid to trade away high prospects  ...

[BSLinPA]

On 12/10/2024 at 9:31 AM, TopGunn#22 said:

I'm pretty sure the "Garcia, the esteemed leader" writing was just made in jest.  And yes, while I'm waiting for a big trade during these winter meetings...something that brings in a Daulton Rushing/Kyle Teel "Catcher of the Future" kind of deal, I kind of like this under the radar move.

It really has no risk but could prove to a beneficial signing.  Every year, Major League teams make these kind of under the radar signings and a couple of them end up being very successful.  With the possibility that the Twins will actually give Griffin Jax a shot at the starting rotation, this kind of signing can't hurt at all.  

This kind of move is far more beneficial than a risky Rule 5 move because  Ynoa has the ability to be called up/sent down that is not readily available for a Rule 5.  We're ALL hoping for something bigger during the Winter Meetings.  But this is a decent move and I like it.  

According to Sports Illustrated, Ynoa had one option remaining in 2024 Atlanta Braves: Expectations for Huascar Ynoa in 2024 and Beyond - Sports Illustrated Atlanta Braves News, Analysis and More  . 

Looks like that was used on March 18, 2024  Huascar Ynoa Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News | MiLB.com

[ashbury]

On 12/10/2024 at 2:14 PM, old nurse said:

It is also better off if other people were not thin skinned 

First Law of Holes: when you find yourself in one, stop digging.  😀

[old nurse]

1 hour ago, ashbury said:

First Law of Holes: when you find yourself in one, stop digging.  😀

There are a lot of hoes here some days