Seth Stohs

The Twins and Marlins reached an agreement. The Twins will send 1B Lewin Diaz to the Miami Marlins in exchange for veteran Sergio Romo. Per Passan: "The Minnesota Twins are deep into talks with the Miami Marlins on a deal that would send reliever Sergio Romo to Minnesota, sources with knowledge of the situation tell ESPN. The expectation is a trade will soon be finalized." Moments later, Passan tweeted: "One Marlins source says the deal should be completed soon. It would add a much-needed bullpen piece to the Twins, who continue to be aggressive in pursuit of help to their pitching staff." The 36-year-old Romo is in his 12th MLB season. He has 17 saves this season in 18 opportunities and a 3.58 ERA. Want a Winner? Romo was part of three World Series championship teams with the San Francisco Giants. Romo is excited to join a team that is making a pennant push. https://twitter.com/DaniAlvarez_16/status/1155291606402179072 Lewin Diaz had a tremendous 2019 season, returning to his prospect status. He began the year in Ft. Myers and has continued to mash since being promoted to the AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos. https://twitter.com/MarianaGuzzy/status/1155289081351430145 Chris Vallimont is a 22-year-old right-handed pitcher who was 4-4 with a 2.99 ERA in 13 starts with the Clinton LumberKings. He has now made six starts for Jupiter, the Marlins High-A Florida State League affiliate, and is 2-3 with a 3.75 ERA. Combined, he has 122 strikeouts in 105+ innings this year. He is likely to join the Kernels in Cedar Rapids. He was the Marlins 5th round pick in 2018 out of Mercyhurst. ANALYSIS... OK, Opinion While I believe that Lewin Diaz can be a solid MLB 1B starting sometime in 2020, I don't have any problem with this trade. Diaz has had a nice bounce-back season in 2019 after a disappointing 2018 ended early with an injury. However, he is behind CJ Cron, Miguel Sano, Brent Rooker, Zander Wiel and Alex Kirilloff in the Future 1B pecking order. Sergio Romo isn't dominant, by any means, but he is a successful veteran who has won a lot of games and even three World Series championships (if you think that matters anymore). He's not a hard-thrower anymore, but he is crafty and gets the job done, especially lately. Chris Villamont is an intriguing prospect. He can throw pretty hard, especially if he were to be moved to the bullpen at some point. He may be a similar prospect (Ranking-Wise) to Diaz, and yet he doesn't need to be added to the 40-man roster for two more years. And hey, if he goes to the Miracle, it's possible that they could lose a starting pitcher or two over the next four days. Finally, the Twins will also get a Player to be Named Later, a lottery pick, if you like. So to summarize, for Diaz (who likely wouldn't have been added to the 40-man roster this coming offseason), the Twins will get 2+ months of a competent, quality veteran reliever, a hard-throwing pitcher currently starting in the Florida State League after being drafted just a year ago, and another minor leaguer. Hard to argue with that.

The first thing we all need to admit, the term Prospect means something different to everyone. People aren’t going to agree on every prospect or rank them exactly the same. My Top prospect ranking looks a little different than Cody’s rankings or Tom’s rankings and with others, we have our Twins Daily Top 40 rankings. It looks different than Baseball America which looks a little different than Baseball Prospectus which looks a little different than FanGraphs which looks a little different than MLB Pipeline Which looks different than ESPNs rankings. And that’s OK. But as it relates to the Trade Deadline, the only prospect rankings and organizational depth charts that matter are the Minnesota Twins and any team that is scouting their players. That is the reason that each individual can have a slightly different, or fully different, opinion on a trade and the players dealt away. To that degree, we love our prospects, right? Every fan base loves its own prospects. No matter the deal, any trade that sends a player away hurts to some degree because, even if we don’t know that player personally, he’s part of the “We” that includes players, front office and fans too. At the same time, we all understand that in order to get something, something has to be given up, and in baseball, especially at the trade deadline, that comes in the form of prospects. I’ve been giving it some thought… let me know in the Comments if this makes sense. By definition, signing a free agent means that a team was willing to pay a little bit more than the other 29 teams were willing to pay. So it is overpaying, but hopefully just by a little bit. However, each team should also have a maximum amount (in years and dollars) for each player. It is sort of the same at the trade deadline. You know in every trade, the seller accepts the trade from the team that offered them the most. The acquiring team overpaid by just enough to “win” the trade. So, the goal of a Buyer when they really want to acquire a player should be to overpay, but just by a little bit. Each team should also have a maximum amount (in terms of prospects) for each player. So as it relates to the trade deadline, what does that mean? For each of the following players, how much would you be willing to trade? How much is too much? Noah Syndergaard: Marcus Stroman: Ken Giles: Mike Minor: Lance Lynn; Sergio Romo: Daniel Hudson: And the list goes on and on. How much do we love “our” prospects? But how much do we want to increase the Twins likelihood of winning a World Series incrementally? That is the question for you in the comments below, but it is also the question for the Twins front office in the next four to five days. SCOUTING UPDATES There are often scouts from other organizations at minor league games, just doing their job and getting information on players from the Twins organization. However, I have heard that there have been a lot of scouts in the last couple of weeks, particularly in Ft. Myers and Pensacola. The teams that have sent scouts to the Twins include (but certainly not limited to) the Blue Jays, Mets, Tigers, Royals, Giants, Rangers and Diamondbacks. That only makes sense. Teams are looking for pitching, and almost every night, there are real quality pitching prospects going for those affiliates. Teams certainly want to get a look at the likes of Edwar Colina, Jhoan Duran, Blayne Enlow, and even a guy like Cole Sands who has been really strong in his professional debut. Scouts have seen Jordan Balazovic, though his next start will be for Team Canada against Cuba on Tuesday at the Pan Am games in Peru. And they would certainly like to see Brusdar Graterol who hasn’t pitched in a game since May 19th, though there were reports this week that he could start a rehab assignment soon in the GCL. As for position players, the players that teams are scouting are in the lineup most every day, so it’s easier to know that they can be seen. There are scouts assigned to cover certain teams, and generally speaking they continue to be on-hand and scout as usual. However, over these last week or two they may be asked to focus on a target or two. Also over this time frame, teams may pull one of their other scouts will be pull off of their regular duty to get extra eyes on an organization that could be a trade partner. Twins Rumors On Thursday afternoon, the big talker became Noah Syndergaard. On Friday afternoon, the spotlight shifted again, this time north of the border to Marcus Stroman and Ken Giles. https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/1154889022000340992 Jon Morosi from MLB Network got Twins fans talking for going very specific. A top-of-rotation starter and a veteran reliever are available, but Morosi says the Twins aren’t sure that they would give up both Trevor Larnach and Brusdar Graterol for him. Would the price come down if the teams waiting until Tuesday or Wednesday, or will another team swoop them up? Would it cost more or less to acquire the two together or in separate deals? In other words, what would the cost be for the Twins to acquire Stroman and then to acquire Giles (or another top reliever) in individual deals? And how does the Twins interest in Daniel Hudson factor into these discussions? Hey Sergio! The Twins will be in Miami during the trade deadline next week. Could they get Sergio Romo to switch dugouts mid-series? https://twitter.com/CraigMish/status/1154826791908978690 The 36-year-old is in his 12th season in the big leagues. He won three World Series titles with the Giants. He has 126 saves. He has 10.0 K/9 rate and 2.1 BB/9. This year with the Marlins, he has a 7.8 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 to go with a 3.58 ERA. He is also 17 for 18 in save opportunities. Romo is now a soft-tosser, reliant on his moxie, and a good mix of changeup and slider. The cost to acquire him would be quite low. Syndergaard Updates Joel Sherman from the New York Post.reported again on Friday night that the Mets are definitely looking to trade Noah Syndergaard. He mentions the Astros, Braves and Padres are the teams they feel have the best opportunity to acquire him. LaVelle Neal from the Star Tribune noted on Thursday that it might take Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff to acquire Syndergaard. That should not be the case for the hard-throwing right-hander who has an ERA over 4 this year and missed most of the 2017 season with injury. But he is an ace caliber right-hander who has two more years of team control after this year. Dan Hayes from The Athletic pointed out that the Twins would be willing to move Lewis or Kirilloff in the right deal, meaning, for an Ace starting pitcher. In the same Sherman article, he pointed out that the likelihood that closer Edwin Diaz being traded “has greatly increased as well.” In fact, Jim Bowden says there may be more interest in the hard-throwing right-hander. https://twitter.com/JimBowdenGM/status/1155157106850455557 And hey, Ken Rosenthal has found a scenario where the Mets trade Syndergaard to the Padres and then the Mets would acquire Marcus Stroman. Ah, trade deadline rumors. https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/1155186573350199297 Twins Inquire on Robbie Ray Availability https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/1155159228069187585 Yeah, that’s really it. The Twins have called the Diamondbacks to ask about Robbie Ray… As they have called on probably every potentially available pitcher at the trade deadline. Cross Him Off the List… One name mentioned in Twins rumors over the last month has been traded. On Saturday afternoon, Royals lefty reliever Jake Diekman became A’s lefty reliever Jake Diekman, per Jeff Passon: https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1155188823657189376 The A’s sent two minor leaguers to Kansas City to complete the deal,20-year-old right-hander Ismael Aquino (second season in the Arizona League) and outfielder Dairon Blanco, a 26-year-old Cuban outfielder in AA. (I was asked what an equivalent trade from the Twins may have looked like. I think the best I could do to compare would be GCL RHP Donny Breek and AA/AAA OF Jimmy Kerrigan.

Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Thursday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS OF Byron Buxton was activated from the Injured List with OF Jake Cave optioned to Rochester. LHP Devin Smeltzer was optioned to Rochester. RHP Sean Poppen was recalled. The Twins traded Pensacola catcher Brian Navarreto to the New York Yankees organization for cash considerations. The Twins acquired RHP Jeremy Bleich from the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations. The 32-year-old debuted last year with two innings with the A’s (2 ER, 1 out). With all of the Red Wings starters bouncing from Rochester to the Twins, they just need some arms. Eden Prairie RH RP Adam Bray was promoted to Rochester. C Ryan Jeffers and RHP Jhoan Duran were promoted to Pensacola. C/1B Chris Williams came off of the Cedar Rapids Injured list and was promoted from the Kernels to the Miracle. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Norfolk 9 Box Score The Red Wings fell behind early after a five-run top of the first. However, a Jaylin Davis two-run single scored two runs to cap a four-run bottom of the 8th for the Red Wings to tie the game at 7-7. But the lead didn’t last for long, and the Wings took a loss. DJ Baxendale started a bullpen game for the Red Wings (as several of their starters are currently with or returning from the Twins). He gave up six runs on eight hits (including 3 HR) over the first three innings. He walked two and struck out three. Jake Reed came on and tossed three scoreless, hitless innings. He walked one and struck out two batters. Zack Littell came on and gave up an unearned run over this two innings. Gabriel Moya came on for the ninth inning with the game tied and gave up a two-run homer to Orioles’ top prospect Ryan Mountcastle. Nick Gordon led the offense. He went 3-for-4 with a walk and his fourth homer of the season. Alejandro de Aza and Wynston Sawyer each went 2-for-4 with a walk. Sawyer added his 17th double. Zander Wiel added his 27th home run. https://twitter.com/RocRedWings/status/1154422161442004992 BLUE WAHOOS BITES Pensacola 2, Mobile 1 Game 1 - Box Score It got interesting late, but Edwar Colina completed the seven-inning game for the Blue Wahoos on Thursday. Obviously that is important when it occurs during a double header. In his second start since his promotion to Pensacola, Colina came into the final inning with a shutout. He got the first two batters out, but then he issued a walk and a single. The Mobile run then scored on a passed ball which also put the tying run into scoring position. But he got a fly out to end the game. Colina went all seven innings (101 pitches, 70 strikes) and gave up only the unearned run on three hits. He walked one and struck out ten batters. It’s also fun to see how a pitcher does against top prospects. Jo Adell is the Angels top prospect and a consensus Top 10 prospect nationally. Colina go Adell out all three times he came to the plate and struck him out twice. Obviously three plate appearances fits the definition of Small Sample Size, but it does show Colina’s upside. The Wahoos scored both of their runs in the first innings. Alex Kirilloff led off with a single and stole second base. With two outs, Mark Contreras singled in Kirilloff. Ben Rortvedt followed with a run-scoring double. Contreras and Rortvedt each went 2-for-4. Rortvedt hit his fourth and fifth doubles. Pensacola 3, Mobile 2 Game 2 - Box Score Ryan Jeffers was called up to the Wahoos earlier in the day, and after starting out 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, he got one more opportunity. In the bottom of the 7th inning, Trevor Larnach reached on a two-out error. Jeffers came up, fell behind 0-2, and then drilled a double to left field that scored Larnach from first to end the game and the doubleheader. https://twitter.com/BlueWahoosBBall/status/1154599156989792256 The Blue Wahoos scored twice in the fifth inning and back-to-back RBI singles from Alex Kirilloff and Lewin Diaz. It was a bullpen game for Pensacola. Anthony Vizcaya started and gave up just one hit over three scoreless innings. He walked three and struck two batters out. Hector Lujan came on and was charged with two runs on three hits and two walks and a hit batter in an inning and a third. Tom Hackimer came into the 5th inning with the bases loaded and one out and got out of it. He worked 2 2/3 innings and gave up just one hit. He struck out two without walking anyone, though he did hit three batters. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Lakeland 2 (10 innings) Box Score Royce Lewis provided the Miracle with their first run of the night with a first-inning home run, his 10th of the season. He came to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning. He hit a fly ball down the right field line for a game-winning sacrifice fly. https://twitter.com/JimCrikket/status/1154568573727182849 Tyler Watson started for the Miracle. The left-hander was very good. He gave up just one run on four hits over the first seven innings. He struck out five batters without walking any. Johan Quezada came on and pitched a strong eighth inning, flashing 101 on the radar gun. However, he was charged with a ninth-inning run that tied the game. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out two while recording four outs. Calvin Faucher got the final two outs of the ninth inning and then threw a scoreless top of the 10th. Gabriel Maciel went 2-for-5 in the game. Jacob Pearson had the only other extra base hit, his third double since joining the Miracle recently. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Wisconsin 1 Box Score Luis Rijo was on his game again on Thursday night. The right-hander, acquired last year at the trade deadline from the Yankees, gave up just one run on four hits over the first seven innings. He struck out eight and didn’t walk anyone. https://twitter.com/jeje66/status/1154565160842989569 The Kernels got things going with four runs in the first inning. Trevor Casanova singled in a run and then Wander Javier drilled a three-run homer. It was his sixth of the season. Spencer Steer went 2-for-4 with his first triple. Javier added a single as well. E-TWINS E-NOTES E-Twins 9, Princeton 4 Box Score Elizabethton got off to a fast start and continued it throughout the game. Willie Joe Garry, Jr., led the way. He went 2-for-4 with a walk, his sixth double and his third home run. Matt Wallner had two doubles on the night. Janigson Villalobos hit his third homer, and Will Holland added his second home run. Andriu Marin started and was charged with three runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out six. Frandy Torres struck out three batters over the next 2 2/3 innings. He gave up just one hit. Erik Cha worked the final two innings. He gave up a run on four hits. He struck out three batters. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins, GCL Orioles Box Score Game Postponed by Rain. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Edwar Colina, Pensacola Blue Wahoos Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Willie Joe Garry, Jr., Elizabethton Twins PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR(10), GW-Sac Fly #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - Game 1 (1-3, R), Game 2 (1-4, RBI) #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured List (shoulder) #4 - Trevor Larnach (Pensacola) - Game 1 (1-3), Game 2 (1-4, R) #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 2-5, R, 3 RBI, HR(6) #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) - Temporary Inactive List (Pan Am Games) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) - Rained Out #8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - Injured List (groin). #9 - Jhoan Duran (Pensacola) - Promoted to AA, Did Not Pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch #11 - Lewis Thorpe (Minnesota) - Did Not Pitch #12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 3-4, BB, HR(4), R, RBI, #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Pensacola) - Promoted to AA, Game 2 (1-4, 2B(1), GW-RBI) #14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - 1-4, R, 2B(8) #15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) - 2-4, 2-2B(11), R, 2 RBI, 2 K #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Game 1 (2-3, 2-2B(5), RBI, K #17 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured (Tommy John) #18 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #19 - Misael Urbina (DSL Twins) - 3-4, HBP, 2B(11), 3B(2), 3 R #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - Injured List TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - TBD Mobile @ Pensacola (6:35 CST) - TBD Lakeland @ Ft. Myers (6:00 CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (2-2, 3.35 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Andrew Cabezas (4-5, 3.54 ERA) Elizabethton @ Bristol (5:30 CST) - RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (0-0, 0.00 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (11:00 CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Thursday games or any other minor league topics you would like.