Twins annoyingly trade for lefty reliever who would have been incredible fit for Guardians 

Earlier this week, Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll set off groans throughout Northeast Ohio when he confirmed the Twins are going to be buyers at this year’s trade deadline. 

Well, he put his money where his mouth is last night by acquiring reliever A.J. Minter from the New York Mets in exchange for infield prospects Bruin Agbayani and Billy Amick, neither of whom are viewed as high-profile prospects. 

The Twins move is doubly frustrating for Guardians fans, as it not only takes Minter off the board (imagine him in the back of Cleveland's ‘pen with Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith), it also shows the true extent to which the Twins are going to buy. 

This isn’t a “buyer for buyer” move or the kind of deal that tries to thread the needle between both. This is a pure, traditional buyer move of dipping into minor league depth to add to the big league club. 

The Twins' trade for A.J. Minter should frustrate Guardians fan

Minter’s in the midst of another strong season, as he has a 2.35 ERA in 23 innings with the Mets this season and will be an immediate upgrade to a Minnesota bullpen that’s been shaky at best. 

While Minnesota seems to have found a diamond in the rough in new closer Yoendrys Gómez, Twins relievers have still combined for a 4.92 ERA this season, which ranks 23rd in MLB. 

Minter could help solve some of their problems, though there are also some legitimate questions about how he could hold up during the stretch run. 

He only managed 11 innings last season before suffering a season-ending lat injury, and his fastball velocity has dropped nearly two miles per hour this season compared to last season. 

Still, he’s only walked 2% of the batters he’s faced this season and has 25 postseason innings under his belt. 

The Twins gave up prospects Bruin Agbayani and Billy Amick in return, who are both unheralded prospects. Agbayani is as close to a lottery ticket as you can find since he’s only played in 15 professional games at Low-A, whereas Amick is currently playing at Double-A. 

They both still have a long way to go in their baseball journeys, but the Twins clearly felt comfortable taking the risk that comes with dealing prospects for a player on an expiring contract. 

It’s the kind of trade the Guardians could easily make, but it remains to be seen if they will. 

Even if there aren’t a ton of pure sellers this deadline, there are plenty of rental relievers who could be available (one of whom is fellow Mets lefty Brooks Raley). 

It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Twins added another reliever at some point before the deadline, while there are plenty of industry rumors out there that have made it seem like the White Sox are going to be aggressive in adding to their pitching staff. 

Although that’s not as big of a need for the Guardians, they do have a clear need for an impact bat. Whether they go out and get one is a different story. 

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