Twins acquire veteran pitcher Jaime Garcia in trade with Braves
The Minnesota Twins, in the heat of an American League Central and wild card race, acquired starting pitcher Jaime Garcia from the Atlanta Braves, the clubs announced Monday.
Garcia, 31, is a nine year veteran with postseason experience. This season, the left-hander was 4-7 with a 4.30 ERA in 18 starts for the Braves. He spent eight seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals before the he was traded to the Braves in the offseason. With the Cardinals, he went 62-45 with a 3.57 ERA.
"We all know his track record," said Twins manager Paul Molitor, who plans to start Garcia on Friday at Oakland. "He certainly knows how to pitch. It's a nice addition to our club."
"Seeing his name out there and the game he pitched the other day (seven innings at Los Angeles), just the professionalism he had through the whole thing," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "Talked to him today, and he's so appreciative of everything here, as we are of him. He's a great teammate and he did a great job for us."
The veteran starter likely will join Ervin Santana, rookie Jose Berrios, Adalberto Mejia and Hector Santiago, who is currently injured, in the rotation. He will likely replace Bartolo Colon or Kyle Gibson.
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Also included in the deal was minor league catcher Anthony Recker. Recker, 33, has spent almost the entire season at Class AAA Gwinnett (Ga.), batting .223.
In exchange, the rebuilding Braves acquired Huascar Ynoa, who ranks 22nd among Twins prospects, according to MLB.com. Ynoa, 19, is in rookie ball, where he is 0-1 with a 5.26 ERA in six starts.
The Twins, 49-48, are 2 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Indians in the Central and one game behind the Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays for the second wild card spot.
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