Late last night, the Minnesota Twins and the Yankees shocked the baseball world by engaging in talks to bring Jaime Garcia to New York City.
With one day to go before the 4 p.m. trade deadline, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported the Yankees and Twins have agreed to a deal. Zack Littell, who came in the James Pazos trade, will go to Minnesota. The Twins will also send the Yankees $12 Million to pay off the rest of Garcia’s contract.
yanks and twins are in agreement on a jaime garcia tarde
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 30, 2017
#Yankees are giving Zack Littell and 1 other lower-level prospect for Garcia. #Twins
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 30, 2017
Dietrich Enns is the second player going to the Twins. #Yankees
— Dan Federico (@RealDanFederico) July 30, 2017
The Yankees anticipate using Garcia as a fifth starter, which takes Caleb Smith out of the rotation. However, this doesn’t mean the Yankees are out of the Sonny Gray sweepstakes. The Yankees plan to use the Garcia trade as leverage in their talks with Billy Beane and the Athletics.
Deal for Garcia will not preclude #Yankees from continuing to pursue Sonny Gray. Just give them more leverage in talks. #Athletics
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 30, 2017
If the Yankees are able to acquire both Garcia and Gray, they might take Jordan Montgomery out of the starting rotation due to an innings cap. Montgomery hasn’t pitched more than 143 innings in a season, and he’s already at 108 innings.
