MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Hoping to bolster their rotation for a playoff run, the Minnesota Twins have acquired veteran left-handed pitcher Jaime Garcma, catcher Anthony Recker and cash considerations from the Atlanta Braves for minor league right-hander Huascar Ynoa.
The 31-year-old Garcma is 66-52 with a 3.65 ERA and 808 strikeouts in 176 appearances, mostly with St. Louis (2008, 2010-16). He missed the 2009 MLB season following Tommy John surgery.
Garcia is 4-7 with a 4.30 ERA, 41 walks and 85 strikeouts in 18 starts for the Braves this year.
While Garcia’s numbers don’t jump off the page, the Twins were in need of a veteran arm to put into a rotation that has been largely disappointing behind the top two starters, Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios.
The Twins have been one of baseball’s biggest surprises through the first four months of the season, hovering near the top of the AL Central a year after posting the worst record in the big leagues.
After losing two of three at home to Detroit over the weekend, they were still just 2 1/2 games behind first-place Cleveland as they headed into a series with the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
Starting pitching was their biggest need, with Kyle Gibson (6.08 ERA) and the banged-up Hector Santiago (5.63) both struggling and Phil Hughes (5.87) now on the 60-day disabled list.
As it stands, Garcia will slot in as the No. 3 starter behind Santana and Berrios and likely ahead of Adalberto Mejia and Santiago, when he returns from a rehab assignment.
Despite the better-than-expected start to the season, new Twins bosses Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have said that they will be active as the trade deadline approached, but didn’t anticipate sacrificing some of their top-rated prospects to land a major name.
Staying true to that public stance, the Twins did not pay a hefty price for Garcia, who is in the final year of his contract.
The 33-year-old Recker has appeared in 206 major league games with four teams, including the past two seasons in Atlanta. The 19-year-old Ynoa has a career minor league record of 5-11 with a 3.05 ERA, 54 walks and 118 strikeouts in 30 starts.