The Twins and Astros agreed to a trade that would have seen outfielder Trevor Larnach swapped for right-hander Bryan Abreu but Astros owner Jim Crane blocked the deal. Michael Marino first reported the non-deal and Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune confirmed Marino’s framing of events as accurate.
It would have been an interesting and logical trade if it had happened, as it would have addressed needs for both clubs. The Astros got out to an awful start this season but they have turned things around and are now leading the American League West, putting them in buyer position. They have been looking to add a left-handed bat to their outfield for years and have tried guys like Taylor Trammell, Joey Loperfido, Jesus Sanchez, Jason Heyward and others without much success. The Twins have an awful bullpen and lots of lefty-swinging corner outfielders.
Houston’s search is still ongoing but they don’t have a great farm system to trade from. Thanks to penalties related to the sign-stealing scandal and continued on-field success, they haven’t had great drafts in recent history. Baseball America ranks their farm system 26th in league.
This trade would have given the club the lefty bat they have been looking for without touching that farm system. However, it seems Crane would prefer not to go that way. Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports that the club is not interested in subtracting players from the major league roster. Perhaps that’s why Abreu was pulled off the table.
Abreu has been a great pitcher for the Astros but he is an impending free agent and having a down season. He has a 4.62 earned run average and an awful 16.4% walk rate. For what it’s worth, most of the struggles were earlier on. From June 4 to the present, he has a 1.37 ERA, 32.9% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate. That’s a small sample of 19 2/3 innings but it’s more in line with his work in previous seasons.
Sending him to Minnesota would have hurt Houston’s bullpen for the stretch run but they still would have had Josh Hader in the closer’s role with Steven Okert, Enyel De Los Santos and others for leverage roles. Their outfield could have added Larnach, who has a .284/.373/.450 line and 133 wRC+ on the year. It also would have saved them money, as Abreu is making $5.85MM and Larnach $4.475MM. That’s notable for the Astros, who are trying to avoid the competitive balance tax.
For the Twins, they are in buyer mode. They have added Dean Kremer and A.J. Minter in recent trades already. But Larnach is available due to a surplus of lefty-hitting corner outfielders. They have Alan Roden and Kody Clemens on the active roster. Prospects Emmanuel Rodriguez and Hendry Mendez are on the 40-man. Matt Wallner is also on optional assignment and has been great since being sent down. Walker Jenkins is not yet on the roster but he is one of the top prospects in the league and already has a decent amount of Triple-A experience.
Though the trade is not happening, it’s instructive in how the clubs might approach the remaining hours before the deadline. The Twins have a poor bullpen and might use Larnach in a different deal to upgrade back there, which could then lead to more playing time for the other outfielders. The Astros, meanwhile, remain on the hunt for their elusive lefty-swinging outfielder. If they are not willing to trade Abreu to make that happen, then perhaps they will have to subtract from an already-weak farm system. They could see if the Twins would take prospects for Larnach but Minnesota might prefer an immediate addition to the big league roster since they are trying to win now.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
