The Minnesota Twins, their lead in the American League Central dwindling, made a move Saturday to bolster their bullpen in a trade with the Miami Marlins.
The Twins acquired Marlins closer Sergio Romo, who has 17 saves and a 3.58 ERA in 37 2/3 innings, in exchange for Double-A first baseman Lewin Diaz. The Twins also received Single-A pitcher Chris Vallimont and a player to be named later.
Romo likely won’t close for the Twins, who have had success using lefty Taylor Rogers in that role, but he will add depth to a staff that is hopeful to support Minnesota’s high-powered lineup.
The Minnesota Twins are deep into talks with the Miami Marlins on a deal that would send reliever Sergio Romo to Minnesota, sources with knowledge of the situation tell ESPN. The expectation is a trade will soon be finalized.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 28, 2019
Joining a playoff race
The trading deadline is often a chance for good players mired on losing teams to join a playoff race, and that’s the case here.
Romo leaves the Marlins, who are 39-63 and have been in last place since early April, to join the Twins, who are 63-41 and in first place since April.
“They’re in a really, really good position to make a playoff push. That’s exciting. It’s super fun baseball to play,” Romo told ESPN.com. “But kind of mixed feelings based on the fact I get to leave a bunch of dudes I’ve grown to love. Cool dudes who allowed me to be myself.”
Romo is a right-hander who doesn’t throw with extremely high velocity but mixes pitches and locations to be effective. He also has postseason experience at the highest level, having thrown the final pitch of the 2012 World Series for the Giants.
BREAKING: #MNTwins make a trade!
Sergio Romo is the newest member of the Minnesota Twins, with Lewin Diaz heading to Miami.
Romo, a 3x World Series Champion and 2013 All-Star, is 2-0 with 17 saves and a 3.58 ERA in 38 appearances in 2019 so far. pic.twitter.com/eFMIL7xG06
— SKOR North (@SKORNorth) July 28, 2019
The return
Lewin Diaz is a power-hitting first baseman who becomes the No. 21 prospect in the Marlins system, according to MLB Pipeline. Diaz is hitting .294/.336/.553 between High-A and Double-A this season.
But a relief-pitcher rental typically isn’t worth a prospect of that caliber. So the Marlins also sent minor-league pitcher Chris Vallimont in the deal. Vallimont becomes Minnesota’s No. 29 prospect. Vallimont is 6-7 with a 3.16 ERA as a starter over two levels of Single-A ball this season.
As a part of the Sergio Romo trade, the @Marlins and @Twins have swapped prospects.
Chris Vallimont enters the recently updated #MNTwins Top 30 Prospects list at 29: https://t.co/ysoRtduS0p
Lewin Diaz enters the re-ranked #Marlins Top 30 list at 21: https://t.co/n3ODEPg9Gw pic.twitter.com/3efimd73Ge
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 28, 2019
