And with one last move before the close of the 2016 trade deadline, the Minnesota Twins sent starter Ricky Nolasco and former top prospect Alex Meyer to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for pitcher Hector Santiago.
Nolasco was widely expected to be one of the possible players to be moved prior to the deadline; however Meyer’s name was not nearly as popular.
With Nolasco being moved, this closes the book on a largely disappointing tenure with the veteran as he returns home to southern California.
This season had been Nolasco’s best in a Minnesota Twins uniform, yet his ERA was still abysmal as he posted a 5.13 mark with a 4-8 record and 93 strikeouts.
Prior to that, Nolasco had dealt with injuries and inconsistency never posting an ERA lower than five.
More from Puckett's Pond
- Minnesota Twins: 2022 Year in Review for Twins Baseball
- Minnesota Twins: Making the Case for the Current 2023 Rotation
- Minnesota Twins: Does the MLB or the Twins have a Spending Problem?
- Minnesota Twins: 2 Possible Free Agent Reunions for 2023
- Minnesota Twins: Holiday Wish List for the rest of the Offseason
Not quite the numbers you want from a player who signed a four-year $49 million contract in 2013.
The other Twins player in the trade was Meyer who the club had high hopes for but never quite reached the plateau they envisioned when they traded for him in the Denard Span trade.
Ultimately the Washington Nationals probably got the better end of that deal as Meyer struggled with control and never found his minor leagues success translate to the higher or big league levels.
Meyer last saw action on May 3rd going 2 2/3 innings, allowing three runs, three hits and a homer in a loss to the Houston Astros.
Overall, the trade involved two highly disappointing players within the trade system who may find a change of scenery to be nice in the long run.
In Santiago, the Minnesota Twins get a player who they should be relatively familiar with as he spent three seasons with the Chicago White Sox before moving over to the Angels.
Numbers-wise, he is posting a career-worst in ERA (4.25) but is a solid strike thrower with 107 strikeouts through 120 2/3 innings.
His career ERA is 3.68 and he has shown some solid control.
The Twins are hoping Santiago can turn those numbers around and potentially bring some more consistency to the rotation spot that will be vacated by Nolasco.
Overall, this isn’t a terrible move for the Minnesota Twins who probably were going to release Nolasco this offseason if they were unable to find a proper trade suitor.
Both him and Meyer had entered the season with a make or break cloud hovering over their shoulders and neither really performed well enough to be kept around.
Santiago will be a solid lefty for the Minnesota Twins who should bring some veteran leadership and stability to the rotation.