The Minnesota Twins made a move on Saturday morning, but it was another minor one that sent the recently released reliever to Philadelphia.
The Minnesota Twins finally made a trade on Saturday morning, but it wasn’t the move that fans have been clamoring for. After reliever Mike Morin was designated for assignment earlier in the week, the Twins struck a deal within the 10-day window to send him to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for cash considerations.
Morin was one of three relievers sent to the chopping block last week as the Twins continue to revamp their bullpen and potentially clear room for a bigger move. The right-hander was a pleasant surprise for the Twins at the beginning of the year, posting a 3.18 ERA in 22 1/3 innings, but also held a fluky .230 average on balls in play.
The 28-year old also was having a hard time missing bats as he picked up just 11 strikeouts on the year and registered a 78.4% contact rate this season according to FanGraphs. The combination triggered some regression to the mean in his final appearances as a Twin as he gave up 10 runs (seven earned), in his final 11 1/3 innings to seal his fate.
On the Twins side, this officially opens up a roster spot on the 40-man roster for the Twins to potentially make a move before the July 31 trade deadline. While many fans are going to be upset that the Twins got cash in the deal, Morin didn’t have enough trade value to acquire a blue-chip prospect and since Minnesota was getting rid of him anyway, they didn’t have much leverage to get one.
In a best-case scenario, some of that money will be used toward the acquisition of a high-priced pitcher in the coming days, but the Twins and their fans will have to continue to wait and see what the front office has in store.