Minnesota Twins acquire OF Brandon Barnes from Cleveland

The Minnesota Twins made another move after the trade deadline, acquiring Brandon Barnes from the Cleveland Indians for outfield depth.

The MLB trade deadline has come and gone, but the Minnesota Twins are still looking for ways to improve their ballclub. Although the time to make moves to the major league roster has come and gone, the front office will likely be looking for cuts and other players that become available to tweak up some things in the final months of the season.

One of those moves came on Friday when the Twins acquired outfielder Brandon Barnes from the Cleveland Indians. The return to Cleveland has not been reported, but there’s a good possibility he was acquired for cash considerations.

The addition of Barnes, who was able to be traded since he was on a minor league deal and not being on a 40-man roster at any point this season, is purely for outfield depth. With Jake Cave struggling during his call-ups and LaMonte Wade Jr. currently on the injured list, Barnes provides a player that has had prolonged MLB experience.

Barnes has a career slash line of .242/.290/.357 during stints with Houston, Colorado and Cleveland during his six-year career, but was having a solid season at Triple-A Colombus. The 33-year old hit .271/.326/.529 for the Clippers in 2019 and hit 24 home runs, 25 doubles and his nine steals.

In a perfect world, the Twins may not need to use Barnes at the major league level this season. Injuries do happen, however, and with the combination of Wade and Cave not getting the job done, Barnes provided solid depth in case of an emergency.