Nobody could be blamed for thinking the Minnesota Twins would reach the trade deadline without having made a deal, but that streak thankfully won't continue.
Last year the Twins opted to stand pat rather than make a trade, and while things were shaping up for that to happen again the front office stepped in at the 11th hour. Minnesota missed out on one Toronto Blue Jays target in Yusei Kikuchi, but landed an arm for the bullpen in Trevor Richards.
The deal came together with just a few hours left before the deadline passed, and adds some much-needed depth at an area of the roster that has surprisingly been letting the Twins down.
MLB Trade Grade: Twins acquire Kevin Richards from Blue Jays
Grade: C-
Instant Analysis: The Twins gave up almost nothing to take a flier on some much-needed bullpen depth. If it doesn't work out, the cost of the gamble amounts to a sixth-round Single-A prospect.
Richards hasn't been exactly lights out this season, but he's been able to move the needle at least a little for a Toronto team that has been pretty bad. On the season he has a 4.64 ERA and posted a 4.95 ERA last season so he's trending in the right direction.
What saves this from being a disappointment is that the Twins gave up High Single-A propsect Jay Harry, who wasn't ranked in their Top 30 according to MLB pipeline. That price flies in the face of what other teams have paid for deadline upgrades, specifically the overpay that Houston made to land Kikuchi.
Immediately after the Twins landed Richards, the Padres acquired Tanner Scott from the Marlins for five prospects, including two of San Diego's Top 5 guys. Scott was someone fans had on their radar as a potential target for Minnesota, and that price is just way too rich for the Twins' blood.
That's been a theme this deadline, but it's the kind of cheapness that is palatable. Aquiring Richards is a trade in the very basic and generic sense, and while it might not move the needle right now the Twins are doing this to hopefully have it pay off in October.
We'll see if that ends up happening but at least the team did something.
More Minnesota Twins trade rumors and updates