One day after trading for New York Mets left-handed reliever A.J. Minter, the Minnesota Twins have acquired veteran right-handed starting pitcher Dean Kremer from the Baltimore Orioles, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. Minnesota is sending Baltimore 18-year-old outfielder Jhomnardo Reyes in the deal, per The Athletic's Dan Hayes. Reyes ranked as Minnesota's No. 24 overall prospect (MLB Pipeline) before the deal.
The trade comes after Kremer had an awkward moment with Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso in his last start.
Dean Kremer asked Pete Alonso if he can see after Alonso looked surprised after a pick off attempt pic.twitter.com/D1gmew9Gbk
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 29, 2026
The Twins have desperately needed starting pitching depth for quite a while. Heading into spring training, starting pitching depth seemed like one of the team's strengths. But with Pablo López, Mick Abel and David Festa all out for the year, Minnesota needed to add another starter to the mix.
Acquiring Kremer, who is under team control through 2027, isn't the most exciting move. The right-hander landed on the IL in late April with a right quad strain. He returned from the IL on July 1. He has struggled since being reinstated, recording a 7.56 ERA over 25 innings.
Dean Kremer trade gives Twins much-needed rotation depth
Regardless of his recent struggles, Kremer, 30, still gives the Twins much-needed rotation depth. Currently, the Twins' rotation consists of Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley, Bailey Ober, Zebby Matthews and Connor Prielipp. But there isn't much depth after those five. Mike Paredes and Kendry Rojas have both made starts for Minnesota, but neither has gone that deep into games. And Paredes is currently on the IL with an oblique strain.
Ryan has looked off lately and has a history of regressing in the second half of the season. Zebby Matthews carried a 5.21 ERA into Friday night's start. Connor Prielipp has a 4.73 ERA and will break his personal single-season innings record within a few starts.
It seems likely the Twins will move either Matthews or Prielipp to the bullpen now that they have acquired Kremer. The club may also roll with a six-man rotation or option a starter to Triple-A.
Kremer has seven years of big-league experience, all with the Orioles. He has a career 4.37 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP and 616 strikeouts in 707 2/3 innings across 133 appearances (130 starts).
Kremer made one postseason start, and it didn't go well. In 2023, he allowed six earned runs on seven hits and one walk across 1 2/3 innings. Unless he has an exceptional couple of months for the Twins before the postseason, he will likely be in the bullpen or off the roster for the playoffs if the Twins make it that far.
Kremer relies on six pitches:
- Low-80s Split Finger (30.0%)
- Low-90s Four Seamer (21.5%)
- Low-90s Sinker (17.4%)
- High-80s Cutter (15.1%)
- Mid-70s Curveball (14.8%)
- Low-80s Slider (1.2%)
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