NEW YORK — The Minnesota Twins finally got on the board Tuesday, acquiring right-hander reliever Trevor Richards in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays for minor-league infielder Jay Harry.
Richards is 2-1 with a 4.64 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings.
In acquiring Richards, the Twins became the final team in Major League Baseball to make a deal before Tuesday’s 5 p.m. CT trade deadline.
Anzeige
Richards, 31, has filled a number of roles for the Blue Jays including short and long relief and he’s even been tapped as their go-to opener when they’ve been down a starter.
He succeeds primarily with a changeup that is one of the best in all of baseball and it’s allowed him to average 8.43 strikeouts per nine innings. He can be prone to hard contact, but also has the ability to rack up strikeouts.
With the Twins, Richards said he’s not yet sure what he’ll be asked to do.
“I’ll throw the ball when they give it to me,” he said with a smirk.
Given the state of the Blue Jays, Richards expected to be traded, he said on Tuesday about an hour after learning he was headed to the Twins. It’s the fourth time in his career that he’s been traded, so he’s familiar with the procedure.
“There’s not really much you can do to prepare for it other than just be ready to go,” he said.
The right-hander has a few connections with the Twins and said he was “very excited” to join a team in the thick of the American League wild-card race.
“It’s the same game, just different teams, so just get over there and get back to work,” he said.
Harry ranked No. 39 on the Twins’ preseason top-40 prospects list, but his stock has dipped this season while struggling at High-A Cedar Rapids.
The Twins’ sixth-round draft pick in 2023, Harry has hit just .214/.306/.349 with eight homers in 82 games while bouncing around the diamond, seeing most of his time at shortstop and second base.
Harry profiles as a potential utility infielder with minimal long-term upside.
The Twins’ competition in the American League Central was more active at the deadline.
After adding outfielder Lane Thomas on Monday, the Cleveland Guardians acquired starting pitcher Alex Cobb on Tuesday.
The Kansas City Royals, who had already traded for reliever Hunter Harvey and starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen, added reliever Lucas Erceg and infielder Paul DeJong on deadline day.
Anzeige
Dobnak gets ‘surreal’ call-up to Twins
About 45 minutes before the trade deadline, the Twins announced they had designated reliever Josh Staumont for assignment, a move that opened a spot on the 40-man for Richards and concurrently made space on the active roster for pitcher Randy Dobnak, who was promoted to the majors on Tuesday for the first time since 2021.
With Richards not expected to join the team until Wednesday and reliever Brock Stewart headed to the 15-day injured list with a sore right shoulder, the Twins recalled Dobnak to pitch in relief.
Richards will take the place of Stewart on Wednesday. The Twins also transferred Alex Kirilloff to the 60-day IL to make space on the 40-man roster for Dobnak, who is finally healthy after dealing with multiple seasons of injuries to the middle finger on his throwing hand.
A fan favorite, the former Uber driver turned 2019 American League Division Series Game 2 starter carried a 3.61 ERA with 102 strikeouts in 99 2/3 innings at Triple-A St. Paul this season, including a 1.70 ERA in his past eight appearances.
Dobnak learned of his promotion late Monday night and had his agent issue a press release Tuesday morning featuring “I’m back” near the bottom.
“Pretty surreal,” Dobnak said. “(It was) just being patient and staying true to myself. I know I’m good enough. I have the stuff to get back. It’s all just about timing, really. But we have a pretty good staff up here. I’m always watching the game and these guys are nasty. But I’m just happy to be healthy the past two years. Just continued to pitch day in and day out. Having an opportunity to play is always pretty special to me.”
— The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman and Kaitlyn McGrath contributed to this report.
GO DEEPER
MLB Trade Grades: With Trevor Richards, the Twins finally enter the trade fray
(Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)