Headlines

  • Orioles Trade Bryan Baker To Rays
  • Yankees Release DJ LeMahieu
  • Trevor Williams To Undergo UCL Surgery
  • Nationals Fire PBO Mike Rizzo, Manager Dave Martinez
  • Brewers Activate Brandon Woodruff
  • Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Twins Rumors

Twins To Sign Matt Shoemaker

By Connor Byrne | February 15, 2021 at 4:32pm CDT

The Twins and free-agent right-hander Matt Shoemaker have reached a one-year, $2MM agreement, pending a physical, Jeff Passan of ESPN tweets. The deal includes up to $250K in performance bonuses. Shoemaker is a client of ISE Baseball.

Shoemaker began his career as a member of the Angels, with whom he pitched from 2013-18 and typically provided respectable production as a mid- to back-end type of starter. But Shoemaker had some injury issues then, throwing just 108 2/3 innings in his final two seasons as an Angel, before moving on to the Blue Jays prior to 2019.

Shoemaker was also unable to stay healthy during his two years as a Blue Jay, as a torn ACL limited him to 28 2/3 innings in 2019, while shoulder problems held him to a matching 28 2/3 frames last season. That said, Shoemaker mostly did a decent job in Toronto when he was able to take the mound. The 34-year-old now owns a 3.86 ERA/3.88 SIERA with above-average strikeout and walk percentages of 21.8 and 5.9, respectively, in 602 1/3 major league innings.

Shoemaker will be the second free-agent signing this offseason for the Twins’ rotation, which added J.A. Happ earlier in the winter. Those two are in line to complement Kenta Maeda, Jose Berrios and Michael Pineda at the beginning of the season, though Randy Dobnak could also push for a starting spot. It’s unclear if the Shoemaker addition will affect whether the Twins re-sign Jake Odorizzi, arguably the No. 1 starter left in free agency.

Share 0 Retweet 5 Send via email0

Minnesota Twins Newsstand Transactions Matt Shoemaker

52 comments

Twins Outright Brandon Waddell

By Mark Polishuk | February 13, 2021 at 3:53pm CDT

  • The Twins announced that southpaw Brandon Waddell has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A after being designated for assignment last Thursday.  Waddell has been invited to the Twins’ Major League Spring Training camp.  A fifth-round pick for the Pirates in the 2015 draft, Waddell made his MLB debut in 2020, tossing 3 1/3 innings over two games with Pittsburgh.  Minnesota claimed Waddell off waivers from the Pirates in October.
Share 0 Retweet 4 Send via email0

Arizona Diamondbacks Chicago White Sox Los Angeles Angels Minnesota Twins St. Louis Cardinals Transactions Brandon Waddell Dillon Peters Marco Hernandez Matt Szczur Taylor Guilbeau

26 comments

Twins Officially Sign Alex Colome, Designate Ian Hamilton

By Connor Byrne | February 12, 2021 at 2:42pm CDT

The Twins announced that they have officially signed right-handed reliever Alex Colome. To make room for Colome on their 40-man roster, they designated fellow righty Ian Hamilton for assignment.

It was a short stay on the 40-man for Hamilton, whom the Twins claimed from the Phillies via waivers exactly one week ago. Hamilton also spent time with the Mariners earlier in the offseason. He entered the pros as an 11th-round pick of the White Sox in 2016, but they designated him for assignment in September.

Now 25 years of age, Hamilton has thrown 12 innings in the majors and yielded six earned runs on 10 hits with nine strikeouts against seven walks. Hamilton has averaged almost 96 mph on his fastball, though, and has another minor league option remaining. He owns a 4.85 ERA with 48 strikeouts against a meager seven walks in 42 2/3 Triple-A frames.

Share 0 Retweet 2 Send via email0

Minnesota Twins Transactions Ian Hamilton

26 comments

Twins Claim Kyle Garlick, Designate Brandon Waddell

By Steve Adams | February 11, 2021 at 2:59pm CDT

The Twins have claimed outfielder Kyle Garlick off waivers from the Braves, per a team announcement. Left-hander Brandon Waddell was designated for assignment in order to open a space on the 40-man roster.

It’s the latest stop in a growing list of organizations for Garlick, 29, whose stay with the Braves will only prove to last for a few days. Garlick was the Dodgers’ 28th-round pick back in 2015, but in the past calendar year he’s been traded to the Phillies, claimed by the Braves and now claimed by the Twins.

Minnesota still needs a 40-man spot to make Alex Colome’s one-year deal final, so it’s far from a sure thing that Garlick will last on the roster for too long. It’s fairly common for clubs to claim a player and then try to pass him through outright waivers shortly thereafter — thus allowing the team to retain him without committing a 40-man roster spot.

Garlick spent most of the 2020 season at the Phillies’ alternate site in Lehigh Valley, though he did appear in a dozen games at the MLB level. He went just 3-for-22 with a double and seven strikeouts in that time, however. Garlick showed a bit of promise with the Dodgers in 2019 when he made his big league debut and hit .250/.321/.521 with three long balls and four doubles in a small sample of 53 plate appearances. He’s a career .281/.332/.568 hitter in 645 Triple-A plate appearances and does have a minor league option remaining as well.

As for the 26-year-old Waddell, he was a 2015 fifth-rounder by the Pirates out of Virginia. He made his MLB debut last year with Pittsburgh and tossed 3 1/3 innings with a pair of strikeouts and walks apiece. The Twins claimed him off waivers back on Oct. 30.

Waddell has a strong track record up through the Double-A level and was solid at Triple-A in 2018 as well. Like most Triple-A pitchers in 2019, however, his season was an unmitigated disaster as offensive levels spiked to all-time highs in that league amid the widely held belief that the ball was juiced. (Triple-A adopted the same ball used in MLB that season.) Even after being clobbered for 59 runs in 61 innings of Triple-A ball that year, Waddell has a 4.12 ERA in 478 minor league frames with a 20.4 percent strikeout rate and a 9.8 percent walk rate. He’s not a huge strikeout pitcher but induces grounders at an above-average clip and has two minor league options remaining.

Share 0 Retweet 8 Send via email0

Atlanta Braves Minnesota Twins Transactions Brandon Waddell Kyle Garlick

17 comments

Twins Re-Sign Nelson Cruz

By Connor Byrne | February 10, 2021 at 12:30pm CDT

Feb. 10: Cruz has passed his physical, and the Twins have formally announced his one-year deal for the 2021 season.

Feb. 2: The Twins have agreed to re-sign designated hitter Nelson Cruz to a one-year contract, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports. He’ll earn $13MM on the deal, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Nelson Cruz | Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Cruz, long one of the majors’ top hitters, has been a member of the Brewers, Rangers, Orioles, Mariners and Twins since he started his big league career in 2005. Amazingly, despite the fact that he’s now 40 years old, Cruz’s first two seasons with the Twins from 2019-20 rank among his best. He slashed a tremendous .308/.394/.626 (163 wRC+) and amassed 57 home runs in 735 plate appearances during that span.

It’s no surprise the Twins are bringing back Cruz, though questions centering on whether a universal DH would stick around in 2021 surely delayed the re-signing. The MLBPA rejected the league’s 154-game proposal for 2021 on Monday, which could limit the DH to the American League this year, and that may have impacted Cruz’s decision.

Cruz reportedly wanted a two-year deal earlier in the offseason, but despite his excellence, that never seemed all that likely for someone his age and need for a dedicated DH spot in the lineup. MLBTR predicted he would receive a one-year, $16MM guarantee at the start of the winter, and while that proved a bit bullish, Cruz’s $13MM salary for 2021 will fall right back in line with the annual rate of his previous two seasons in Minnesota.

Cruz is the latest addition for a Twins club that was quiet for much of the offseason but has recently become more active. The Twins inked Andrelton Simmons to a one-year, $10.5MM contract and have also added lefty J.A. Happ on a one-year deal worth $8MM. The club has gravitated toward one-year arrangements this winter, which should help to preserve financial flexibility next winter when a much deeper free-agent class will present the Twins with various trajectories to retain their status as one of the top teams in their division.

Share 0 Retweet 17 Send via email0

Minnesota Twins Newsstand Transactions Nelson Cruz

142 comments

Twins Sign Keon Broxton To Minor League Deal

By Connor Byrne | February 8, 2021 at 3:26pm CDT

The Twins have signed outfielder Keon Broxton to a minor league contract with an invitation to MLB spring training, Dan Hayes of The Athletic relays. They’ve also added lefty Andrew Albers (previously reported) and righties Robinson Leyer and Chandler Shepherd on minors pacts.

Broxton, who will turn 31 in May, garnered quite a bit of playing time as a Brewer from 2016-17, in which he slashed a respectable .227/.318/.424 with 29 home runs and 44 stolen bases across 707 plate appearances. But Broxton struck out in more than 37 percent of PA during that span, and after he logged subpar production in 2018, the Brewers traded him to the Mets. Dating back to ’18, Broxton has combined for a .170/.253/.312 line with a horrid 41.6 percent strikeout rate as a Brewer, Met, Mariner and Oriole in 317 PA. He rejoined the Brewers on a minors contract before 2020 but didn’t see any action with the team last season.

Despite his recent struggles, Broxton could emerge as a useful backup outfield option in Minnesota, having put up 20 Defensive Runs Saved and a 9.7 Ultimate Zone Rating in 349 games in the grass. The Twins have two established outfielders (Byron Buxton in center and Max Kepler in right), while Broxton, Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, Jake Cave and Brent Rooker could be among those competing for reps in left.

Share 0 Retweet 8 Send via email0

Minnesota Twins Transactions Chandler Shepherd Keon Broxton Robinson Leyer

38 comments

Twins Sign Andrew Albers To Minors Deal

By Mark Polishuk and Connor Byrne | February 8, 2021 at 3:07pm CDT

  • The Twins have signed left-hander Andrew Albers to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to the team’s big league Spring Training camp, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports (via Twitter).  Albers will earn $750K if he makes Minnesota’s active roster.  Albers posted a 4.10 ERA, 15.1 strikeout percentage, and 4.8 walk percentage over 120 2/3 MLB innings from 2013-17, with 77 of those frames coming in two separate stints with the Twins.  Over the last three seasons, the 35-year-old Albers has been pitching in Japan for the Orix Buffaloes, with a 4.02 ERA, 17.5K%, and 4.78BB% over 266 1/3 innings of NPB action.
Share 0 Retweet 8 Send via email0

Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins Notes Transactions Andrew Albers Emilio Vargas

8 comments

Twins Claim Ian Hamilton

By Steve Adams | February 5, 2021 at 1:07pm CDT

The Twins have claimed right-handed reliever Ian Hamilton off waivers from the Phillies, per an announcement from the Phillies. He was designated for assignment earlier in the week when Philadelphia re-signed J.T. Realmuto. Minnesota’s 40-man roster is up to 39 players.

Philadelphia claimed the 25-year-old Hamilton from the Mariners, who’d previously claimed him from the White Sox organization. The 2016 eleventh-round pick has appeared briefly in the Majors with the South Siders in two of the past three seasons, allowing a combined six runs on ten hits and seven walks with nine strikeouts in a dozen innings. He’s averaged 95.7 mph on a four-seamer that he complements with a slider and a very seldom-used changeup.

Hamilton had a particularly strong showing between Double-A and Triple-A in 2018, and throughout his minor league career as a whole, he’s posted better-than-average strikeout and walk rates (26.3 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively). He still has a minor league option remaining, so he’ll give the Twins some depth they can shuttle back and forth between Minneapolis and Triple-A St. Paul if he makes it to the season on their 40-man roster.

Hamilton becomes the latest addition to a bullpen mix that is rapidly being reworked. Minnesota signed Alex Colome earlier this week, acquired Shaun Anderson from the Giants yesterday and took a low-cost flier on Hansel Robles in late December.

Share 0 Retweet 7 Send via email0

Minnesota Twins Philadelphia Phillies Transactions Ian Hamilton

25 comments

Twins, Giants Swap LaMonte Wade Jr., Shaun Anderson

By Connor Byrne | February 4, 2021 at 7:30pm CDT

The Twins have traded outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. to the Giants for right-hander Shaun Anderson, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said earlier Thursday the team was looking for a left-handed-hitting outfielder whom they could option to the minors if necessary, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted. Wade checks those boxes. The 27-year-old has one option left, though whether he’ll prove to be a solution for the Giants at the major league level remains to be seen. He batted an unspectacular .211/.336/.347 in 113 plate appearances as a Twin from 2019-20, but Wade has put up decent production in the minors and always shown that he has a good eye. So far in the majors, Wade has amassed almost as many walks (15) as strikeouts (18). He’ll now attempt to join the Giants as a backup outfielder, as they already have Mike Yastrzemski, Alex Dickerson, Mauricio Dubon and Austin Slater in line for jobs.

Anderson, 26, pitched to a 5.17 ERA/5.26 SIERA with below-average strikeout and walk rates of 17.8 and 10.1 percent, respectively, as a Giant in 111 1/3 innings from 2019-20. But Anderson averaged almost 95 mph on his fastball last year, owns a 3.99 ERA in 85 2/3 frames in Triple-A frames, and has two options left. The Twins’ rotation is largely set with Kenta Maeda, Jose Berrios, Michael Pineda, J.A. Happ and Randy Dobnak, but Anderson adds some depth as a starter or reliever for the organization.

Share 0 Retweet 8 Send via email0

Minnesota Twins San Francisco Giants Transactions LaMonte Wade Jr. Shaun Anderson

86 comments

Twins To Sign Alex Colome

By Connor Byrne | February 4, 2021 at 2:00pm CDT

Feb. 4: The option on the deal is mutual, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune indicates. If the Twins decline the $5.5MM option, they’ll owe Colome a $1.25MM buyout. If the Twins pick up the option but Colome declines in favor of free agency, he won’t receive any buyout.

Feb. 3: The Twins are signing free-agent reliever Alex Colome to a one-year deal, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The contract includes a $5MM salary for 2021 and an option. In all, it’s a $6.25MM guarantee, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

The Twins were mentioned as suitors for Colome earlier Wednesday, so it isn’t surprising they’re bringing in the former Ray, Mariner and White Sox. The 32-year-old right-hander could now be the closer for Minnesota, having saved 138 games in the bigs. He converted 12 of 13 saves with the division-rival White Sox last year.

Colome, who averages 94 mph-plus on his fastball, has saved nearly 86 percent of chances in his career. At times, though, his strikeout numbers have fallen short. Last season, for instance, he ranked 126th out of 141 relievers with at least 20 innings in strikeout percentage (17.8). Colome did, however, finish better than average in walk and groundball rates (9.2 percent and 52.4 percent, respectively). He was also a Statcast darling who ranked above the vast majority of hurlers in several of its important categories.

The Twins’ bullpen checked in third in the majors in fWAR in 2020, though it has since lost Trevor May to the Mets in free agency, while Tyler Clippard and Sergio Romo – who combined for 43 frames – remain available. The addition of Colome should help plug those holes for Minnesota.

Share 0 Retweet 4 Send via email0

Minnesota Twins Newsstand Transactions Alex Colome

130 comments
« Previous Page
Load More Posts
Show all
    Top Stories

    Orioles Trade Bryan Baker To Rays

    Yankees Release DJ LeMahieu

    Trevor Williams To Undergo UCL Surgery

    Nationals Fire PBO Mike Rizzo, Manager Dave Martinez

    Brewers Activate Brandon Woodruff

    Clarke Schmidt Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Bobby Jenks Passes Away

    Braves Release Alex Verdugo

    Top 40 Trade Candidates For The 2025 Deadline

    Rays Reinstate Ha-Seong Kim

    Yankees Have Shown Interest In Ryan McMahon

    Royals Interested In Bryan Reynolds

    Rangers Option Josh Jung

    Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement

    Braves Place Spencer Schwellenbach On IL With Elbow Fracture

    Giants Exercise 2026 Option On Manager Bob Melvin

    Yordan Alvarez Shut Down Due To Setback With Hand Injury

    Astros Place Jeremy Peña On Injured List With Fractured Rib

    Tucker Barnhart To Retire

    Tyler Mahle To Be Sidelined Beyond Trade Deadline

    Recent

    Orioles Trade Bryan Baker To Rays

    Yankees Release DJ LeMahieu

    White Sox Acquire Will Robertson From Blue Jays

    Mets Designate Travis Jankowski For Assignment

    The Opener: Meyers, Doubleheader, Yankees

    Fantasy Baseball Subscriber Chat With Nicklaus Gaut

    MLB Mailbag: Cardinals, Rangers, J-Rod, Yankees, Bichette

    MLBTR Podcast: Firings in Washington, Bad Braves, And An AL East Shake-Up

    Trade Deadline Outlook: Los Angeles Dodgers

    Trade Deadline Outlook: Tampa Bay Rays

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Sandy Alcantara Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Alex Bregman Rumors

     

    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version