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UPDATE (Saturday): The deal fell through due to concerns about the medical reports on Twins’ prospect Nick Burdi, according to FOX’s Ken Rosenthal. The deal would have sent Burdi to the Braves in a one-for-one swap for Garcia.
Burdi underwent Tommy John surgery in May, though the Braves would’ve known about that before asking for him from Minnesota. It’s unclear what the other issues that surfaced were.
At this point, the Braves are continuing to shop Garcia in hopes of trading him and are drawing strong interest after another strong performance (7 IP, 3 ER against the Dodgers) last night.
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ORIGINAL: The Braves and Twins are still discussing a trade that would send lefty Jaime Garcia to Minnesota, as first reported by FOX’s Ken Rosenthal on Thursday night. One major-league source characterized the deal as being “very close to final” last night, though the clubs have not finalized the trade as of Friday afternoon and talks may have stalled.
The deal was reported by some to be agreed upon late last night, though Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported early Thursday that other teams remain in the mix for Garcia. Minnesota was at the stage of reviewing medicals and determining the money changing hands in a potential deal, so it’s possible that an issue came up late in talks.
The proposed deal with Minnesota reportedly would send one minor-leaguer to the Braves, with Atlanta picking up less than half of the $4.8 million left on Garcia’s deal this season. There is also a possibility of Minnesota acquiring a minor-leaguer along with Garcia, according to reports.
Garcia is tentatively scheduled to pitch for the Braves in Los Angeles on Friday night, though Atlanta did scratch Aaron Blair from his start at Triple-A on Thursday as a contingency plan. If Garcia does not pitch Friday, it means a deal is far enough along that the Braves won’t want to risk injury.
Garcia’s market was heating up as of Wednesday, according to major-league sources, with about six clubs showing strong interest. The Royals, Astros and Yankees have been among the teams involved in the chase to this point, though it appears the Twins, who sit just a half-game out of the AL Central and Wild Card races, became the most aggressive suitor Thursday.
Garcia, a free agent at the end of the year, owns a 4.33 ERA and 6.9 K/9 in 106 innings over 17 starts for Atlanta this year. He would slot into a rotation that includes Ervin Santana, Kyle Gibson, Adalberto Mejia and Jose Berrios if a deal with Minnesota is completed.
The Twins, a surprise contender after a dreadful season last year, were not expected to be aggressive buyers at the deadline, so a move for a rental piece likes Garcia would make sense. Garcia is thought of as the top rental starter available on a weak market, with Marco Estrada, Trevor Cahill and Lance Lynn among the other options available as the Rangers decide what to do with Yu Darvish.