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The Minnesota Twins have struck a deal to acquire veteran right-handed reliever Sergio Romo from the Miami Marlins, as first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN when the two sides were finalizing the deal.
The Minnesota Twins are deep into talks with the Miami Marlins on a deal that would send reliever Sergio Romo to Minnesota, sources with knowledge of the situation tell ESPN. The expectation is a trade will soon be finalized.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 28, 2019
Heading back to the Marlins in return is first base prospect Lewin Diaz, per Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Lewin Diaz will head to the Marlins in the trade.
— Betsy Helfand (@betsyhelfand) July 28, 2019
Jon Morosi joins several reporters in hearing that Minnesota also gets minor-league pitcher Chris Vallimont and a player to be named later.
Full #Twins/#Marlins deal, per sources: Sergio Romo, Chris Vallimont and a PTBNL from Miami to Minnesota for Lewin Diaz. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 28, 2019
Romo, 36, opened his career as a 28th-round selection of the San Francisco Giants in 2005. He made his big-league debut in 2008 and spent nine seasons out west, earning three World Series Rings and one All-Star Game nomination. He signed with the Dodgers in 2017 but spent just a few months with them before being traded to the Rays, with whom he spent a year-and-a-half as the main opener in the Rays’ then-new and now-successful strategy of using a reliever to start the game. He signed with Miami ahead of the 2019 season.
In 38 reliever appearances (28 games finished) this season, Romo has 17 saves and a 3.58 ERA. He has allowed 18 runs on 33 hits (including four home runs) in 37.2 innings, fanning 33 batters and walking 13.
Vallimont, 22, was selected by Miami in the fifth-round of the 2018 draft. In 13 starts with the Class-A affiliate and six at High-A, he has posted a 6-7 record and a 3.59 ERA. He has allowed 42 runs on 79 hits in 105.1 innings, striking out 122 batters and walking 37.
Diaz, the prospect heading back to Miami, ranked 30th on Minnesota’s list of Top 30 prospects from MLB Pipeline. Between 57 games at High-A and 32 at Double-A this year, the 2013 international signing out of the Dominican Republic has slashed .297/.339/.558 with 61 runs knocked in on 100 hits, including 19 homers, 27 doubles, and a pair of triples. The 22-year-old has also walked 22 times and struck out 63.
Minnesota, who has shown interest in essentially every starter and reliever available, makes a move in what has been a very quiet start to the week leading up to the trade deadline. Perhaps this is the beginning of an eventful week to come.
The dominoes are falling, hopefully.