TWINS LAND LEFT-HANDER JAIME GARCIA
The Minnesota Twins acquired pitcher Jaime Garcia, catcher Anthony Recker and cash from the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Huascar Ynoa.
What does it give the Minnesota Twins
Garcia heads back to the Midwest, after spending several years with the St. Louis Cardinals, and should provide decent depth to the Twins' starting rotation down the stretch. Minnesota has been one of the surprise teams in the American League this season, and are hoping Garcia can be a factor for them down the stretch. Recker is a depth catcher who might replace Chris Gimenez as Jason Castro's back at some point. The cash will help pay a bit of Garcia's salary.
What does it give the Atlanta Braves
For Atlanta, the club originally wanted young reliever Nick Burdi from Minnesota but nixed the trade after concerns over the latter's elbow. Therefore, they settle for 19-year-old right-hander Ynoa, a raw pitching prospect with a live arm (but also plenty of wildness and inconsistency). The Braves are hoping Ynoa can put it all together and become a big leaguer some day. In the meantime, this deal also sheds salary (though Atlanta sent some money back to Minny).
Fantasy impact
Garcia's short-term prognosis may improve slightly with the contending Twins but he will probably be pitching elsewhere in 2018 (he is scheduled to become a free agent this winter). Recker's value is negligible, while Ynoa's long-range forecast is littered with potential (but he still has a long way to go). Aaron Blair and Lucas Sims may benefit the most from Garcia's departure from the Braves rotation (with Blair getting first crack at the open spot).
