Minnesota Twins Acquire Pitcher Jaime Garcia

By Noriel See, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Jaime García is officially a member of the Minnesota Twins.

The Twins have announced that they have acquired Garcia, catcher Anthony Recker and cash considerations from the Atlanta Braves for pitching prospect Huascar Ynoa.

"It's an exciting bit of news for us. I think our players will be uplifted by it, that our people upstairs are trying to give us a better chance to get to the postseason," Twins manager Paul Molitor said, according to the Star Tribune. "We know [Garcia's] track record. He certainly knows how to pitch, and it's a nice addition to our club," he continued.

"I had a chance to speak with him earlier this afternoon. He's tremendously excited about the opportunity to come over here and help us win some ballgames," he added.

Garcia is expected to slot in behind Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios as the club's number three starter. Kyle Gibson, Hector Santiago and Phil Hughes have struggled so far this season, so this move should give the Twins a much-needed boost as they continue to make a late-season push to secure a spot in the playoffs.

The two clubs were close to completing a deal last week, but talks stalled because the Braves were concerned about the medical report of the prospect they were supposed to get from the Twins. According to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, Nick Burdi was the prospect in question and he underwent Tommy John surgery last May.

Fortunately, both sides decided to revive talks and they managed to work things out by sending Ynoa to Atlanta instead of Burdi.

Garcia is 4–7 in 18 starts this season, and he has posted a 4.30 earned run average (ERA) and a 1.32 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP). He also has 85 strikeouts in 113 innings pitched. Garcia is set to become a free agent after this season.