Update: Possible Twins trade for Braves pitcher Jaime Garcia in limbo

Medical issues are being explored by the Twins. Garcia has had an injury-plagued career, including surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome in 2014.

July 21, 2017 at 8:25PM
Jaime Garcia
Jaime Garcia (Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Twins were in the "final stages" of making a trade for Atlanta Braves lefthanded starter Jaime Garcia late Thursday night ... but the deal had not been finalized by Friday afternoon and reports indicated the Braves were still in negotiations with other teams.

(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

In fact, Garcia was listed as the starting pitcher for Atlanta's 9:10 p.m. game in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.

A Twins source said there will be no deal made Friday.

Garcia is a nine-year veteran, eight of them with the St. Louis Cardinals, who owns a career 3.65 ERA, though it has slipped to 4.33 this season.

Garcia earns $12 million this season, and is still owed roughly $4.7 million for the remaining two months. He can be a free agent after the season. On Thursday night, the Twins and Braves were believed to be negotiating over whether the Twins will pay the entire amount.

The Twins were asking for an additional Braves player in the deal as well, the source said, though not necessarily a major leaguer. Atlanta was expected to receive a Twins prospect in the deal, which was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

Medical issues are being explored by the Twins. Garcia has had an injury-plagued career, including surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome in 2014, and groin and shoulder issues the past couple of seasons. Garcia has never pitched more than 194 innings in a season, and that was in 2011, when he was 24. But the 31-year-old Garcia has not missed a start for the Braves this season, and has nine quality starts among his 17 appearances, including last Sunday's one run allowed over seven innings in a victory against Arizona.

Garcia, traded by St. Louis to Atlanta last winter for pitcher John Gant and two minor leaguers, has seven games of postseason experience, including starts in Games 2 and 6 of the 2011 World Series against Texas. Garcia's postseason record is 0-3, but with a respectable 3.94 ERA.

The Twins have used 11 different starting pitchers this season, a group that owns a cumulative 4.91 ERA. Only the White Sox's and Orioles' rotations have fared worse.

Staff writer La Velle E. Neal III also contributed to this report.

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about the writer

Phil Miller

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Phil Miller has covered the Twins for the Star Tribune since 2013. Previously, he covered the University of Minnesota football team, and from 2007-09, he covered the Twins for the Pioneer Press.

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