CHICAGO – The Twins swung a deal with the Miami Marlins for veteran reliever Sergio Romo, giving up minor league first baseman Lewin Diaz on Saturday.
Twins acquire veteran reliever Sergio Romo from Miami
July 29, 2019 at 1:52AM
The Twins also will receive righthander Chris Vallimont and a player to be named later.
Romo, 36, has been an effective reliever for many years, rising to fame as a setup man when he was a three-time champion with the San Francisco Giants. He joined Miami this year after spending 2018 with Tampa Bay and splitting 2017 with the Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers.
"I'm super excited. They're in a really, really good position to make a playoff push, and that's exciting," Romo told reporters in Miami. "It's super fun baseball to play. But kind of mixed feelings, because I get to leave a bunch of dudes that I've grown to love."
In 38 games this season, Romo is 2-0 with a 3.58 ERA and 17 saves. In 37⅔ innings, he has walked 13 and struck out 33. His strikeout ratio of 7.9 per nine innings is a career low, but the righthander has avoided hard contact thanks to a slider-changeup combination. His average fastball is 86.5 miles per hour.
"He's ultracompetitive. He wants the ball. He's scared of nothing," said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, who worked with the Rays the past four seasons. "Everyone knows him as a pitcher. He's been around for a very long time.
"He's had a very successful career. He's pitched in some big, big spots. Once you get a chance to know him, you can see how he's had success in those spots."
Romo, who has 126 career saves, will join a bullpen mix that the Twins have altered in recent weeks by designating for assignment Adalberto Mejia, Matt Magill, Mike Morin and Blake Parker. Lefthander Taylor Rogers is expected to get most of the save opportunities while Romo helps out as setup man, but there could be times Romo is asked to get the final three outs.
Romo will come to Chicago on Sunday, then fly back to Miami, where the Twins begin a series with the Marlins on Tuesday.
To land Romo, the Twins parted with the 22-year-old Diaz, who hit .290 with 13 home runs and 36 RBI at Class A Fort Myers before being promoted to Class AA Pensacola. In 32 games for the Blue Wahoos, Diaz hit .309 with six homers and 25 RBI.
Diaz, ranked the Twins' 10th-best prospect by Baseball America, had to be put on the 40-man roster this offseason, or the Twins would risk losing him in the Rule 5 draft. He was one of 11 Twins minor leaguers in that category, so it makes sense for the team to reduce that inventory.
Vallimont, 22, was 4-4 with a 2.99 ERA in 13 starts for Class A Clinton of the Midwest League and was ranked as Miami's 27th-best prospect. As for the player to be named, the Twins will choose from a list of prospects in the coming months.
The Twins continue to seek more pitching help before Wednesday's trade deadline. They have showed interest in practically every available starter or reliever on the market.
They have spoken with the Mets about starter Noah Syndergaard, but talks haven't progressed. They might have a better shot at landing Toronto's Marcus Stroman, who similarly is the target of several teams.
Etc.
• Twins first baseman C.J. Cron hit off flip throws Saturday and is expected to hit on the field Sunday as he recovers from a pesky inflamed right thumb that has landed him on the injured list twice in the past month. He took a cortisone shot last Sunday to help the healing process and has slowly moved into baseball-related activities. Cron is eligible to come off the injured list on Wednesday.
• With Diaz's departure, the Twins promoted top prospect Royce Lewis to Pensacola. The shortstop is hitting only .238 with 10 home runs, 35 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 94 games at Fort Myers, but he has hit .273 with a .341 on-base percentage and .481 slugging percentage in July.
• Parker, who is owed the rest of his $1.8 million contract for this season, has cleared waivers and is deciding between accepting an outright assignment to Rochester or becoming a free agent.
• Class AAA Rochester righthander Cody Allen was taken off the temporary inactive list and activated. He left the team Wednesday to be with his wife as she gave birth.
A former second-round pick of the Rangers, Alex Speas has pitched in four major league games.
