The Twins just didn’t stand pat this year. They actually made a deal ahead of today’s 3 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline.
According to Yahoo!Sports’ Tim Brown, catcher Drew Butera has reportedly been sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a player to be named later:
https://twitter.com/TBrownYahoo/status/362668297285672960
In four seasons with the Twins, Butera — an excellent defensive catcher — hit .182 with five home runs and 41 RBIs.
That was it, however. Justin Morneau remains with the team (for now), and is in tonight’s lineup against the Kansas City Royals:
#MNTwins lineup: Thomas LF, Carroll 2B, Mauer C, Morneau 1B, Doumit DH, Plouffe 3B, Herrmann RF, Hicks CF, Florimon SS, Correia SP.
— Tyler Mason (@tylermason21) July 31, 2013
Morneau told the Pioneer Press that if he gets to the point of free agency, he’ll probably explore his options. The keyword, though, was “if.”
“The organization has given me so much,” Morneau said. “Hopefully, our relationship continues in the future.”
As the deadline approached, the Star Tribune’s La Velle E. Neal III writes that the Twins thought they had a market for Morneau as well as reliever Brian Deunsing. But both players performed below expectations in July, killing their immediate value.
One scout told the Pioneer Press that the Twins could hear “crickets” in the front office today. In other words… the phones weren’t ringing.
Up next: The Aug. 31 trade deadline, where players have to clear waivers first.
