Twins starter Ervin Santana had another strong outing for the Twins Wednesday afternoon, again raising questions about whether or not the Twins will deal him ahead of the Major League Baseball non-waiver trade deadline.
Santana held the Tigers to one run on six hits while striking out two over seven innings. He didn’t get the win, but his efforts helped hold the Tigers down while the Twins dealt with Justin Verlander.
Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario each homered in the top of the ninth giving the Twins a 4-1 lead – which they held on to for the victory.
But the real story once again was Santana, who has continued to pitch some of his best baseball since the Twins signed him before the start of the 2015 season.
Trade rumors keep swirling around Santana
.@ErvinSantana_54: 7+ IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 Ks. 110 pitches, 71 strikes. đź’Şđź’Şđź’Şđź’Şđź’Şđź’Şđź’Ş SMELLBASEBALL #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/e9u0nF4RH4
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 20, 2016
Santana’s success is starting to create more interest in the right-hander, especially among contending teams that need pitching help.
According to the Pioneer Press, the Twins and Red Sox have discussed a deal for Santana, but it appears the two sides are not a very good match.
ESPN notes the Twins could be looking for a highly-regarded prospect to move Santana, but the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo reports Minnesota may be willing to take less if a team would be willing to take the remaining $28 million of Santana’s contract following next season.
According to Cafardo, two teams to watch for a possible move could also be the Kansas City Royals or Baltimore Orioles.
