BOSTON – Rob Antony has worked the phones all week as he attempts to make his first trade as Twins interim general manager.
He has already made one as an assistant GM.
When Terry Ryan was away from the team in 2014 while being treated for cancer, the Twins realized they needed a shortstop right when the Yankees designated Eduardo Nunez for assignment. Antony handled the negotiations and dealt minor league pitcher Miguel Sulbaran for Nunez, who earlier this month played in his first All-Star Game.
"He was designated for assignment, so we had a time frame we were working under," Antony said. "It took three to four days.
"It's kind of like the trade deadline. When we get down to the middle of next week, you'll start having a time frame to work with and people will have to make decisions."
Antony is looking to make his mark before the Aug. 1 nonwaiver trade deadline hits. This time, it's more urgent, as the Twins want to set themselves up to rebound from this clunker of a season.
"We have had some good dialogue with teams," Antony said. "I hope it comes to fruition."
Nunez, righthander Ervin Santana and relievers Fernando Abad, Brandon Kintzler and Ryan Pressly are among Twins players who could be coveted by contending teams.
But because the Twins don't have any top-tier trade targets, they aren't viewed as a first-choice destination for deals. So they might have to wait for clubs to get back with them.
Since Ryan was fired Monday, Antony heard from many teams the Twins might match up with. But he joked that many calls started out as congratulatory before moving on to the main reason for the conversation.
"They say, 'Hey, I wish you good luck,' " Antony said. "Then they go, 'While I have you on the phone, what are you looking to do?' That's a good thing, and I have made a lot of calls myself."
Outlook not good
There was a chance that the Twins would be able to unveil hard-throwing righthander Nick Burdi sometime in 2016, but it looks doubtful they will be able to get him back on any mound the rest of the season.
Burdi has battled a bone bruise near his elbow since the end of spring training. He recovered and tried to pitch at Class AA Chattanooga, but managed only three innings before having more problems. After a period of rest, a magnetic resonance imaging exam and rehab, Burdi is not close to being able to pitch in a game.
Burdi is currently doing rehabilitation work in Fort Myers, Fla., and the Twins hope he can begin a throwing program soon. But with just over a month left in the minor league season, the 2014 second-round draft pick might not be ready to pitch in games.
"I think we will probably run out of time," said Brad Steil, the Twins director of minor league operations.
Etc.
• Catcher Kurt Suzuki was knocked out of Saturday night's game in the second inning when a foul ball by Dustin Pedroia hit Suzuki right on the chin area of his mask, drawing blood. Suzuki needed stitched to close the wound.
• Byung Ho Park homered for the third consecutive game for Class AAA Rochester on Saturday in an 11-0 victory at Syracuse. Over his past nine games, Park has hit .375 with five homers and 10 RBI.
