Relief prospect Nick Burdi was the player the Twins were going to send Atlanta in exchange for lefthander Jaime Garcia, according to a Fox Sports report.
According to the report, the Braves backed off once they looked at Burdi's medical information. This is where it gets strange, because Burdi already is out for the year because of Tommy John surgery. One baseball official told me that the Braves have not been afraid to trade for pitchers coming off of Tommy John surgeries. So they know what they are getting into. So that's the strange part, a team being willing to trade for an injured player but then backing off because of medicals. The Twins were confident they had a deal wrapped up Thursday night, only to be tripped up by Atlanta. The was going to be Burdi for Garcia and possibly a second player (most likely a player to be named later). Burdi is considered a future closer, someone who has hit 100 miles an hour with his fastball to go with a wipeout slider. He posted a 0.53 ERA in 14 appearances - with 20 strikeouts in 17 innings - when he came down with elbow sorness following a May 21 appearance. It just so happens that Nick's brother, Zack, is also out for the season because of Tommy John surgery while pitching in the White Sox organization. Meanwhile, the Twins and Braves continue to be in contact about Garcia. There's still a chance the deal could go down but, of course, the Twins will have to come up with another prospect to send Atlanta than Burdi. Garcia, meanwhile, made his scheduled start on Friday against the Dodgers. Atlanta had a replacement starter ready to step in if Garcia had been dealt, but he was not needed. So on to tonight, where the 1987 World Series team will be celebrated, and the Twins then take on the Tigers. Miguel Cabrera, who suffered a bruised clavicle on Friday night when he was struck while trying to field a hard grounders, is not in the Tigers lineup. Cabrera rarely lets injuries take him out of the lineup, so he must be pretty sore. Twins manager Paul Molitor said before the game that the shortstop position no longer belongs to Jorge Polanco. He's going to use Eduardo Escobar and Ehire Adrianza based on matchups and who is hot at the plate. Jorge Polanco has struggled since early June, at the plate and in the field. And Molitor said he can't wait for Polanco to turn things around when the games are meaningful. Glen Perkins pitched for the Twins rookie team in the Gulf Coast League, the first time he's faced hitters since early last season. Molitor said Perkins touched 90 miles per hour during his outing. "The best part is that he felt good," Molitor said. Perkins is expected to pitch for the rookie team at least one more time before moving to Class A Fort Myers. Tigers Ian Kinsler, 2BAlex Pressly, RFAlex Avila, CNicholas Castellanos, 3BV-Mart, DHMikie Mahtook, CFAndrew Romine, SSJose Iglesias, SS Jordan Zimmermann, RHP Twins Brian Dozier, 2BMax Kepler, RFMiguel Sano, 3BJoe Mauer, 1BRobbie Grossman, DHEddie Rosario, LFEduardo Escobar, SSZack Granite, CFJason Castro, C Kyle Gibson, RHP
