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The Minnesota Twins hope to bolster their rotation by acquiring left-hander Jaime Garcia from the Atlanta Braves. According to multiple media reports Thursday night, the teams were attempting to complete a trade featuring the veteran pitcher. Minnesota reportedly would send Atlanta only minor league talent in the deal.
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Garcia, 31, is 3-7 with a 4.33 ERA in 17 starts for Atlanta this year. He pitched well in his most recent outing, tossing seven innings of one-run ball in a 7-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday. However, in his previous four appearances, he went 0-2 with a 9.41 ERA, part of a seven-start winless streak.
The Braves acquired Garcia last December from the Cardinals for right-hander John Gant and two minor-leaguers.
Garcia spent eight seasons in St. Louis, going 62-45 with a 3.57 ERA in 158 games (147 starts). However, after winning 13 games in each of his first two full major league seasons in 2010 and 2011 -- and helping the Cardinals win the 2011 World Series -- injuries temporarily derailed his career.
He bounced back to be a 10-game winner for St. Louis in 2015 and 2016.
Garcia, who is making $11.5 million this year, will be a free agent after the season.
The Minnesota rotation has a 4.91 ERA, which ranks 13th in the 15-team American League. Left-hander Hector Santiago is on the disabled list due to a back ailment, and right-hander Phil Hughes probably will miss the remainder of the season due to recurring symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome.
