The Minnesota Twins are currently in possession of the second wild card slot in the American League, much to everyone’s surprise, so they were expected to be buyers at the trade deadline. The only deal that they made was bringing in veteran bullpen arm Kevin Jepsen from the Rays. Here is the deal:
The concern for the Twins this year has been pitching, specifically the bridge to closer Glen Perkins. Blaine Boyer is the only current bullpen member besides Perkins that has an ERA on the right side of 3 (2.74). Jepsen’s 2-5 record is not great, but he has a 2.81 ERA in 46 appearances.
Jepsen won’t have much of a fantasy impact unless you are in a league that counts holds. If you are, Jepsen would be a nice addition. He looks to be the primary eighth inning option for the Twins going forward, and isn’t going to hurt your ERA.
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Neither Chih-Wei Hu nor Alexis Tapia were not on the Twins’ top 30 prospect list, but everyone knows that the Twins minor league system is loaded with talent. Hu is now listed as the Rays’ number 16 prospect.
Hu has been brilliant in A ball this year, compiling a 6-3 record with a 2.38 ERA in 16 starts. He won’t be in the majors anytime soon, but he has the look of a guy who can crack the major league rotation in a couple of years.
Tapia was 1-2 with a 3.82 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 33 innings for Elizabethton in rookie ball. He made two scoreless appearances for High-A Fort Myers before being dealt to the Rays. Tapia is a long term project, but he could turn in to a solid back of the rotation starter. Not a bad return for a bullpen arm.
For the Twins, it gives the appearance that they are trying to make the playoffs this year without giving up any of their superstar prospects. With the deals that he Blue Jays made at the deadline, the Twins have virtually no chance of hanging on to the wild card anyway, but stranger things have happened. I picked the Twins to finish last in the AL Central this year…..and I’m a Twins fan!
Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR as we analyze the fantasy impact of every deadline deal!