The Astros and Twins had a trade lined up that would have sent Trevor Larnach to Houston for Bryan Abreu, but Astros owner Jim Crane shut it down.
Michael Marino first reported the non-deal, and Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune confirmed Marino’s account. Chandler Rome of The Athletic later reported that Houston is not interested in subtracting players from the major league roster, which helps explain why Abreu may have been pulled out of the discussions.
On paper, it made sense for both sides. Houston has spent years hunting for a left-handed bat in the outfield, cycling through Taylor Trammell, Joey Loperfido, Jesus Sanchez, Jason Heyward and others without finding the answer. The Astros stumbled badly out of the gate this season, but they’ve since climbed into first place in the American League West and are in clear buyer territory.
Minnesota, meanwhile, has a shaky bullpen and a glut of lefty-swinging corner outfielders. The Twins are also in buyer mode, having already added Dean Kremer and A.J. Minter in recent trades.
Abreu has been a valuable arm for Houston, but this season has been uneven. He is an impending free agent, carries a 4.62 earned run average and an ugly 16.4% walk rate. Still, the last stretch has looked much more like the pitcher the Astros know: from June 4 to the present, he owns a 1.37 ERA with a 32.9% strikeout rate and a 6.8% walk rate over 19 2/3 innings.
If Houston had moved him, the bullpen would have taken a hit, but Josh Hader would still anchor the closer’s role, with Steven Okert, Enyel De Los Santos and others available in leverage spots. In return, the Astros would have added a lefty bat in Larnach, who is hitting .284/.373/.450 with a 133 wRC+ this season. The swap also would have trimmed payroll, since Abreu is making $5.85MM and Larnach $4.475MM, a detail that matters for a club trying to stay under the competitive balance tax.
For Minnesota, Larnach is available because the organization has more left-handed corner outfielders than it can comfortably fit. Alan Roden and Kody Clemens are on the active roster, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Hendry Mendez are on the 40-man, Matt Wallner is on optional assignment and has been excellent since going down, and Walker Jenkins remains one of the top prospects in the game with a decent amount of Triple-A experience already.
Even though this deal is off the table, it still says plenty about what both clubs are chasing before the deadline. The Twins could use Larnach in another move to help the bullpen, while the Astros are still searching for that long-sought left-handed outfielder.
If Houston won’t part with Abreu, it may have to dip into a farm system Baseball America ranks 26th in the league. Minnesota, for its part, may prefer a big-league addition if it moves Larnach again, since it is trying to win now.
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