Twins acquire Hector Santiago to dump Ricky Nolasco on Angels

Hector Santiago is the newest member of the Twins. (Getty Images/Matt Brown)

The 2016 Major League Baseball trade deadline was hectic. A number of deals got done as the clock struck 4 p.m. ET. Elite talent changed teams. Promising youngsters found new homes. Twitter erupted in shock and awe as the flurry of trades started coming in.

This was not one of those deals. As the deadline approached, the Minnesota Twins acquired pitcher Hector Santiago from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Ricky Nolasco and Alex Meyer. The deal was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

The deal is a head-scratcher for a number of reasons. Neither the Angels nor the Twins are in contention this year, so it’s unclear why either side would pick up major-league talent.

The two big names in the trade, Santiago and Nolasco, are each under team control through 2017. Santiago will be eligible for arbitration during the offseason. Nolasco will make $12 million in 2017. He also has a $13 million team option for 2018.

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In that sense, it looks like a salary dump by the Twins. They rid themselves of a more expensive player in order to pick up a cheaper pitcher in Santiago. For what it’s worth, Santiago has been the better pitcher in recent seasons. This year, the 28-year-old has a 4.25 ERA over 120 2/3 innings. He has a higher strikeout rate than Nolasco, though Santiago walks far more batters. Santiago was an All-Star last season after posting a 3.59 ERA over 180 2/3 innings.

Nolasco has been posted pretty lackluster numbers over the past three seasons. During that period, he owns a 5.44 ERA over 321 innings. He hasn’t exceeded 160 innings in any of those years. This year, Nolasco has a 5.13 ERA over 124 2/3 innings.

Ricky Nolasco is heading to Los Angeles. (Getty Images/Leon Halip)

Due to Nolasco’s recent struggles, it’s possible the Angels saw something in Meyer they liked. The big 26-year-old righty populated top prospect lists for years, but has only thrown 6 1/3 innings in the majors.

Once upon a time, Meyer was the star of the trade that sent outfielder Denard Span to the Washington Nationals. At the time, he was considered a high-risk prospect who should develop into a decent reliever, but his huge 6-9 frame made him a tantalizing talent as a starter.

The Twins used Meyer as a starter in 2013, 2014 and some of 2015 before finally shifting him to the bullpen. In 17 1/3 innings this year at Triple-A, Meyer has a 1.04 ERA. He’s missed time with right shoulder fatigue, however, and hasn’t pitched in a game since early May. Meyer peaked as high as 14th on the Baseball Prospectus prospect list in 2015, but a poor year combined with his age dropped him off top-100 lists coming into the 2016 season.

The Angels also picked up minor-league reliever Alan Busenitz in the deal. The 25-year-old has a 3.94 ERA over two levels in the minors this season. Busenitz did not rate as one of the Twins’ top-30 prospects coming into the year according to Baseball America.

Neither the Twins nor the Angels are expected to be in contention next season, so the trade doesn’t seem to make a ton of sense from either side. On a day where top prospects and elite talent changed teams, this deal amounts to the shrug emoticon (¯\_(ツ)_/¯) of the deadline.

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