Should the Twins Trade For This Under-the-Radar New York Mets Reliever? (2024)

Since Derek Falvey took over as the Minnesota Twins' President of Baseball Operations after the 2016 MLB season, he's traded for the following MLB-caliber relievers at the Trade Deadline:

• 2017 - Gabriel Moya
• 2018 - N/A
• 2019 - Sergio Romo, Sam Dyson
• 2020 - N/A
• 2021 - John Gant (technically a reliever, but started seven of the 14 games he pitched with Minnesota)
• 2022 - Jorge López, Michael Fulmer
• 2023 - Dylan Floro

The Twins have traded for a reliever in five of Falvey's first seven seasons at the helm, taking swings on high-leverage, late-inning arms like Romo, Dyson (a horrible person, I know), Fulmer, and (most notably) López. Floro wasn't a buy, per se. Still, the team acquired the veteran righty with hopes of him blossoming into a steady arm that theoretically could have been used in mid-to-high leverage moments as the team pursued their third American League Central title in five seasons.

Although the Twins are five games behind the seemingly indomitable force that is the first-place Cleveland Guardians, they hold the second Wild Card spot, with the resurgent Boston Red Sox and regressing Kansas City Royals two games behind. They're in the thick of contention, with FanGraphs giving them an 85.6% chance of earning a playoff spot. Having found themselves in this advantageous position, the front office will likely scour the relief market over the next month, hoping to fortify the seventh-best bullpen in MLB (according to Wins Above Replacement at FanGraphs (fWAR)). New York Mets right-handed reliever Reed Garrett could be the apple of the Twins front office's eye.

Garrett, 31, was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 16th round of the 2014 MLB Draft, out of Virginia Military Institute (VMI). He spent the 2014 through 2018 seasons progressing from Low-A to Triple-A in Texas's farm system, before getting selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 2018 Rule 5 Draft. He appeared in 13 games as a reliever for Detroit, posting an uninspiring 8.22 ERA, 7.19 FIP, 59 ERA+, and 10-to-13 strikeout-to-walk-ratio over 15 1/3 innings pitched. The Tigers designated Garrett for assignment in mid-May.

Returned to the Rangers organization, Garrett spent the remainder of the 2018 season with their Triple-A affiliate before confronting a career crossroads. He signed with the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in 2019. The journeyman wouldn't make his return to the United States until 2022, when he signed a minor-league deal with the Nationals. He didn't stick there, though, and was designated for assignment by both Washington and the Orioles by the middle of 2023, when he was claimed by the Mets.

New York was no instant balm for him. However, the nomadic 31-year-old reliever finally turned things around early in the 2024 campaign. Garrett burst onto the scene this spring, carving out a 0.57 ERA, 1.94 FIP, and 2.21 xFIP while striking out 28 and walking seven over 15 2/3 innings pitched and 61 total batters faced in April. Since the start of May, the ERA is 4.56, so he's come back to Earth, but there are still encouraging things under the hood, including a strikeout rate right around 29%.

Garrett has been propelled into a prominent role, competing with fellow set-up relievers Adam Ottavino and Dedniel Núñez for high-leverage opportunities. The Mets were hot in June, posting a 16-8 record. New York's resurgence has placed them just two games out of the third and final National League Wild Card spot. However, the team's good fortunes could go for naught, as FanGraphs estimates the Mets have a mere 36% chance of earning a Wild Card spot. If New York reverts to their early season struggles, the organization could elect to part ways with expendable veteran players to net controllable prospect capital, and the invigorated Garrett is a prime trade piece.

With closer Jhoan Durán undergoing an alarming dip in four-seam fastball velocity and uncertainty surrounding when or if set-up relievers Brock Stewart and Justin Topa can return to the Twins' bullpen, the front office could be incentivized to acquire another high-leverage right-handed arm. Garrett gets to that gaudy strikeout rate in impressive fashion. He is a true five-pitch reliever, using the following pitches to generate one of the highest whiff and chase rates in MLB:

• Splitter - 24.6%
• Cutter - 24.2%
• Sweeper - 22.8%
• Four-seam fastball - 18.4%
• Sinker - 10%

The hard-tossing veteran’s repertoire aligns with the organization's preferences, making him an appealing option for a team needing a high-leverage, right-handed reliever whose services could be acquired at a price even the Twins' frugal ownership group could stomach. It'll be interesting to see whether he's available to them over the next few weeks.