In the latest transaction of the trade deadline frenzy, the Minnesota Twins have acquired bullpen help in the form of a new closer. All-Star Matt Capps, who aside from 8 blown saves has been sparkling this year (3-3, 2.80 ERA, 25 saves, 7.40 K/9, 1.33 WHIP, 1.00 HR/9), is headed to Minnesota in exchange for highly touted catching prospect Wilson Ramos.
Ramos, 22, is expected to take over catching duties for Ivan Rodriguez next year, but given the success he had in a handful of at-bats this year he may see some playing time at the big leagues this season.
He is expected to be an offensive force when he does arrive in the majors, despite the struggles he's had at Triple-A this year. In 278 at-bats, Ramos has hit .241/.280/.345 with just 5 home runs. He has plenty of time to turn around, however, and with Joe Mauer blocking Ramos from getting a shot at the next level, he was unsurprisingly one of the hottest trade chips this year given his high talent ceiling.
For Minnesota, the deal allows the team to slide Jon Rauch into a set-up role, which they feel would be better suited for him. Although Rauch is the incumbent closer, his struggles this month (8.1 IP, 13 H, 5 ER, 6 BB, 5 K) will probably translate to manager Ron Gardenhire giving the save opportunities to Capps. So if you own Rauch in any of your leagues, that means it's time to look for a replacement. If you own Capps, it appears safe to keep him in your lineup.
