Tigers trade for Twins' 4.95 ERA starter for minor leaguer

Matt Sullivan

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Tigers trade for Twins' 4.95 ERA starter for minor leaguer image

The Detroit Tigers, with four days until the MLB trade deadline, are already beginning to inch closer to trades. While the starting rotation isn't in dire need of help, more arms are always welcome.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Tigers are trading for Minnesota Twins starter Chris Paddack. The 29-year-old Twins right-hander has started 21 games for the Twins this season and has a 4.95 ERA so far.

Paddack has been struggling a bit as of late. The veteran starter has, in his last four starts in July, a 6.00 ERA and a 0-2 record. He's been a below league-average pitcher this season, with an 85 ERA+ in his 21 starts.

Aside from his 4.95 ERA, Paddack has a 3-9 record, 83 strikeouts, and 27 walks in 111 innings pitched this season. He's allowed 115 hits, 61 earned runs, and 17 home runs on the year as well.

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It's tied for the most hits he's allowed in a season, and also tied for the most earned runs he's allowed in a season. He's also not far off from his home run and walk totals, passing his previous career highs, too.

The Tigers, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN, are sending catcher/first baseman Enrique Jimenez, the team's 14th-ranked prospect, to the Twins for Paddack and Randy Dobnak.

Paddack will likely slide into the back of the rotation, taking over for Troy Melton after his rough first start in the big leagues, where he allowed six earned runs in five innings of work.

Dobnak is a 30-year-old reliever who has a 1.69 ERA this season in one appearance. He has a career 4.86 ERA across 140.2 innings pitched with the Twins. He joins a Tigers bullpen in need of more help.

Come the postseason, Paddack could also be a bullpen arm, where he thrived for the Twins in 2023, pitching 3.2 scoreless innings during their postseason run. Both Dobnak and Paddack should help the pitching staff, which has struggled this season in Detroit.

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Matt Sullivan

Matt Sullivan is a freelance writer for The Sporting News, predominantly covering MLB. Matt is a native of Pennsylvania and has worked with Athlon Sports, Last Word on Sports, and other outlets.