Twins Struck Out Twice Trying To Land A Frontline Starter

August 12, 2026 , ,
The Minnesota Twins wanted rotation help at the deadline, and they went after two of the best available arms on the market. 

They came away with neither.

Per Dan Hayes of The Athletic, the Twins were among the many teams to reach out to the Los Angeles Angels about left-hander Reid Detmers. Their interest in right-hander Jose Soriano was already known, and per Hayes, that interest was significant enough that Minnesota kept pursuing him even after he was traded elsewhere.

A Deal That Almost Happened After The Fact

The Soriano chase produced the closer call of the two. 

He was originally dealt from the Angels to the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-prospect package headlined by shortstop Arjun Nimmala. Rather than move on, the Twins called Toronto to see if the Blue Jays would flip him again.

Minnesota's offer included its No. 3 prospect, infielder Kaelen Culpepper, but Toronto wanted a second piece added on top: highly regarded pitching prospect Riley Quick. 

The Twins weren't willing to include both, and the conversation died there. Toronto was not really shopping Soriano at that point, but was willing to listen given how thrilled the front office reportedly was with what they'd just landed.

Detmers Never Got Close To Moving At All

The Detmers pursuit didn't get nearly as far. 

The Angels ultimately held onto both Detmers and shortstop Zach Neto through the deadline despite trading away a significant chunk of their roster, including O'Hoppe, Chase Silseth, Soriano, Jo Adell, and Ryan Zeferjahn, several of whom still had years of team control remaining.

That decision wasn't about a lack of interest. The Chicago Cubs were also connected to Soriano and Detmers before the deadline, with speculation the asking price on Soriano specifically may have centered on a prospect Chicago wasn't willing to give up. 

Instead, the Cubs completed a smaller deal with the Angels for Zeferjahn instead.

Why Minnesota Wanted Them So Badly

Joe Ryan landed on the injured list just days before the deadline, leaving Minnesota's rotation currently fronted by Taj Bradley alongside Kremer, Bailey Ober, Zebby Matthews, and Connor Prielipp. 

A healthy Ryan paired with a controllable arm like Soriano would have given the Twins a legitimate top of the rotation heading into 2026 and beyond, since both Detmers and Soriano remain under club control via arbitration for multiple more seasons rather than being pure rentals.

Both Detmers and Neto are now believed to be part of the Angels' long-term plans. ESPN's Alden Gonzalez reported Neto "was given an assurance a few hours before the deadline that he was gonna be their guy moving forward," an indication that could point toward extension talks for either player down the line rather than a repeat trade conversation next summer.

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