4:15 p.m: Both clubs have now announced the trade. The twins crossed their right hands Mick Abel on the 60-day injured list to make room for the 40-man. He first arrived in IL for 15 days on April 17th, so he’s already been out for over 60 days. That makes him eligible for reinstatement at any time. He had arthroscopic surgery last month and doesn’t have a clear timeline yet.
1:52 p.m: The twins got the right hand Tommy Nance from the Blue Jays, per reports from ESPN’s Alden González and Jeff Passan. The Blue Jays are getting a young player Ryan Sprock in return, via Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith. Minnesota also gets a spot in the international bonus pool, according to González. The Twins will need to make consistent moves to free up space for Nance on their 40-man roster.
The Blue Jays acquired Nance from the Padres in August 2024. The righty proved to be an incredibly valuable bullpen arm in the second half of their 2025 pennant-winning season, posting a 1.99 ERA in 30 appearances. He was very limited in a minor league role, and threw only 1 1/3 innings in Toronto’s postseason run, suggesting the team never believed his success was sustainable. However, to Nance’s credit, his on-base numbers are almost as impressive as his sub-2.00 ERA. He struck out more than one-third of his opponents, produced more than half the ground balls they put in play, and didn’t allow a pitch out of the yard. Best of all, he was so successful at getting hitters to swing at pitches out of the zone that he only walked 7 of 126 batters he faced (5.6%).
Toronto continued to use Nance in a low-level role in 2026, and he continued to have success, albeit to a lesser degree. His rushing rate is still elite, but his walking rate has increased, and opponents have had better luck putting the ball in the air. Through 33 innings, he owns a 3.82 ERA and a 3.57 SIERA.
The Twins rank last in the MLB with a 5.28 bullpen ERA. They only have two suppliers, Yoendrys Gómez again Andrew Morrispitch at least 20 innings with an ERA under 4.00. The 35-year-old Nance has thrown just 159 innings in MLB, but that’s more than anyone in the Minnesota bullpen right now, save another 35-year-old. Taylor Rogershaving the worst season of his career. Nance isn’t a blockbuster buy, but there’s no denying that he makes this team instantly better.
Although they are fighting each other, the twins have been hitting the charts recently. Many thought they could be sellers before the deadline — and they may be — but they’re only two games back of the White Sox and Guardians in the AL Central right now, and only one game back of the third Wild Card spot. By making trades early, it it seems like they’re trying to position themselves to justify a very significant purchase a few weeks from now. They also hedge their bets a bit by returning the international bonus pool area. In a worst-case scenario, they could always try to move Nance closer to the deadline, and the bonus pool money would help offset Sprock’s losses.
Sprock is not a highly regarded prospect, but his arrow is pointing high. FanGraphs recently ranked him No. 31 in the Twins’ system, giving him a 40 Future Value grade. The 21-year-old is still new to the ball, but he fits the bill well. And while serving as the starting backup catcher, he’s been tearing through cover in the ball at Single-A. In 65 games for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels this season, Sprock hit .306 with a 144 wRC+, earning Florida State League Player of the Month honors for June and a promotion to High-A.
As for the Blue Jays, this isn’t necessarily an indication that they’re ready to throw in the towel. With their disappointing season, they are only 1.5 games back of the Twins and 2.5 back of the Wild Card. Nance has been good for Toronto, but his batting average is the lowest of anyone on the bench. Only once this year has he entered a game in what FanGraphs defines as a high-level spot. It looks like manager John Schneider doesn’t trust Nance with the game on the line.
Nance is just not at the bottom of the bullpen depth chart. You’ve run out of options. That means if the Blue Jays add a reliever or two before the deadline, there’s little chance they’ll part ways with Nance anyway — and probably a much smaller return than Sprock (if there’s a return). Louis Varland, Tyler Rogers, Jeff Hoffman, Mason Fluhartyagain Braydon Fisher there are locks on the back end of the Toronto arm bar, too Patrick Corbin it’s inning-eating depth. Spencer Miles he will also need a place if he is healthy Max Scherzer relegated him to the traditional helping role, as desired I’m Garcia if he ever comes back from IL himself. That doesn’t leave much room.
Ball injuries have hit the Blue Jays hard this season, especially in their offense. They are a perfect example of the age-old lesson that there is no such thing as too much depth. So, it’s possible they’ll regret trading a healthy, active shortstop to a Wild Card contender. However, it is not difficult to see their logic. They turned a lowly traveler into a promising young fisherman. If they continued to lose, what they did was to start their sales early. If they switch things up, it won’t be long before they buy a more reliable release.
