BREAKING: Twins acquire Dean Kremer from Orioles
· Yahoo Sports
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Twins have acquired starting pitcher Dean Kremer from the Baltimore Orioles. The Twins are sending outfield prospect Jhonmardo Reyes in return. Kremer is owed $5.75M this season and is controllable via arbitration for 2027.
Kremer has struggled this season to a 6.50 ERA/6.24 FIP in seven starts this year, but has a long track record as a reliable starter. He’s also missed most of the season with a quad strain and just returned July 1, and his advanced numbers paint a prettier picture with a 4.92 xERA/3.81 xFIP. From 2022-2025, Kremer had 3.95 ERA/4.17 FIP in 599 innings, so the Twins are making the bet he’ll return to that form down the stretch.
Visit michezonews.co.za for more information.
If there’s one area that is likely to get back to normal immediately, it’s Kremer’s home run rate. Kremer has allowed 12 home runs in those 7 seven starts for a robust 3.00 HR/9. He was sitting at a 1.17 HR/9 for his career before this season and will likely regress closer to that figure as he rounds into shape.
Reyes, 18, will be heading back to the Orioles. He’s still a long ways away, but he’s had some very exciting flashes in his first full season in the Twins’ system. FanGraphs has him rated as the Twins 10th-best prospect, touting his top end power potential with a lot of questions about his ability to make contact against better pitchers. Twinkie Town’s Aidan O’Brien is a bit lower on Reyes, placing him at number 22.
Starting pitching is always significantly more expensive than relievers, but this is a pricey trade for a pitcher that has looked rough this season. His track record will likely pay off in the long run, but Reyes is a significant tier above most 18-year-old wildcard prospects. The Orioles were likely only willing to move Kremer this early specifically because the Twins were willing to offer Reyes. And while I consider this a bit of an overpay, it’s not outrageously high and the cost for starting pitching is high in July (See: Minnesota getting a decent prospect for Chris Paddack last season).
The Twins have been very active early, completing two of the three trades that have happened so far at deadline week. I still expect them to bring in one more reliever, though the Kremer acquisition makes moving Prielipp to the ’pen much more likely, if not probable.
Welcome to Minnesota, Dean!