Minnesota made its first real move of trade season on Friday, acquiring right-hander Tommy Nance from the Blue Jays. It's not a blockbuster, but it's a signal — the Twins are telling the league they intend to buy, not sell, as the deadline approaches.
Twins Acquire Tommy Nance From Blue Jays t.co/SRhgef5NbI
Jon Heyman framed it plainly: the Twins are bulking up the bullpen because they're looking to buy at the moment, with Alden Gonzalez first on the report.
Twins acquire Tommy Nance, RHP, from Jays to bulk up bullpen. Twins obviously are looking to buy at moment. @Alden_Gonzalez 1st
The need is obvious once you look at the numbers. Minnesota's bullpen has been the club's biggest sore spot all year, sitting last in the majors with a 5.28 ERA. Nance, 35, gives them a veteran arm who can miss bats — he's posted a 3.82 ERA with 34 strikeouts and 13 walks over 33 innings in 2026, and was even better in Toronto a year ago, running a 1.99 ERA over 32 innings. He works off a 94-95 mph fastball paired with a curveball and slider, and he's bounced around before, having pitched for the Cubs and Marlins earlier in his career.
To get him, the Twins sent 21-year-old prospect Ryan Sprock to Toronto, along with international bonus pool money going back to Minnesota. Sprock, an eighth-round pick in the 2025 draft, has been hitting well between Class-A Fort Myers and High-A Cedar Rapids this year — a real prospect, but a reasonable price for a reliever performing at this level with the deadline looming.
The #Twins landed a bullpen arm from the #BlueJays t.co/uvpVfIUb81
None of this is a franchise-altering trade on its own. But it's early money on a thesis: Minnesota still believes in this roster and doesn't want a leaky bullpen to sink a season that's still very much alive. If Nance pitches anything like he did in Toronto, this is exactly the kind of low-cost, high-value move contenders make in July before the bigger names start moving.