The New York Mets fire sale may have just begun with a late-night trade with the Minnesota Twins.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote (late on July 30):
“Trade news: The Minnesota Twins are acquiring left-handed reliever A.J. Minter from the New York Mets, sources tell ESPN.”
“The Mets’ selling starts with one of the top relievers on the market. There will be many more Mets deals to come before Aug. 3.”
The Mets’ selling starts with one of the top relievers on the market. There will be many more Mets deals to come before Aug. 3.
The Mets are expected to make several trades over the next few days, and this is the first big one. As for the Minnesota Twins, they are expected to be buyers, and with their need for bullpen help, acquiring AJ Minter is certainly a step in the right direction.
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GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 27: A.J. Minter #33 of the New York Mets throws a pitch in the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on June 27, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images)
AJ Minter’s time in Queens, New York is no longer.
The 32-year-old southpaw reliever is headed to the Twin Cities, and he will now help the Twins in their MLB playoff push. As of July 31, Minnesota is just 1.0 game back of the final AL Wild Card spot. They picked up an extremely improbable win on Thursday evening when Kody Clemens hit a walk-off grand slam (down 3-0) to defeat the Royals.
Minter, 32, has pitched 23 innings this season and carries an ERA of 2.35 with a WHIP of exactly 1.000. He’s walked just two batters and has recorded 20 strikeouts.
Per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, the Mets are acquiring Bruin Agbayani + Billy Amick in the deal.
Here’s what the club has to offer in terms of top prospects: t.co/k6ROeojb3C
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Looking at AJ Minter’s Time with the Mets/MLB Career
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 27: Francisco Alvarez #4 of the New York Mets talks with A.J. Minter #33 after the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on June 27, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images)
AJ Minter had been playing on a two-year, $22 million contract, and the Minnesota Twins will pick up the remaining cash on that deal.
As for his tenure in New York, AJ Minter pitched a total of 34 innings over two years with the Mets after spending the first 8 seasons of his career with the Atlanta Braves.
He posted a 2.12 ERA over those 34 innings in New York, but he was expected to at least pitch a lot more than he did, as the past two seasons have been filled with injuries for Minter.
As for his MLB career, the 10-year MLB vet Minter holds a lifetime ERA of 3.18 across 382.2 total innings as a primary reliever.
It’s a good pickup for the Twins, who acquire a leverage left-handed reliever. For the Mets, time will tell how those two prospects pan out, but for now, it feels like the Mets are going to acquire a boatload of prospect capital if they play their cards right over the next few days.
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