Twins pick up Young in six-player deal

11/28/2007 10:35 PM ET
By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins and Rays completed a blockbuster six-player deal Wednesday night that sent pitcher Matt Garza, shortstop Jason Bartlett and Minor League pitcher Eduardo Morlan to Tampa Bay in exchange for outfielder Delmon Young and two other players.

Young, 22, is considered to be one of the game's up-and-coming hitters. A first-round pick in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft, Young finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting behind Boston's Dustin Pedroia. He played in all 162 games for the Rays in 2007, hitting .288 with 13 home runs and 93 RBIs.

Along with Young, the Twins received shortstop Brendan Harris and outfielder Jason Pridie in the deal.

Harris, 27, hit .286 with 12 homers and 59 RBIs last season and is expected to be a candidate to take over Bartlett's spot at shortstop. Pridie, who can play center field, was a Rule 5 Draft pick for the Twins in December 2005 and spent the following Spring Training with the club. The Twins liked Pridie, but they didn't have enough room on the roster to keep him.

The deal had originally been thought to include right-hander Juan Rincon, but after some holdups in the negotiations, it was changed to include Morlan instead.

A first-round Draft pick by the Twins in 2005, Garza was 5-7 with a 3.69 ERA in 15 starts for Minnesota in 2007. The 24-year-old right-hander has an 8-13 career record with a 4.47 ERA in 26 appearances (24 starts) over the last two seasons.

Bartlett, 22, hit .265 last season with 20 doubles, seven triples and 43 RBIs in a career-high 140 games. Morlan, 21, struck out 92 batters over his 65 2/3 innings at Class A Fort Myers this past season.

This is the first big trade for new Twins general manager Bill Smith, but it's far from the only deal that Smith might be making in the coming weeks. It is expected to be a busy offseason for the rookie GM, who currently is talking to other teams about ace Johan Santana. There have also been rumors that closer Joe Nathan could be shopped this winter as well.

The Twinkies are now without a starting pitcher. I can assure you that this means they're either a) keeping Johan Santana, or b) only going to part with him in exchange for someone who will adequately fill their rotation in April. Brian Cashman--don't even think about looking at Phil Hughes.