CHICAGO _ The Twins on Saturday swung a deal with the Miami Marlins for veteran right-hander Sergio Romo in exchange for minor league first baseman Lewin Diaz.
The Twins also will receive right-hander Chris Vallimont and a player to be named later in the deal.
Romo, 36, has been an effective reliever for many years, rising to fame as a setup man for Brian Wilson when he was with the San Francisco Giants. This is Romo's first season with the Marlins after spending all of last season with Tampa Bay and splitting 2017 with the Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers. The deal was set to become official following Saturday night's game against the Chicago White Sox.
In 38 games for the Marlins this season, Romo is 2-0 with a 3.58 ERA. In 37 2/3 innings, Romo has walked 13 and struck out 33. His strikeout ratio of 7.9 per nine innings is a career low, but Romo has avoided hard contact thanks to a slider-change-up combination. His average fastball is 86.5 miles per hour.
Romo has 17 saves for the Marlins and 42 over the past two seasons.
He will join a bullpen mix that the Twins have altered in recent weeks by designating for assignment Aldaberto Mejia, Matt Magill, Mike Morin and Blake Parker. Left-hander Taylor Rogers is expected to get most of the save opportunities while Romo helps out as setup man, but there could be times when Romo is needed to get the final three outs.
To land Romo, the Twins parted ways with the 22-year-old Diaz, who has impressed this season. He batted .290 with 13 home runs and 36 RBIs at Class A Fort Myers _ the home runs were a career high _ before being promoted to Class AA Pensacola. In 32 games for the Blue Wahoos, Diaz is batting .309 with six homers and 25 RBIs.
Diaz had to be placed on the 40-man roster during the offseason, or the Twins would risk losing him in the Rule 5 draft. He was one of 11 Twins minor leaguers in that category, so it would make sense for the team to reduce that inventory while trading him to a rebuilding team like the Marlins, who can make room for him.
Vallimont, 22, was 4-4 with a 2.99 ERA in 13 starts for Class A Clinton of the Midwest League. As for the player to be named, the Twins will get to choose from a list of prospects in the coming months.
The Twins continue to seek more pitching help before Wednesday's trade deadline. They have shown interest in practically every available starter or reliever on the market.
They have spoken with the Mets about right-hander Noah Syndergaard, but talks haven't progressed. They might have a better shot at landing Toronto right-hander Marcus Stroman, who similarly is the target of several teams.
