Mets Trade A.J. Minter to Twins as MLB Deadline Sell-Off Begins

The Minnesota Twins made their first significant strike of the 2026 Trade Deadline late Thursday, acquiring left-handed reliever A.J. Minter from the New York Mets in exchange for infield prospects Bruin Agbayani and Billy Amick. The move signals the Mets are officially in sell mode, while the Twins double down on a surprising playoff push that hinges on fixing one of baseball’s worst bullpens.

Minter, 32, signed a two-year, $22 million deal with the Mets ahead of the 2025 season but was limited by a lat injury that cost him most of that first year in Queens. He rebounded in 2026, posting a 2.35 ERA with 20 strikeouts across 23 innings before New York shopped him as an impending free agent. The southpaw brings a track record of high-leverage relief work from his years in Atlanta, making him an immediate upgrade for a Minnesota bullpen desperate for stability.

What the Twins Are Getting — and Giving Up

Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll had made no secret that bullpen help was the club’s top priority heading into deadline week, and this trade delivers a proven left-handed arm without requiring Minnesota to touch its top-tier farm system. Twins relievers entered the week with a 5.03 ERA, among the worst marks in the majors, and the front office had already added right-hander Tommy Nance from Toronto earlier this month in an effort to patch the late innings. Minter slots in as a clear step up in that group.

To land him, Minnesota parted with Amick, a 23-year-old third baseman who mashed 23 home runs in 86 games at Double-A Wichita this season despite a .217 average, and Agbayani, a 19-year-old shortstop who carries a notable bloodline — his father, Benny Agbayani, was a fan favorite outfielder for the Mets in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The younger Agbayani, a sixth-round pick in 2025, gives Mets fans an easy attachment point to a rebuild that’s just getting started. Bettors watching Minnesota’s odds shift as the bullpen strengthens can track the latest lines on the MLB odds page as the postseason picture sharpens.

A Mets Selloff Just Getting Started

New York entered the day at 41-57, comfortably out of contention, and the Minter deal is expected to be the opening move in a broader teardown before Monday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline. Team president David Stearns has signaled that names like Freddy Peralta, Clay Holmes, Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley and Luis Robert Jr. are all realistic trade candidates in the coming days, while Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor and the club’s core of young players remain off the table. Left-hander Brooks Raley, like Minter a pending free agent, could be the next reliever to move as other contenders scour the thin market for bullpen help.

For the Twins, the calculus is straightforward: Minnesota sits within a game of an American League wild-card spot after last year’s deadline saw the club ship out nearly its entire bullpen. Reversing course to buy — rather than sell again — reflects genuine belief in a roster that has overperformed expectations. Zoll has already indicated the club could pursue additional bullpen help or even a rotation piece before Monday’s deadline passes, meaning Minter likely won’t be the last new face in a Twins uniform this week. If Minnesota’s late-game issues persist even after the addition, expect Zoll to keep working the phones — and for a franchise chasing its first postseason berth since 2023, every incremental upgrade between now and August 3 carries real playoff weight.