Twins acquire pitching prospect Gilmartin from Braves
Doumit sent to Atlanta for lefty, who was first-round pick in 2011 Draft
The Twins on Wednesday acquired left-handed pitching prospect Sean Gilmartin from the Braves in exchange for catcher Ryan Doumit.
Prospects acquired by Twins
- Sean Gilmartin, lhp: The Braves saw Gilmartin as an advanced college left-hander who would quickly move through the Minor Leagues when they selected him with the 28th-overall pick of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft. He did that, reaching Triple-A Gwinnett in 2012, but a bout of shoulder tendinitis slowed his progress in 2013. A year after leading the Southern League with a 1.15 WHIP, he posted a 5.78 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP in 91 innings at Gwinnett. When he's healthy, Gilmartin pounds the zone and creates a good number of ground balls. His fastball sits around 90 mph and he has a good changeup. He is athletic and repeats his classic, smooth left-handed delivery well. Despite his recent struggles, Gilmartin profiles as a back-of-the-rotation starter and could soon get that chance in Minnesota.
-- Teddy Cahill
Twins general manager Terry Ryan and Braves general manager Frank Wren had discussed a potential trade involving Doumit at last week's Winter Meetings, and that culminated in Wednesday's deal.
In Gilmartin, the Twins get a former first-round pick who spent most of 2013 pitching for Triple-A Gwinnett. The 28th-overall selection in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, Gilmartin went 3-8 with a 5.74 ERA in 17 starts this past season with Gwinnett.
Though Gilmartin had yet to live up to the expectations that come with being a first-round selection, the Braves' willingness to move the southpaw seemingly had as much to do with their organizational pitching depth than anything else.
The 23-year-old lefty went 12-20 overall with a 4.23 ERA in 54 professional appearances in Atlanta's farm system.
As for Doumit, the versatile 32-year-old departs Minnesota after spending two seasons with the Twins. He hit .261 with 32 home runs and 130 RBIs during that time, including .247 with 14 homers and 55 RBIs this past season.