OAKLAND, CA – JULY 28: Jaime Garcia #24 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Oakland Athletics in the bottom of the first inning at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on July 28, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

On Monday, the Minnesota Twins acquired veteran starting pitcher Jaime Garcia and catcher Anthony Recker from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for pitching prospect Huascar Ynoa.

The Twins were just one game back in the AL Wild Card race and 2.5 games behind the Indians at the time of the trade. So, even though many evaulators and projection systems were skeptical that the Twins could keep it up, it’s understandable that they wanted to make a move to try to improve their ballclub. The trade didn’t require them giving up a top prospect, and when a team is hanging in the race like that, it’s hard for the front office to not do something. Making a move shows the team that the front office has confidence in their playoff chances (and is rewarding the team for their play), and also tells the fan base that the front office is serious about winning.

After the trade, Twins manager Paul Molitor talked about the morale boost it gave the team (via the Star Tribune):

“It’s an exciting bit of news for us,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “I think our players will be uplifted by it, that our people upstairs are trying to give us a better chance to get to the postseason. … We know [Garcia’s] track record. He certainly knows how to pitch, and it’s a nice addition to our club.”

Well, the Twins’ playoff chances have gone downhill since the trade. The team has lost five of six games, while the Indians have won nine straight games. The Twins (50-52) are now seven games back in the AL Central, and they’re 4.5 games back in a crowded AL Wild Card race (in fifth place for two spots). FanGraphs now gives the Twins just an 8.5% chance to make the playoffs.

And on Saturday night, just five days after the trade, Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan reported that the Twins were “deep into discussions” with the Yankees to send Garcia to New York:

MLB Network’s Jon Morosi confirmed the report:

Morosi adds that the Twins could get Yankees pitching prospect Zack Littell in the deal:

And Littell is viewed as a better prospect than Huascar Ynoa, the player traded to the Braves for Garcia.

So, the Twins may trade Garcia less than a week after acquiring him, and they may end up getting a better prospect from the Yankees than they gave the Braves for Garcia. They would go from buyers making a playoff push, to a team accepting that they’re unlikely to make the playoffs and choosing to sell, all in a matter of days.

This is certainly a unique trade deadline situation, and just one of the many interesting hot stove storylines to follow over the next two days.

UPDATE: Garcia has officially been traded to the Yankees, as the team announced Sunday morning.

Despite acquiring Garcia, the Yankees are also still trying to make a Sonny Gray trade happen.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.