4:15pm: Both clubs have now announced the trade. The Twins transferred right-hander Mick Abel to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot. He first landed on the 15-day IL April 17, so he has already been out more than 60 days. That makes him eligible for reinstatement at any time. He underwent arthroscopic surgery last month and still doesn’t have a clear timeline.
1:52pm: The Twins have acquired right-hander Tommy Nance from the Blue Jays, per reporting from Alden González and Jeff Passan of ESPN. The Blue Jays are receiving minor leaguer Ryan Sprock in return, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. Minnesota also receives international bonus pool space, per González. The Twins will need to make corresponding moves to free up space for Nance on their active and 40-man rosters.
The Blue Jays acquired Nance from the Padres in August 2024. The righty proved to be a surprisingly valuable bullpen arm in the second half of their pennant-winning 2025 season, pitching to a 1.99 ERA in 30 appearances. He was mostly limited to a low-leverage role, and he only threw 1 1/3 innings in Toronto’s postseason run, suggesting the team never quite believed his success was sustainable. Yet, to Nance’s credit, his underlying numbers were nearly as impressive as his sub-2.00 ERA. He struck out more than one-quarter of his opponents, generated grounders on more than half the balls they put in play, and never let a pitch leave the yard. Best of all, he had so much success getting hitters to swing at pitches outside the zone that he only walked seven of the 126 batters he faced (5.6%).
Toronto continued using Nance in a low-leverage role in 2026, and he continued to succeed, albeit to a lesser degree. His chase rate is still elite, but his walk rate has climbed, and his opponents have had better luck putting the ball in the air. Through 33 innings, he owns a 3.82 ERA and 3.57 SIERA.
The Twins rank last in MLB with a 5.28 bullpen ERA. Only two of their relievers, Yoendrys Gómez and Andrew Morris, have thrown at least 20 innings with an ERA under 4.00. The 35-year-old Nance has only thrown 159 MLB innings, but that’s more than anyone in Minnesota’s bullpen right now, save for fellow 35-year-old Taylor Rogers, who is having the worst season of his career. Nance is hardly a blockbuster acquisition, but there’s no denying he makes this team better right away.
Despite their bullpen struggles, the Twins have been hot lately. Many thought they would be sellers ahead of the deadline – and they still could be – but they’re only two games back of the White Sox and the Guardians in the AL Central right now, and only one game back of the third Wild Card spot. By making a relatively early trade, it seems like they’re trying to put themselves in a position to justify more significant buying a few weeks from now. They’re also hedging their bets a bit by bringing back some international bonus pool space. In a worst-case scenario, they can always try to flip Nance closer to the deadline, and the bonus pool money will help make up for the loss of Sprock.
Sprock is not a highly-regarded prospect, but his arrow is pointing up. FanGraphs recently ranked him No. 31 in the Twins’ system, giving him a 40 Future Value grade. The 21-year-old is relatively new to catching, but he’s taking to the position well. And while he projects as a glove-first backup catcher, he’s been tearing the cover off the ball at Single-A. In 65 games for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels this season, Sprock hit .306 with a 144 wRC+, earning Florida State League Player of the Month honors for June and a promotion to High-A.
As for the Blue Jays, this isn’t necessarily an indication that they’re ready to throw in the towel. As disappointing as their season has been, they’re only 1.5 games behind the Twins and 2.5 back of a Wild Card berth. Nance has been good for Toronto, but his average leverage index when entering games is the lowest of anyone currently on the roster. Only once this year has he come into a game in what FanGraphs defines as a high-leverage spot. It sure seems like manager John Schneider doesn’t trust Nance with a game on the line.
Nance isn’t just on the bottom of the bullpen depth chart. He’s also out of options. That means that if the Blue Jays add a reliever or two before the deadline, there’s no small chance they’d have to part with Nance anyway – and possibly for a much lesser return than Sprock (if any return at all). Louis Varland, Tyler Rogers, Jeff Hoffman, Mason Fluharty, and Braydon Fisher are locks at the back end of Toronto’s arm barn, and Patrick Corbin is valuable inning-eating depth. Spencer Miles will also need a spot if a healthy Max Scherzer pushes him back into a more traditional relief role, as will Yimi GarcÃa if he ever returns from the IL himself. That doesn’t leave much room.
Pitching injuries have hit the Blue Jays hard this season, particularly in their rotation. They’re a perfect example of the age-old lesson that there’s no such thing as too much pitching depth. So, it’s certainly possible they’ll come to regret trading a healthy, effective reliever to a Wild Card competitor. Nevertheless, it isn’t hard to see their logic. They turned a low-leverage journeyman into a promising young catcher. If they keep losing, all they did was start their selling early. If they turn things around, it won’t be long before they’re shopping for a more trustworthy reliever.