According to the New York Times and ESPN, the Mets pulled off a late-night trade on July 30, sending A.J. Minter to the Twins. Minnesota gets a veteran reliever to bolster a team looking to make it back to the playoffs. As for the Mets, New York received two prospects, Billy Amick and Bruin Agbayani.

The Twins’ Return

• RP A.J. Minter (2.35 ERA, 20 K over 23 IP)

When the Mets signed lefty A.J. Minter back in January 2025, the club added a proverbial thorn in their side to help them this time around. However, the Mets weren’t able to make the most out of the veteran left-hander.

Minter, a backbone in the Braves’ bullpen for years, had to have season-ending lat surgery in May 2025, a little over a month after the start of the year. The club didn’t get Minter back at the MLB level until May of this year, right when the team faded out of the playoff race. But overall, things haven’t gone poorly at all for the lefty.

While Minter was charged with at least one earned run in three of his final six outings with the club, he posted a sub-3.00 ERA and was one of the club’s big matchup lefties alongside Brooks Raley. Minter, though, has an arsenal well-suited for right-handers, thanks to his changeup and signature cutter.

His fastball was up to 95 MPH with the Mets.

The Mets’ Return

• CI Billy Amick (.217/.338/.482, 23 HR & 37 XBH over 86 GP (AA))
• INF Bruin Agbayani (.268/.412/.341, three XBH over 10 GP (A))

The Twins drafted Billy Amick in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft, weeks after Amick helped Tennessee win the 2024 College World Series. The now-23-year-old batted .413 with Clemson in 2023, then batted .306 with 23 home runs for the Vols one year later.

Amick missed almost two months last year with an oblique strain, then had to be placed back on the injured list in August. Overall, he played in just 59 contests in the Minors over the course of 2025.

He’s spent all of 2025 with Wichita to this point. Big power stroke, and a heavy fly-ball tendency from Amick. That is the calling card for the 23-year-old, although the question is how much contact can he make. Just in the last month, Amick had a 35% Whiff% with the Wind Surge.

Defensively, the Twins had Amick play between first and third this season.

The other piece in the deal was Bruin Agbayani, who was a sixth-round pick by the Twins in 2025. Major League teams love bloodlines, and Agbayani, a top high school player from Hawaii, checks that box. Mets fans should know that last name very well, as his father, Benny Agbayani, was a key piece of the 1999 and 2000 teams.

His father, known as the “Hawaiian Punch,” had some pop during his Major League career. Bruin is a strong kid at 6’2” and showcased a good arm during the high school showcase. The only question, right now, is what kind of player he will exactly develop into.

Agbayani has missed most of 2026 due to injury. He only has 74 plate appearances to his name thus far as a pro.

Analysis

After the Twins’ theatrical win over the Kansas City Royals, Minnesota is just one game behind the Cleveland Guardians in the MLB playoff race. And in a year where things are so condensed, why not make it a shot?

It’s quite the difference for the Twins, who last year enacted a fire sale that saw Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, and Louis Varland all get traded out of Minnesota. Now, those moves, not counting the Jax one, made some modicum of sense. The Twins weren’t in it, needed to accumulate assets, and sold off valuable pieces to get more assets.

However, now that the Twins are competitive once more, bullpen help is a must.

The club has made do with what was available, as Yoendrys Gomez has come in and helped as a high-leverage arm. Just a few weeks earlier, the Twins picked up Tommy Nance from the Blue Jays.

If the move works out, the Twins will hope that Minter, who has the arsenal to handle both lefties and righties, can become that needed southpaw where Taylor Rogers has an ERA over 5.00.

As for the Mets, it likely won’t be the last move. The club has many free agents-to-be, and it offers an opportunity to recoup some assets. The return did yield two players with upside, between the pop of Amick and the tools of Agbayani.

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