Danny Santana Traded to Braves; Twins Acquire Kevin Chapman and Cash

The MLB trade deadline isn't until July 31, but that didn't stop the Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves from making a deal Monday. 

According to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, the Twins traded outfielder Danny Santana to the Braves in exchange for left-handed pitcher Kevin Chapman. MLB Roster Moves confirmed the deal and noted the Braves sent the Twins cash in addition to Chapman.

Kyle Glaser of Baseball America pointed out Santana was designated for assignment Friday before this move.

Santana appeared well on his way to becoming an impact player as a rookie in 2014 when he slashed .319/.353/.472 with seven home runs and 20 stolen bases in 101 games. However, he hasn't made the same impact since:

Season	Games	Slash	Home Runs	RBI	Steals
2014	101	.319/.353/.472	7	40	20
2015	91	.215/.241/.291	0	21	8
2016	75	.240/.279/.326	2	14	12
2017	13	.200/.231/.360	1	1	1

According to Fangraphs, he played second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield positions last year for the Twins. He possesses incredible versatility as a potential bench piece and is still just 26 years old with the successful rookie season as a reason for optimism for the last-place Braves.

As for Chapman, Bollinger called him a "hard throwing reliever with control issues."

The southpaw hasn't pitched at the major league level this season but appeared in parts of four seasons for the Houston Astros. Chapman struggled mightily last year with a 9.00 ERA in six appearances and sports a career ERA of 4.09 with 48 strikeouts to 31 walks.

However, like Santana, he showed sparks as a rookie with a 1.77 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 25 appearances in 2013.

The Twins are 15-14 and in second place in the American League Central but are a mere 24th in the league in bullpen ERA as of Monday, per ESPN.com. Chapman gives them another arm as they attempt to improve one of their weaknesses.