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SEATTLE — He’d seen his name mentioned vaguely in trade rumors, but Saturday morning, Trevor Larnach woke up to a detailed report featuring his name in a failed trade.
“It was a first for me,” the Minnesota Twins outfielder said after a 4-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Saturday afternoon, a contest in which Larnach homered and walked.
Widely believed to be available on the trade market as the Twins attempt to shore up their bullpen before Monday’s deadline, Larnach was reportedly traded Friday to the Houston Astros for reliever Bryan Abreu before Houston owner Jim Crane vetoed the deal at the last minute.
One person with detailed knowledge of the Twins’ deadline activities said Friday that a nearly completed trade fell apart late in the process but didn’t offer specifics about which players or team was involved. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely discuss ongoing deliberations.
Between Thursday and Friday, the Twins completed two trades for pitchers, and the team is still pursuing another relief pitcher.
Trevor launched!!! pic.twitter.com/WtM3lEshk4
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 1, 2026
Still, Saturday’s report via social media immediately tested the strength of the relationship between first-year manager Derek Shelton and Larnach. Though he understands anything is possible at this time of the season, Larnach was surprised to learn after the fact he’d nearly been traded. While Shelton never mentioned Larnach’s name directly when addressing reporters, he acknowledged having a candid and open discussion with one of his players.
“(You) have a conversation and tell people that you understand things get speculated and things get thrown around,” Shelton said. “But very candidly. Don’t hide behind things that are reported. … This is the first time I’ve ever dealt with something that specific.”
The team’s best-performing leadoff hitter, and one of the group’s most consistent hitters this season, Larnach said he appreciated Shelton’s message. Shelton reminded Larnach how vital he is to the Twins while both parties acknowledged the business end of baseball means anything can happen during the trade deadline.
“It’s definitely not ordinary,” Larnach said. “I don’t take it into the field at all. I don’t take it personal. But at the end of the day, there’s a lot of noise outside the field that I try to stay away from the media and just let whatever happens take its place.”
With the Twins’ excess of left-handed outfielders on the 40-man roster and at Triple A, Larnach’s been on alert since the offseason that the team might look to trade him. Recognizing those decisions are out of his control, Larnach repeatedly said he’s doing all he can to drown out the noise and stay focused on the field.
“It’s like, what are you going to do?” Larnach said.
Instead of worrying about it, Larnach’s worked through the noise and is putting together the best season of his career. After he reached base twice in four trips Saturday, Larnach is hitting .284/.373/.450 with nine home runs and 39 RBIs.
His sixth-inning homer Saturday got the Twins back within a run in a contest they tied before falling in the bottom of the ninth inning.
“He’s the ultimate competitor,” teammate Royce Lewis said. “He doesn’t let anything affect him. He’s locked in on playing the game, helping us win right now. He’ll do that no matter where he’s at. I’m happy he’s still here.”
Late decision costs Twins
A split-second decision by Lewis on an unfamiliar play hastened the end of Saturday’s game. With runners on the corners, one out and the Twins employing a five-man infield in the ninth inning, the Twins first baseman cleanly grabbed a hard grounder off Cal Raleigh’s bat and tagged first base. But before he decided where to go with the ball next, Lewis hesitated and threw home late. That allowed Randy Arozarena to score the winning run.
As he reviewed the play moments later, Lewis recognized he needed to immediately throw the ball to second base or to home, rather than tagging first base, even though he fielded the ball a step away from the bag.
“The ball took me to the left, so instincts were to touch the bag,” Lewis said. “In that split second, I realized if I throw to second and Julio (Rodríguez) stops halfway, which is the best base-running play you can make in that situation, Randy would score before. Obviously, I was already turning that way, so I looked to second, and I realized, ‘No, I have to go home.’ I threw home, and I still thought we had a play. … I think we win if that play is made, so I was really bummed out, obviously.”
Saturday was the 39th time Lewis has played first base, a position the Twins switched him to in June. Primarily a third baseman throughout his career, Lewis is adapting well to the new position but still experiences the occasional hiccup.
“It’s got to be one of those that goes to second,” Shelton said. “We’ve got to get the force (play) first. One of the reasons we walked Julio there was we thought we had a chance to double up Cal if he put the ball on the ground. And we just were not able to finish the play.”
