The Twins have shown interest in free agent righthander and former closer Neftali Feliz, according to a source with knowledge of their interest.
Feliz, just 27, posted a 4.58 ERA in 18 games with the Rangers before being designated for assignment July 3. He cleared waivers but, as a player with at least five seasons of service time, rejected an outright assignment to the minors to become a free agent.
Feliz broke into the majors throwing fastballs of 100 miles-per-hour. He was the Rangers closer for their World Series years of 2010 and 2011 and was an All-Star in 2010. He doesn't reach 100 anymore but his fastball averaged 93.8 mph this season, according to fangraphs.com. He had Tommy John surgery in 2012 and returned late in 2013.
The Twins are looking for bullpen help, and Feliz could help them in the sixth and seventh innings. They will likely take a look at Feliz's medicals before proceeding, A handful of other clubs also have expressed interest in Feliz.
After the game, there were rumblings that Feliz was going to land with the Tigers. There have been no other reports on this, so we will see.
Now for some quick thoughts following a wild night at Target.
I was stunned to see Eddie Rosario steal second in the ninth. He was initially called out but replays showed he was safe. The Twins dodged a bullet. Twins manager Paul Molitor took some of blame for how he communicated to Rosario. Rosario was not behind held at first, so he had the option of getting a walking lead and taking off for second if Soria picked up his leg. Soria did, but Rosario didn't get as big of a lead as he should have, making the play much closer than it should have been.
Ervin Santana gave up a solo home run, a two-run homer and a three-run shot over four innings in his Target Field debut. "You make a mistake against that team, they've got a lot of power," he said. Santana just wasn't sharp. His home run balls caught too much of the plate and his slider lacked bite.
