Minnesota Twins Shift Into Trade Mode

The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired switch-hitting infielder Eduardo Escobar from the Minnesota Twins on Friday for minor league right-hander Jhoan Duran and outfielders Gabriel Maciel and Ernie De La Trinidad.

The 29-year-old Escobar hit .274 with 15 home runs, 63 RBIs and a major league-best 37 doubles in 97 games this season, his seventh with the Twins. From Venezuela, Escobar has played third base, shortstop and second base this season. In eight seasons in the majors with the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota, he has a .256 average with 63 homers and 287 RBIs.

Twins star Joe Mauer said it was tough having Escobar leave.

"He's a big part of this team on the field, in the clubhouse and in the community. It's kind of a punch in the gut right now. There are a lot of guys hurting right now," Mauer said. "Esky means a lot to a lot of guys in that clubhouse. It's tough to see him go."

The 20-year-old Duran made 15 starts this season for Kane County in the Class-A Midwest League, going 5-4 with a 4.73 ERA. The 6-foot-5, 175-pounder is from the Dominican Republic.

Maciel, 19, is from Brazil. In 68 games for Kane County this year, he hit .287 with 10 doubles, one home run, 16 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.

The 22-year-old Trinidad hit .311 with eight homers and 56 RBIs in 91 games this season for Kane County. He played at UNLV.

Minnesota later sent right-handed reliever Ryan Pressly to Houston for minor league right-hander Jorge Alcala and outfielder Gilberto Celestino.

The 29-year-old Pressley is 1-1 with a 3.40 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 51 appearances this season. He adds depth in the bullpen to a team that sent closer Ken Giles to the minors earlier this month after he struggled most of the season.

Pressly, who is from Dallas, said the trade was bittersweet.

"It's tough. A lot of friends here, a lot of great guys in this clubhouse," he said. "It's tough to say goodbye to everybody, but it's a business, I get it. So I get to go back home, that's the good part. I'm excited to go down there and help that team win, so I'm pretty excited."

Alcala was 3-7 with a 3.29 ERA in 19 games between Double-A Corpus and Class-A Advanced Buies Creek this season.

The 19-year-old Celestino hit .299 with four homers and 21 RBIs combined between Corpus Christi and Class-A Tri-City.