The Minnesota Twins had a productive MLB Trade Deadline, netting several prospects despite some of the players they dealt having a negative value. By 3 p.m. CT, the organization had moved on from Nelson Cruz, José Berríos, J.A. Happ and Hansel Robles.

Since Michael Pineda and Andrelton Simmons were on one-year deals, it almost felt guaranteed they’d be traded. They could’ve also dealt Byron Buxton, Kenta Maeda, Josh Donaldson, Miguel Sanó and Max Kepler.

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Twins traded Happ and cash considerations to the St. Louis Cardinals. In exchange, they received Evan Sisk and John Gant.

According to Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic, Robles was traded to the Boston Red Sox for Alex Scherff.

Here’s how the Twins did on these two trades:

Happ:

Twins get: LHP Evan Sisk and RHP John Gant
Cardinals get: J.A. Happ

Minnesota wasn’t going to re-sign Happ at the end of the season. He’s a 38-year-old pitcher, who hasn’t performed well and was on a one-year deal worth $8 million. Instead of designating him for assignment, or keeping him in the starting rotation, Minnesota received two younger pitchers.

Let’s be honest, anyone they could have received in that trade was a win for Minnesota.

Sisk was drafted in the 2018 MLB Draft and was pitching for the Cardinals Double-A team. There, he’s 2-0 and has an ERA of 3.60 in 20.0 innings. Sisk could potentially be a nice option out of the bullpen in a few years.

This season out of the bullpen for the Cardinals, John Gant is 4-6 and has an ERA of 3.42. At 28 years old, he’s played six seasons in the MLB and has an overall record of 23-21 and an ERA of 3.72.

As for the Cardinals, this move doesn’t make sense, but they did have their reasoning:

My man @zachsilver in St. Louis says that the Cardinals just really need healthy innings out of their starting rotation right now, which Happ can give them.

Gant has had all sorts of control issues this year but has a track record of missing barrels.

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) July 30, 2021

Happ is currently 5-6, with an ERA of 6.77 and a WAR of -1.9.

Twins Grade: A+
Cardinals Grade: F

Robles:

Twins get: Alex Scherff
Red Sox get: Hansel Robles

This was a one-for-one trade, but it appears that the Twins came out on top. At the beginning of the season, Robles was playing well. He’s currently 3-4 and has an ERA of 4.91 in 44.0 innings. Each month, his ERA continued to rise:

• April: 4.82
• May: 2.51
• June: 4.09
• July: 9.64

Robles could be a high-leverage situation pitcher with how fast his velocity is, but he’s too inconsistent.

Scherff is a former fifth-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. In Double-A this season, he’s 1-0 and has an ERA of 1.35 in six games. Previously in High-A, he had a record of 2-1 and an ERA of 2.78. Between the two levels, he’s given up one home run and opponents are batting .196 in 29.1 innings.

Robles was on a one-year deal and was likely not re-signing with the Twins next season. Instead, they flipped him for a 23-year-old prospect who could be another bullpen arm in a few years.

Twins Grade: A
Red Sox Grade: C