Report: Twins showing interest in Jaime Garcia

Ervin Santana's finger injury has created a sudden hole in the Minnesota Twins' rotation, and they may be looking to a somewhat familiar face for help filling that void.

Minnesota is reportedly showing interest in free-agent left-hander Jaime Garcia, sources told Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press.

Twins fans might remember Garcia from his very brief stint with the organization last season. When the Twins were surprisingly holding onto a playoff spot on July 24, they acquired the 31-year-old from the Atlanta Braves as part of a three-player deal.

But Garcia's tenure in Minnesota would last all of 6 2/3 innings. Though he won his first (and as it turned out, his only) start with the Twins, he was surprisingly flipped to the New York Yankees on July 30 for prospects Zack Littell and Dietrich Enns.

Garcia ended up making eight starts for the Yankees down the stretch, and his best performance in pinstripes would haunt his former team. In a critical start against the Twins at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 18, he struck out nine and allowed just one unearned run in 5 2/3 innings. That helped ensure the Yankees hosted the AL wild-card game, where they would again defeat Minnesota.

All told, Garcia posted a 4.41 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and struck out 129 while walking 64 across 27 starts split between the Braves, Twins, and Yankees last season. His three-team odyssey also earned him a rather odd place in baseball history as the first pitcher in 122 years to make three straight starts with three different teams in the same season.

Garcia owns a career 3.69 ERA and 852 strikeouts across nine big-league seasons with four teams. He won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011.