CLEVELAND -- Twins backup catcher Bobby Wilson, who is currently on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained right ankle, was traded to the Cubs on Thursday for fellow catcher Chris Gimenez and a player to be named or cash considerations. Gimenez, who was at Triple-A Iowa, played for the Twins last year and will be added to the roster as a September callup.
Wilson, on the DL since Aug. 23 after spraining his ankle after stepping on a bat, is close to making a return, as he caught a bullpen session and threw on Wednesday. Wilson, 35, hit .178/.242/.281 with two homers, eight doubles and 16 RBIs in 47 games with Minnesota. He was traded before Friday's deadline to be eligible to be on a postseason roster.
"This was a unique opportunity," Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey said. "To be blunt about it, Bobby had cleared trade waivers and Cubs had reached out. Once there was a potential opportunity for him to pursue a playoff run down the stretch, something we wanted to chat with him about a little bit, and for who he is and what he means to the guys in the clubhouse and his experiences and where he's at, we felt we could afford him that opportunity."
Wilson, a nine-year veteran, said he enjoyed his time in Minnesota but was excited to join a contender.

"The opportunity to win a world championship in my baseball career, that's kind of the last thing that's on the bucket list," Wilson said. "To be able to do that with the Cubs, it's special. I'm so grateful for everything the Minnesota Twins have done for me. The people here are second to none."
Twins manager Paul Molitor also said before Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Indians that Wilson was making better progress than expected with his ankle.
"We're farther along in terms of things he's able to do," Molitor said. "The weight bearing came back fairly quickly, and he caught a bullpen yesterday, although it was kind of on one and a half legs and did some throwing, too. I think he's progressing probably a little better than expected from the beginning."
With Wilson now out of the mix down the stretch, the Twins will lean on rookies Mitch Garver and Willians Astudillo behind the plate, and Gimenez is expected to be brought up to help them develop. Gimenez, 35, hit .143 in 12 games with the Cubs and was batting .204 at Triple-A.
"I think about what Bobby is and what he's meant in this clubhouse, and I remember having a lot of conversations last year about what Chris was and what Chris meant to this clubhouse," Falvey said. " I see why they're viewed similarly in many ways. They have different skills, they're very different guys, but it was an opportunity for us to get back someone with familiarity and perhaps some leadership in the clubhouse for them in September."