Expos Trade Reardon, Get Heaton in 6-Player Deal With Twins

Jeff Reardon, top relief pitcher for the Montreal Expos, was traded Tuesday to the Minnesota Twins for pitcher Neal Heaton, catcher Jeff Reed and two minor league pitchers.

The Twins also received catcher Tom Nieto. The minor leaguers going to Montreal are Al Cardwood and Yorkis Perez.

“Reardon had more saves than our whole ballclub last year,” Twin Manager Tom Kelly said. “He’s the guy we’re definitely looking for to win some of these games.”

Signing a premier reliever was Minnesota’s top priority. The Twins lost 26 games last season in which they were leading or tied in the seventh inning. Reardon, 31, was second in the National League in saves with 35, 11 more than the entire Twin staff. He was 7-9 and posted a 3.96 earned-run average. In 1985, he had 41 saves.

Reardon is the only major leaguer to reach at least 20 saves in each of the last five seasons. His contract, which will pay him $800,000 this year, expires at the end of the 1987 season, but the Twins will have an option to keep him.