Josh Donaldson’s recent comments about his time with the Twins have reopened an old, messy question for Minnesota: how do you keep players from losing faith in the bullpen decisions made around them?
On the Oct. 7 episode of Get It Done League, Donaldson described being frustrated by a late-inning call that sent in an unfamiliar left-hander during his second season with Minnesota. His gripe centered on a handedness matchup he did not trust, and his account made clear how that moment felt from his side of the dugout.
But feeling and evaluation are not the same thing. Donaldson’s story explains his reaction, not whether the move itself was the wrong one. To answer that, the Twins would need more than a memory and a bad taste.
Minnesota’s 2021 relief corps gives some of the backdrop. According to Twinkie Town’s review of that season, the Twins’ relievers finished 20th in MLB with a 4.39 ERA and 21st in FIP. Those numbers point to a bullpen that had real run-prevention issues, but they do not prove that the specific pitching change Donaldson had in mind was flawed.
The anecdote also leaves out key details. Donaldson did not identify the pitcher or the game.
A real review would need the full cast of available relievers, who had been used recently, and what each arm actually offered in that spot. Just knowing a pitcher was familiar would not settle the debate.
That’s the tricky part for any manager. A move can make perfect sense and still blow up.
Another can look questionable and work anyway. You cannot judge the process just by the final result, or by how uncomfortable the decision felt in the moment.
Donaldson’s view still matters because trust is part of the job. Players have to buy into the choices being made around them. Coaches, in turn, need to be able to explain why a reliever got the call and what gave him a chance to succeed.
That gets a lot harder when the bullpen itself keeps undercutting the logic. If the available options do not inspire confidence, the front office is part of the problem too.
Minnesota’s decision to hire Brian Reith gives the club a chance to reset some of that. Derek Shelton and his staff need to match each reliever with a role that actually fits what he can do.
The group also needs better arms. As On SI’s offseason analysis noted, the Twins finished 2026 with a 4.74 bullpen ERA, which ranked 26th. A new pitching coach alone cannot fix that kind of mess.
The Twins need more strike throwing, better secondary pitches and enough depth so the same few relievers are not constantly asked to survive the ugliest innings. And that has to come with workload management, not just fresh faces.
Reith’s staff should also be clear about how roles change when a pitcher is tired or struggling. Players are far more likely to accept an unexpected move when the reasoning has been laid out in advance.
Donaldson’s remarks do not prove that analytics created Minnesota’s bullpen problems. They do show what happens when players stop believing the next pitching change is actually going to help.
For the Twins, the answer is straightforward enough: build a better relief staff, communicate better, and leave room for decisions to be judged on evidence instead of resentment.
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