Yoendrys Gomez gave the Twins a useful stretch in 2026, but the numbers behind it paint a shaky picture for what comes next.
After bouncing through the Yankees, Dodgers, White Sox and Rays since his major league debut in 2023, Gomez finally found some traction in Minnesota. The Twins picked him up in May for cash considerations, and he responded with the best run of his career: a 3.62 ERA and 1.37 WHIP over 49.2 innings in 56 games. He converted 21 of his 23 save opportunities and piled up 1 bWAR while working in plenty of high-leverage spots.
But the full-season profile tells a different story.
Before arriving in Minnesota, Gomez opened 2026 with Tampa Bay after the Rays acquired him in the offseason, along with right-hander Steven Wilson from the White Sox, for outfielder Everson Pereira and infielder Tanner Murray. That stint went badly. In nine games with the Rays, he posted a 6.23 ERA and 1.67 WHIP, hurt by walks and home runs - a problem that has followed him.
Even with the stronger numbers after the trade to Minnesota, the underlying metrics were rough. Across the full season, Gomez finished with a 5.51 xERA and 4.40 FIP.
His walk rate sat at 13.1%, which ranked in the 5th percentile. He also gave up a 43.7% hard-hit rate, placing him in the 10th percentile, and allowed barrels at an 8.4% clip, which ranked in the 33rd percentile.
The batted-ball profile is the other red flag. Gomez produced ground balls just 27.4% of the time, a mark that ranked in the 1st percentile. When a pitcher is giving up that much hard contact and keeping the ball in the air that often, the margin for error gets thin fast.
That’s why the Twins shouldn’t go into the offseason assuming Gomez can handle the same role again in 2027. He can still fit in the back end of the bullpen, but Minnesota shouldn’t bank on him repeating what he did this year.
That matters even more because the Twins need help in the bullpen anyway. Their relief corps finished 26th in ERA and 28th in WHIP this past season, and Gomez’s underlying struggles only strengthen the case for reinforcements.
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