The Twins’ bullpen may be on the verge of something bigger in 2027, even after a rough second half, and Travis Adams is a big reason why.
If you were trying to pinpoint Minnesota’s most undervalued reliever in 2026 by expected metrics, the answer might not have been the obvious one. Andrew Morris and Kody Funderburk would make sense.
Taylor Rogers and Eric Orze might, too. Adams, though?
He’s the name that ends up standing out.
And he earned it. Among relievers who threw at least 30 innings in 2026, Adams posted the best xFIP at 3.98.
He was also the only pitcher in that group to allow more than 1.00 home runs per nine innings, checking in at 1.22, a clear weak spot across his 40 appearances. Even with that flaw, he led the seven-pitcher group in strikeouts, helped by a noticeable jump in his breaking pitches that put him in the 76th percentile in Breaking.
That kind of profile fits into what Minnesota is trying to build. The bullpen has a mix of young right-handers and experienced left-handers, including A.J.
Minter, Funderburk, Rogers and Anthony Banda. Rogers likely won’t be back, since he’ll be a free agent at the end of the season, but Minter’s arrival still leaves the club deciding whether that move is enough to stabilize the late innings.
There are also more moving parts coming. Right-handers like Jeff Hoffman, who should be the new closer, along with Yoendrys Gomez, Morris and Adams, could all offer different looks out of the bullpen. That picture also depends on Pablo Lopez’s arrival in the rotation, which could push arms like right-hander Zebby Matthews and left-hander Connor Prielipp into relief roles.
What makes Adams especially intriguing is that the growth goes beyond a few surface stats. He finished in the 75th percentile in Chase%, the 69th in Whiff% and the 70th in K%, all signs that he took a real step forward in generating swings and misses and punchouts, even with the home run damage he allowed.
He also landed in the 87th percentile in Hard Hit% and the 86th in Avg. Exit Velocity, which only adds to the case that he’s getting closer to being a much more dominant arm.
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Twins Face One Big Offseason Question About Their Top Prospects
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Thats where the discussion around the upper minors gets interesting. The Twins have enough talent in the pipeline to consider dealing from strength, and the most obvious names sit in areas where the system has backed itself into a decision. With catcher depth and a crowded outfield both part of the equation, Minnesota may be willing to move some of its better young pieces if it believes that is the cleanest path to helping the big league club sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]