The Twins may have a familiar bullpen name back on their radar after Emilio Pagán opted out of his deal with the Cincinnati Reds and became a free agent, according to Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.
Pagán turned down his $10 million player option for 2027, a move that caught plenty of people off guard given that he’s 35, opened the season in rough shape and missed two months early in the year with a hamstring strain. But once he returned from the IL on July 1, he looked like a different pitcher. His ERA dropped from 6.43 to 3.38, and he wrapped up the season with 25 saves, a 25.9% strikeout rate and a 6.8% walk rate over 42 2/3 innings.
That kind of finish is exactly why Minnesota could have interest. The Twins need bullpen help this offseason, and Pagán, who pitched for them from 2022-23, fits the profile of a late-inning arm they know well. Minnesota landed him from the San Diego Padres in 2022 in the trade that also involved Brent Rooker, Chris Paddack and Taylor Rogers.
His run with the Twins had its ups and downs. In 2022, Pagán posted a 4.43 ERA with 84 strikeouts over 63 innings. The following year, his strikeout total dipped to 65 in 69 1/3 innings, but the results improved, as he finished with a 2.99 ERA and threw two scoreless innings across two postseason appearances.
Pagán then moved on to Cincinnati after the 2023 season, signing a two-year, $16 million contract. His first year there was uneven, with a 4.50 ERA over 38 innings, but he bounced back in 2025 in a big way, logging a 2.88 ERA with 81 strikeouts and 32 saves in 68 2/3 innings. After that season, the Reds brought him back on a two-year, $20 million deal, with the opt-out he just exercised built into the second year.
Spotrac pegs his market value at $25,691,040 over two years, a number that could make Minnesota pause when it comes to a reliever in his mid-30s. Still, the upside is obvious. If Pagán keeps pitching like he has over the last two seasons, he’d slide right into the conversation as one of the Twins’ top late-inning options.
Pairing him with Jeff Hoffman and Yoendrys Gómez could give Minnesota one of the stronger bullpens in baseball. Pagán doesn’t get a ton of ground balls, which is a concern, but his strikeout and walk numbers point to a reliever operating at an All-Star level. And with Tom Pohlad planning to increase payroll, adding a proven closer like Pagán would be a strong first move.
In Other News...
Luis Arraez Suddenly Feels Like A Real Twins Reunion Possibility
With the offseason already taking shape around payroll questions and the uncertainty of collective bargaining talks, the Twins may be staring at a very different kind of winter than the one many expected. Owner Tom Pohlad has hinted the club could be willing to spend more, and that alone has reopened a door that once seemed shut: a possible reunion with former infielder Luis Arraez, whose bat still carries plenty of appeal for a team that knows exactly what he can bring.
Arraezs case is more interesting now than it would have been a year ago because his game has evolved beyond the contact-heavy profile Twins fans remember. He put together a strong offensive season in 2026 and also showed real progress defensively, which changes the conversation around how he might fit if Minnesota decides to get aggressive. A return would still depend on how the rest of the roster comes together, but the idea of Arraez back in a Twins uniform is suddenly hard to dismiss. [Read more 🡒]
Joe Ryan Just Became A Bigger Twins Offseason Decision
Joe Ryans offseason just got a little more complicated for the Twins, even if the basic answer remains the same: they still control him. Minnesota declined his $13 million mutual option for 2027, a move that shifts the conversation from a preset contract number to the arbitration process, while keeping him in the organization for one more year. For a pitcher who finished the 2026 season as a significant part of the rotation, it is the kind of decision that matters more for planning than for headlines.
What it does not do is hand the Twins extra flexibility or lock in a specific 2027 salary. Instead, it changes how that number gets determined, leaving both sides to navigate the next step of a relationship that still has plenty of value attached to it. For Minnesota, Ryan remains an important piece of the pitching picture, but the route to keeping him now looks a lot different than it did when the option was on the table. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Second Base Decision Could Define Their Offseason Priorities
Second base has a way of shaping the rest of an offseason, and for the Twins it looks like one of the clearest places where the front office may have to make a call. Kody Clemens was steadier at first base than he was at the keystone, which only adds to the sense that Minnesota could use an external answer there if it wants to tighten up the infield and add more offense at the same time.
Among the names being weighed, Brandon Lowe and Luis Arraez stand out for different reasons, with recent season performance and defensive value pushing the comparison in separate directions. Jim Bowdens contract projections only sharpen the debate, since Arraez is expected to cost more even though Lowe has been the more productive hitter lately, leaving the Twins to decide whether they want the safer fit, the better bat, or the one that makes the most financial sense. [Read more 🡒]