The Twins are looking at free agency with a bullpen problem in mind, but the path to fixing it may run through the starting rotation.
Minnesota already has what Jeremy Zoll called “top-end talent” in a rotation that includes Twins 2026 pitcher of the year Taj Bradley, two-time All-Star Joe Ryan and Pablo López, who is returning after missing last season following Tommy John surgery in February. The group goes eight deep right now, with Dean Kremer, Bailey Ober, Connor Prielipp, Zebby Matthews and Mick Abel also in the mix.
That depth is exactly why the Twins are at least open to adding another starter. The idea is simple: sign a rotation piece, then move one of the current starters into the bullpen, where Minnesota is trying to improve without diving headfirst into a market that looks thin and pricey.
“It’s something that we need to be open-minded to, knowing that it feels like an area of surplus but also want to be mindful of not eating into that too much since we know we’re going to need real depth to attack the season,” Zoll said at the general managers’ meetings.
The Twins are not expected to chase the very top of the starting market. Tarik Skubal is off the table, and Freddy Peralta and Trevor Rogers also seem like long shots. But with Bradley, Ryan and López already in place, Minnesota does not need to shop only at the top.
“We feel like it’s a really good group,” Zoll said. “We have some top-end talent.
We have some young guys that have taken huge steps forward and feel like we have good depth there. But we also know that a number of them are coming off some injuries or procedures from last year.”
One possible benefit of adding a starter is that it could create a bullpen conversion, something the Twins have done before. Matthews, who went 9-11 with a 4.90 ERA in 23 starts last season, has the kind of stuff that could tick up in relief.
That matters because Minnesota has rarely spent heavily on relievers in free agency. Since Derek Falvey took over for Terry Ryan after the 2016 season, the Twins have signed only one reliever to a guaranteed multiyear deal: Addison Reed, who got $16.75 million over two years before the 2018 season.
Alex Colomé’s one-year, $6.25 million deal was the next-highest salary for a Twins reliever since the start of the 2018 season, followed by Sergio Romo at $5 million in 2020. The club also signed Fernando Rodney for $4.5 million and Zach Duke for $2.15 million on one-year deals in 2018, alongside Reed.
Jeff Hoffman, acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in August, is set to make $11 million next season, the highest salary paid to a Twins reliever since Joe Nathan earned $11.75 million in 2011.
More often, Minnesota has pieced together its bullpens through trades, conversions, minor-league free agents and waiver claims. The 2023-25 bullpen followed that blueprint: Jhoan Duran came over in a trade and was converted from a starter, Louis Varland, Cole Sands and Griffin Jax were drafted as starters before moving to relief, Brock Stewart and Caleb Thielbar arrived as minor-league free agents, and Emilio Pagán and Justin Topa were acquired in trades.
The 2019 bullpen was built in a similar way, with Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey and Trevor May all making the move from starting roles to relief.
“We built the bullpen we did, the ’24-25 era, without really spending much, at least from a free-agency perspective,” Zoll said. “That doesn’t mean that’s the only way. There are teams that have done it with a blend of strategies.
“I think we have to work through all those different avenues.”
If the Twins do decide to shop for a reliever, they’ll be entering a market that is already moving fast and getting expensive. On Monday, Pagán agreed to a one-year, $11.5 million deal with the Detroit Tigers, and the Atlanta Braves landed Evan Phillips on Thursday for $35 million over three years, a contract that beat MLB Trade Rumors’ projection of two years and $24 million.
The top of the relief market includes Adrian Morejon, David Bednar and Raisel Iglesias, while the setup tier is thinner. One name Minnesota could consider is Bryan Abreu, a right-hander the Twins nearly acquired in a trade in August before Houston Astros owner Jim Crane canceled the deal.
Zoll said Tuesday that relief pitching is a major topic around the league, and that every team seems to be chasing bullpen help.
“Everyone here is trying to find ways to improve their bullpens,” Zoll said.
For now, the Twins have a stronger base to build on than they did a year ago, with Hoffman, Andrew Morris and Yoendrys Gómez already in place. How they add to that group is still being sorted out, but a starter-to-reliever shuffle remains a real possibility.
“You still have to be thoughtful in that regard on what reliever investment looks like,” Zoll said. “You can slice it and dice it in a lot of ways.
There are some reliever deals that have gone great and some where that hasn’t been the case. The ‘why’ is probably the most important on that, but it keeps a lot of people up at night how to get the bullpen back to where it was.”
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