The Twins’ bullpen was one of their biggest problem spots last season, and the numbers make that plain. As a group, they finished with a 4.74 ERA, which ranked 25th in the majors.
The relief corps did settle in somewhat after the trade deadline additions of A.J. Minter and Jeff Hoffman, both of whom gave Minnesota a real boost.
Minter was only a rental and is now a free agent, while Hoffman remains under team control for one more year.
Even with Hoffman in the mix, there’s still a clear need for more stability late in games. Yoendrys Gomez led the club in saves with 21, tying for ninth in the American League, but his hold on the closer role faded after a rough final two months. Andrew Morris wound up as the team’s most-used reliever despite not being on the Opening Day roster, and his season followed a similar pattern: strong stretches in the middle, trouble in high-leverage spots down the stretch.
Hoffman stands alone as Minnesota’s most reliable relief arm heading into the offseason. He was one of only six relievers in the league to strike out more than 100 batters, and after the Twins acquired him from Toronto, he posted a 2.50 ERA in 20 appearances.
Beyond him, though, the bullpen lacks proven answers. That makes upgrading relief pitching an obvious priority as the Twins move toward the 2027 season.
One of the most established names available is Raisel Iglesias. The former Braves closer turned in a 2.55 ERA across 59 appearances last season, saved 34 games - eighth-most in baseball - and blew only three all year.
The 36-year-old is heading into his 13th major league season, and last year marked his first All-Star selection. He leans on a four-pitch mix built around his fastball and changeup, and the changeup was especially nasty in 2026, producing 33 of his 64 strikeouts while holding hitters to a .200 average against it.
He won’t come cheap, but if Minnesota wants a true ninth-inning fix, Iglesias fits the bill.
Bryan Abreu offers a different kind of bet. The 29-year-old has some of the best raw stuff among relievers on the market, even if last season in Houston didn’t fully match that upside.
He made 66 appearances and logged a 3.73 ERA, which is solid but not the kind of number that screams elite high-leverage arm. Still, the Twins almost landed him at the trade deadline, with a one-for-one deal involving Trevor Larnach in place before Astros owner Jim Crane pulled back at the last second.
Abreu’s best stretch actually came after the deadline, which only sharpens the what-if angle. His career 12.1 K/9 and 91st-percentile strikeout rate last season show the swing-and-miss ability, though walks remain a major concern.
His 15.3 walk rate last year was among the worst in the league. Even so, he might be Minnesota’s best shot at landing a potentially elite late-inning arm without blowing up the budget.
Then there’s Alex Vesia, who has been a fixture in the Dodgers’ bullpen since they acquired him from the Marlins before the 2021 season. He’s now a free agent for the first time after six seasons in Los Angeles, where he piled up 367 appearances and 328.0 innings with a 2.66 ERA and 438 strikeouts.
Last season was one of his best yet: a 2.64 ERA in a career-high 72 appearances. He handled both right-handed and left-handed hitters effectively, holding righties to a .536 OPS and lefties to an even lower .471 OPS.
The one red flag is the walks. His 13.5% walk rate last season sat in the fourth percentile.
But the swing-and-miss stuff is real, too - his 31.2% strikeout rate ranked in the 95th percentile. Among left-handed relievers on the market, Vesia stands out as one of the best options if the Twins are willing to spend.
In Other News...
Twins Face One Big Austin Martin Decision This Offseason
Austin Martin spent most of the 2026 season giving the Twins a useful but incomplete picture, and that is what makes his winter so interesting. Over 118 games, he finished with a .228/.341/.315 batting line, enough to show some value without settling the bigger question of where he fits best on a roster that is always trying to balance depth, flexibility and matchup advantages.
Minnesotas next step is to figure out whether Martin can thrive in a more defined platoon look against left-handed pitching, or whether the club is better served using that roster spot another way. The front office plans to evaluate him in a limited role before making a final call, which leaves his status in the middle of the Twins' offseason puzzle rather than at the center of a clean answer. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Face A Tough Ryan Jeffers Decision They Can't Delay
Ryan Jeffers is headed into a winter that could reshape the Twins catching picture, and the club may have to make its call before the market really opens up. The looming free-agent issue is straightforward enough on the surface: Minnesota would like to keep a productive regular in the mix, but it is also balancing the long-term path of top catching prospect Vahn Lackey, which makes a multiyear commitment feel complicated.
The market could make the decision even trickier. Clubs such as the Yankees and Cubs have been floated as possible fits, and both would have to weigh Jeffers against their own roster plans and any added cost that comes with signing him. For the Twins, the question is less about whether Jeffers can help now and more about how far they are willing to go to keep him from reaching a market that may already be forming. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Fans Should Be Watching Kyle DeBarge Right Now
The Arizona Fall League is starting to do what it usually does this time of year: give front offices and fans a fresh look at young hitters who are trying to finish the season on a high note. Among the names popping up in the weekly rundown, Kyle DeBarge is one Minnesota followers will want to keep tabs on, especially with the crop of top bats spread across Salt River, Peoria and Scottsdale.
DeBarge spent 2026 at Double-A Wichita, and his placement in the AFL gives the Twins another chance to evaluate where he stands against advanced competition. For a club always searching for the next wave of infield help and offensive depth, his progress is worth watching closely, even before the bigger numbers from this fall start to settle in. [Read more 🡒]