Taylor Rogers says he wants to keep pitching, but that doesn’t mean the Twins should be in a hurry to bring him back on a big-league deal.
The left-hander returned to Minnesota this past offseason on a one-year, $2 million contract and gave the Twins an ordinary season out of the bullpen. He wasn’t the reason the relief corps struggled, but he also didn’t do much to solve the problem. For a team trying to sort out its bullpen, that matters.
Rogers, 35, posted a 4.33 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP while striking out 54 batters across 60 1/3 innings. He did limit damage when hitters made contact, finishing with an 86.1 mph average exit velocity, which placed him in the 95th percentile, and a 28.0% hard-hit rate, good for the 98th percentile. But the rest of the profile was much shakier: a 19.6% strikeout rate, 11.2% walk rate and 37.1% ground-ball rate.
That’s why the cleanest path for Minnesota would be to move on unless Rogers is willing to take a minor-league contract. If he went that route, he’d probably want an opt-out clause in case he doesn’t make the 26-man roster out of spring training. And if the Twins are serious about chasing the playoffs the way Tom Pohlad says they are, the bullpen probably shouldn’t be built around minor-league invites fighting for jobs unless injuries force the issue late.
The larger issue is that Minnesota’s relief group still needs help. The Twins’ relievers finished 26th in ERA at 4.74 this year, then added Jeff Hoffman, AJ Minter and Tommy Nance in July and early August.
Hoffman and Nance are set to return next year, while Minter is headed for free agency. Even after those moves, the bullpen only got up to 19th in ERA at 4.33, though it did rank eighth in FIP at 3.75 after the deadline, a sign the group may have been better than the results showed.
Still, the bottom line is the same: the Twins need more arms, and Rogers isn’t the piece that fixes the problem. If he wants to come back on a minor-league deal, that’s a different conversation. Otherwise, Minnesota should let him walk.
Rogers’ first MLB stop came with the Twins in 2016. Minnesota dealt him to the San Diego Padres before the 2022 season, and he went on to pitch for the Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs before returning to the Twins. In 11 MLB seasons, he has a 3.44 career ERA with 68 strikeouts over 601 2/3 innings.
In Other News...
Twins Face A Crucial Pitching Decision After A Disappointing Year
The Twins are moving quickly into a pivotal offseason task on the mound, with Pete Maki gone and a new pitching coach to be hired before the club settles into its next phase. Minnesotas search is expected to reach beyond the organization, as the front office looks for candidates who can bring outside experience and a fresh voice while still fitting with the teams analytical bent.
Derek Shelton is expected to play a major role in shaping that hire, which gives the process a little extra weight after a disappointing year. For a staff that needs both stability and a new direction, this is more than a routine coaching change - it is one of the first signs of how the Twins plan to recalibrate their pitching program going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Former Twin Ty France Is Back In Spotlight For A Brutal Twist
Ty France found himself at the center of one of the strangest moments of the postseason in NLDS Game 1, when a deep ninth-inning drive seemed to have a chance to change everything for the Padres. Instead, the ball hit a cable on the Brewers roof and was caught, a bizarre ending that left France and San Diego without the kind of late momentum they were chasing. After the game, France voiced his frustration with the call, saying technology ought to be able to settle plays like that.
For Minnesota fans, the wrinkle is seeing a former Twin back in the spotlight for a far more painful reason than his season-long revival in San Diego. France has bounced back strongly with the Padres after below-average offensive stretches with both the Twins and Blue Jays, and he has become their most valuable player by bWAR. The twist is how quickly a players postseason narrative can turn, especially when a ball that looked like trouble for the Brewers never quite became the home run it appeared to be. [Read more 🡒]
Emmanuel Rodriguez Already Put One Big Twins Question In Focus
Emmanuel Rodriguezs first look in the majors gave the Twins exactly the kind of glimpse they wanted and a few reminders of how far he still has to go. In 48 plate appearances, the young outfielder showed the power and defensive energy that made him such an intriguing call-up, offering a sample of the upside Minnesota has been waiting to see translate to big-league games.
Rodriguez also ran into the adjustment every rookie eventually faces, with the strikeouts piling up and his walk rate dipping from what he had shown in the minors. For the Twins, the early takeaway is less about a finished product than about a player who already has one major question in focus as he learns what major league pitchers are willing to give him and what they are not. [Read more 🡒]