We resigned Cody Lawyerson since I posted this too 

Add Andrew Chafin to your “minor league signings for former major leaguers. 
 

I like that one a lot.

A few years ago, it looked like they took the approach of “Throw everything against the wall and see what sticks.” I liked that approach, but it didn’t work. 

This year, it seems like they are doing the same, but I think there is a lot more talent in the mix. 

Have they officially moved Festa to the pen? Or is that a projection on your part?

With the number of options they have to sort through in the pen, I’d leave him in the Starters to the Pen Options list. One of that six (counting Festa) will start in the rotation. 

And Kowar did get traded.

Scratch Canterino and Cory Lewis.  Both injured.

I'd like to see Chafin make the team and add a lefty in the pen who has experience. Hopefully he can stay healthy and be a force for us. Chafin Banda and Sands at the back half of the bulpen doesn't sound as bad as people think.

The bigger issue will be who stays up and who goes down between the starters and who gets what bulpen role. Raya, Rojas, Prielipp, Abel, Bradley, and Morris will be tough to sort out, assuming your rotation will be Ryan, Ober, Festa, Mathews, and SWR. 

On 2/15/2026 at 7:00 PM, IndianaTwin said:

Have they officially moved Festa to the pen? Or is that a projection on your part?

With the number of options they have to sort through in the pen, I’d leave him in the Starters to the Pen Options list. One of that six (counting Festa) will start in the rotation. 

I just put Festa there cause I keep reading he is going there.  

I do think we have a higher floor with this group.  It's not as good as last Year's pen but good enough for an above .500 team and it will be a pen in transition as younger players earn extend d looks and injuries and veterans who make initial roster underperforming.....

Overall the team has talent and a wide variety of potential outcomes.  

On 2/15/2026 at 7:00 PM, IndianaTwin said:

Have they officially moved Festa to the pen? Or is that a projection on your part?

With the number of options they have to sort through in the pen, I’d leave him in the Starters to the Pen Options list. One of that six (counting Festa) will start in the rotation. 

I kept reading that so I put him on the pen list.  The more I check they haven't moved him here.  But ...

Rogers is just not the same Rogers we all loved and remember. But while he had poor numbers with the Reds to finish 2025, he was pretty damn good with the Cubs before the trade. He's going to be part of the 8th-9th innings. Here's hoping he has at least 1 more good season in him.

Crazy as it might seem, Hendricks believes he's 100% and going to be ready opening day. He sat 93-95 in his 1st appearance. If he's 85-90% of his previous self, that's good enough to be good.

Sands was very good in 2024. He was inconsistent in 2025, but seemed to flash his 2024 ability the last 2 months if you take away a 10 day run where he was awful. More consistency, he is a valuable set-up man.

Unfortunately, Festa is fighting a shoulder issue that will slow him down for a few weeks. It's not considered serious, but he won't be ready for a while. Does this further the need for him in the pen for the future? Probably. But that won't be until May or June. Further, unfortunately, Lewis is also out for a few weeks. I'm really encouraged about him in the pen. But with no ML time, AND coming off his injury, we're probably talking June or July.

The bullpen simply doesn't work with 4 LH arms. Funderburk has an option remaining. But he finished 2025 on a high note, and is having a good ST. But unless someone gets hurt, Chafin, Banda, and Rogers are solid in their role. I guess it's a good problem to have, but it doesn't fix the RH side of the pen.

Hendricks, if he really and truly is ready, Sands, and 3 LH options doesn't complete the pen. With Lopez out, the Twins still might have placed Festa in the pen. But nobody else will be converted at this point. 

Does Orze have some upside after a solid debut in 2025? He'd better, though he does have options if someone throws better.

Topa has had miserable results until his most recent performance. But was he just working on something in those poor performances? That's the kind of thing we don't know as fans. Based on experience, he's still probably in the pen opening day.

Potentially, Orze and Topa make 7. 

Does Adams make it as an IP sacrificial lamb in the 8th spot to ride the St Paul shuttle? Maybe.

But I'm not so sure it's that easy. Raya is simply not ready. He needs success at St Paul for a few months. But Klein has the velocity and repitore to surprise. I can see him making the club, or being a 1st call up.

But almost every season the Twins uncover someone as a surprise. Altavilla is the early choice, but he's got competition from Hartwig and the recently acquired Key.

I'd bet dollars to navy beans ONE of the veteran invites jumps up to take a spot.

And I wouldn't be surprised at all if Klein just took hold of a job. The odds are against him for opening day, but the STUFF is there to be turned in to a really good pen arm.

While not GREAT, you can close out a few wins with Hendricks, Rogers, and Sands as your top 3 guys. You've got LH depth to be deployed smartly in the middle innings.

But man, losing Festa as an option really hurts what this bullpen might be. All the greater opportunity for Klein and the veteran signings to grab opportunity. If even ONE of them could be another Stewart, things really start to change. Suddenly the pen has 4 decent offerings, a couple LH to be used smartly, and you just need 2 RH arms that don't kill you. Maybe that's Topa, Orze, and Adams, etc. Just a couple arms for the 6th and 7th innings to not blow the game open most days.

It's not hard to see a "competent" bullpen if Hendricks, Rogers, and Sands can perform. Again, you've got a couple LH arms to be used judiciously, but, even if things go right for the back end of the pen, you're still missing 2 solid arms for the middle innings. I guess the good news is enough arms to work through that you might find ONE that actually steps forward. I guess that's the best we can hope for at this point.

In an IDEAL world, Klein or Altavilla or SOMEONE would take another step, kick butt and chew bubblegum, and be a 4th late inning arm to join Hendricks, Rogers, and Sands, to make a solid back end for the pen.

At that point, honestly, with another couple of decent LH options on hand, you just need 2 RH middle men who don't stink. Who won't just go out there and blow games.

It's a big ASK even IF we get an 85-90% Hendricks, the GOOD Sands, and a solid Rogers. Numbers of options is nice, but it means little if those options simply don't have the ability to produce. (Heavy sigh).

The best we can hope for, at this point, is a couple of RH arms that step forward to at least fill the middle innings competently, with ONE surprise. 

I can see a path forward. Unfortunately, the path forward I see is a better pen come about June to July 1st when other arms, healthy, and more experienced in their role, are ready. I'm just hoping they can find enough arms on an upswing to just not suck for the 1st couple of months. 

I can see a path forward. I just hope a couple of surprises happen early to keep the team on a solid trajectory.

On 3/5/2026 at 12:37 AM, DocBauer said:

...

I can see a path forward. I just hope a couple of surprises happen early to keep the team on a solid trajectory.

I can also see a path forward. I haven't actually seen any of the spring training games, so I'll take your word on where some of these guys are. 

I haven't been as concerned about the four LHP issue as some others have. Last year they used 26 relievers (not counting position players). Eight started on the roster, so 18 were added at some point. That doesn't consider that there was a flurry of moves at the deadline, but it also doesn't consider that some guys came up more than once. 

Point being, that works out to something like a bullpen transaction every 10 days or less. With four of eight lefties, that means there's a 50/50 chance of a transaction being for a lefty, so we can probably expect there being a transaction involving a lefty within about 20 days or so. Make that transaction a righty for a lefty, and we're at five RHP and three LHP. 

That also doesn't take into account Funderburk being optionable if there are five righties ready to take the ball on Opening Day. And if all four LHPs are healthy and effective beyond the 20 days, that's a good problem to have. 

Additionally, all the top starting candidates are RHP, so it does mean they will typically be facing lineups that are tilted to lefty hitters. If a LHP is the first guy out of the pen, they are often going to have a platoon advantage OR it will force an opposing manager to use pinch hitters early.

So..., less than ideal to have four LHPs, but I think it's workable.