Do the Twins Have Baseball’s Best Bullpen?

[DocBauer]

Best? That requires a lot hyperbole. How about just say very good?

I really like what they've assembled, and the depth. Duran is very much a stud. Stewart had been an outstanding find. His injury last season was more of a "tired arm" than anything serious, so I have hope he's going to get a full season. Jax started a little rough...had some weird crap happen...but was excellent the rest of the year until a bad stretch at the end. Thielbar isn't getting any younger, but he's still getting the job done.

Now you add Topa and figure the young Funderburk and you've got 6 spots seemingly filled.if Staumont can come all the way back, even if he's not ready opening day, you've added a set up quality arm for next to nothing. I don't know what to think of Jackson, but he was good for the Jay's last year and was supposedly good in Japapsn for a couple of years, and might be a really nice middle man.

If Alacala is truly fully healthy, and he appears to be, having options is the only thing that keeps him off the roster, IMO. He was good last time he was 100%. 

And there's depth of possibles that will be sitting at AAA. And yes, crunch time comes, there are rotation options that can slide in to the pen as well.

I'm really optimistic about this pen. I can't remember the last time it looked this good/deep going in to ST. I just wish Moran weren't hurt.

[DocBauer]

3 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

And Randy Dobnak. 😀

I do suspect they'll sign another body or two. Even if they don't pull a Keuchel and earn a callup, they are needed to keep the "real" prospects on schedule in terms of days off, etc. 

After 16 excellent games and 87 IP at AA, I'd expect Person Ohl at AAA very soon, if not to start. I think he's flying under the radar a bit. 

[RaoulDuke]

Might be the deepest if more breaks good than bad, but I'm not sure it will be the best. 

To me they lack a true 8th inning guy.  Stewart could be it but is a huge bet on health, Jax is kinda streaky and I would rather the lock down guy not be a slider specialist. 

They do have a ton of 7th inning guys which is great, but I am thinking about like Pressley into Hader damn near making it a 7 inning game.

Devin Williams would have been such a nasty arm to pair with Duran.

[1985Fan]

I heard Alcala was pitching well in winter ball. If he is healthy and got some quality work in the winter, he might be a good low leverage arm. 
Wasn’t Stewart picked up two years ago and stashed at St.Paul until he was 100% recovered from surgery? I know he started for the Dodgers long ago, but then injury kept him out of MLB for a while. 

[Fatbat]

11 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

To summarize...

• Duran
• Jax
• Stewart
• Thielbar
• Funderburk
• Jackson
• Staumont
• Duarte
• Topa
• Alcala
• Balazovic
• Winder

And a lot of those have options. I get that relievers are volatile, but that's a lot of possibilities that have had some level of MLB success, plus a couple at the end who seem to have potential. 

Beyond that...

1. In looking at this list, I'm not too hung up on exposing Balazovic to waivers if it comes to that.
2. I don't see how you add Varland to that list when doing so currently means SWR as the No. 6 option as a starter.
3. Related, have we had any AAAA starters added on minor league contracts yet?

Are you missing a couple more possible arms?

Sands, Henriquez ?

[Go twins_508]

18 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

I don't know that it really is a higher priority. They're not spending any extra money on it. They had Hoffman and Coulombe in camp last year as the random Jackson, Staumont, Duarte, etc. guys. This is pretty much what they do every year. Claim a bunch of guys, sign some minor league deals, or end of the 40-man deals, and see what shakes out in spring, try to get some through waivers at the end, and send whoever they can to St Paul as added depth to start the year. Then they weed through them the first half of the year until they settle on their mix for August/September. I think they just have found a few guys we like more than usual the last couple years and it's slowly built up depth so that we're more confident in it. I mean Stewart was a random guy they picked up last year, but now we're banking on him being the #2 or 3 guy in the pen.

 

[Trov]

Pens are so up and down.  Very few pen guys will always be a top guy.  Stewart last year came out of no where to have a good year.  This year he may revert back and fail.  I never predict pens because you just never know.  They can even shift through the year going from terrible to great or vice versa with same pen. 

[jjswol]

Best bullpen? Best bullpen? Did you really say best bullpen Ted? Oh my!

[USAFChief]

Bump 

[Linus]

That’s why we play the games.