Could This Non-Roster Invitee Become an Impact Bullpen Arm for the Twins in 2024?

[Cody Schoenmann]

The Twins front office has acquired a surplus of relievers this offseason. Could this standout veteran non-roster invitee impact the team in unexpected ways?

Image courtesy of Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The 2023 MLB regular season was an unmitigated disaster for the New York Mets. Led by spendthrift billionaire team owner Steve Cohen and since-outcasted general manager Billy Eppler, the Mets spent an MLB-record estimated $354 million on payroll. Despite being top-heavy with star veteran players Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and standout rookie catcher Francisco Álvarez, the Mets lacked depth, lending to a catastrophic 75-87 fourth-place finish. The begrudged Mets cycled through many pitchers last season, though few made as many appearances as Jeff Brigham.

Brigham, 32, was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 4th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. The University of Washington product spent a season and a half in Los Angeles's minor-league system before being traded to the Miami Marlins alongside Kevin Guzman and Victor Araujo for starting pitcher Mat Latos and right-handed power bat Michael Morse. Brigham made his MLB debut with Miami in 2018 as a starter, generating a 6.06 ERA, 6.04 FIP, and -0.2 Wins Above Replacement at FanGraphs (fWAR) over 16 ⅓ innings pitched and 77 batters faced. Miami quickly converted the then-26-year-old into a reliever, and he has stayed in the bullpen since.

Brigham went on to manufacture a 4.52 ERA, 4.82 FIP, 11.6% HR/FB rate, and 79-to-37 K/BB over 79 ⅔ innings pitched and 344 batters faced as a reliever for the Marlins from 2019 to 2022. On November 18th, 2022, Brigham was shipped to the Mets alongside Elieser Hernandez for pitching prospect Franklin Sánchez and a player to be named later or cash. The veteran right-handed hurler spent the beginning of last season at Triple-A Syracuse before getting called up on April 18th. Despite spending the year between Syracuse and the parent club, Brigham threw the fifth-most innings for a Mets reliever, finishing the season with 37 innings pitched.In those 37 frames, he generated a 5.26 ERA, 5.96 FIP, 19.6% HR/FB rate, and 42-to-18 K/BB while facing 160 batters. Unfortunately, Brigham's tenure with the Mets lasted only one season, as the team elected to non-tender him last November. Brigham spent the offseason shuffling through minor-league options before signing with the Twins in mid-February. The Twins' front office prioritized bringing in bullpen depth, evidenced by President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey and company signing, claiming, or trading for 16 relievers this offseason. However, Brigham's road to Minnesota is unique compared to most. 

In a piece written by the Star Tribune's Phil Miller, Brigham communicated that he chose the Twins despite having minor-league contract offers from other organizations due to his connection to former teammate Pablo López and a fondness for the organization's front office and player development staff, which showed him a blueprint on how they could save his dwindling career. The focus now is on improving his cutter as a secondary pitch to his four-seam fastball and helping him become a better pitch sequencer. Vice President of Baseball Operations Strategy and Innovations Josh Kalk, pitching coach Pete Maki, and the organization's coaching staff are guiding Brigham toward becoming a priority bullpen depth piece for the parent club early this upcoming season. 

Below is Brigham's pitch mix from 2023 with usage percentages:

• Sweeper (42.2%)
• Four-seam fastball (39.1%)
• Cutter (18.7%)

Brigham is the epitome of a two-pitch pitcher, throwing his sweeper and four-seam fastball a combined 81.3% of the time last season. The Twins seek out pitchers who throw four-seam fastballs, with their main secondary pitch being some iteration of a sweeper or slider, explaining their interest in attaining Brigham's services in camp. The organization's coaching and player development staff has emphasized developing and refining pitchers' third and fourth pitches in their mix, thus explaining their desire to tinker with Brigham's cutter.

Although the veteran right-handed hurler's fastball sits at 93.5 MPH (40th percentile outcome at Baseball Savant), he has a functional glove-side sweeper that's effective against same-handed hitters. Brigham and the Twins coaching staff are working to refine his cutter to make it effectively break in on left-handed hitters. The veteran reliever could be the team's next successful reclamation project if the two parties rectify his cutter while fortifying his already effective four-seam fastball and sweeper. 

Brigham has consistently strung together lackluster seasons in his cyclical career. Still, through electing to integrate himself into a pitching development program that has maximized past minor-league signings in Caleb Thielbar and Brock Stewart, there is reason to suspect he could become an idealized version of himself as a reliever. In three appearances this spring, Brigham has faced 13 batters, giving up one hit, walking two, and striking out one over three innings pitched. Brigham has performed well in a small sample size this spring, and if he can continue to build upon his first three outings, he could earn a spot in the team's bullpen mix in 2024. 

 

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[Gamblerssoftball]

Very interesting, thanks for getting this out. This says a lot about Pablo Lopez and his emerging influence on people who have been associated with him. It's great that the organization is willing to work with pitchers to find the missing tool to regain effectiveness at the major league level. Good luck to him and the staff!

[old nurse]

Their reclamation projects either break or have a short shelf life.  

[IndianaTwin]

47 minutes ago, Gamblerssoftball said:

Very interesting, thanks for getting this out. This says a lot about Pablo Lopez and his emerging influence on people who have been associated with him. It's great that the organization is willing to work with pitchers to find the missing tool to regain effectiveness at the major league level. Good luck to him and the staff!

It's also another example of the Front Office having a reputation for treating players well.

[Doctor Gast]

One area that the Twins do well is in tweaking pitchers. Wish Brigham well.

[spanman2]

The more arms to get a good look at the better.  Never know what you might discover.  WIN TWINS!

[mikelink45]

Not impressed.  Good luck to him, but if he is a BP savior our year is going bad.

[Road trip]

3 hours ago, old nurse said:

Their reclamation projects either break or have a short shelf life.  

Well, yes, frequently, but if they can get two months of Brock Stewartesque production out of him before he breaks I'll call it a win.

There have been a small number reclamation projects that have worked long term.  I think you would have to consider Thielbar a success, and they called him back out of retirement after a five year absence from the majors.

On the position player side, they seem to have found something in Willie Castro who was cast off by the Tigers.

But I do somewhat agree.  This is a lottery ticket signing.  Small investment, small chance it pays off.

[gman]

Maybe it was a fluke season, but in Miami in 2022 he struck out 97 batters in 67 innings between triple A and the Marlins. For the Marlins he allowed 1 inherited runner to score in 24 innings. Then last year for the Mets his numbers all blew up.

Maybe Pablo and the Twins coaches know something that they can get him back to 2022 on.

[Brandon]

7 hours ago, old nurse said:

Their reclamation projects either break or have a short shelf life.  

True but there is so little financial investment in this player that anything positive is a bonus immediately.  He costa close to league minimum and if we can get 15-35 innings out of him we get value.  In 2021 for example we got almost 20 innings of 3.26 ERA from Ralph Garza and 40 innings of 2.48 era from Juan Minaya.  In 2020 we had Matt Wisler.  These guys are not expensive I think Wisler was just over a million.  I think having a bullpen of projects is problematic but having a AAA bullpen full of projects for one spot is a plus.

[DocBauer]

I have to confess I really don't know Jeff Brigham. So naturally I went and looked him up and went through his Baseball Reference page.

Like any arm the Twins bring in, I always hope we uncover something good to help the club. 

But even a glance at his 5 seasons and 117 IP and high BB totals and high ERA and RIP tells me this is not someone to be counting on. But I wish him all the best!

[jkcarew]

Never know, I guess. But fwiw, the small sample spring numbers you mention don’t really say “good”, IMO. It’s almost impossible in todays game to face 13 batters and only K one. I don’t think the BABiP-against of 100 is going to hold😉.

[IndianaTwin]

3 hours ago, DocBauer said:

I have to confess I really don't know Jeff Brigham. So naturally I went and looked him up and went through his Baseball Reference page.

Like any arm the Twins bring in, I always hope we uncover something good to help the club. 

But even a glance at his 5 seasons and 117 IP and high BB totals and high ERA and RIP tells me this is not someone to be counting on. But I wish him all the best!

The great thing is that they've constructed a bullpen where he's not someone to be counted on. He's what, eleventy-seventh on the depth chart?

As others have noted, virtually no risk -- anything he provides is a bonus. 

And even if he is mediocre in St. Paul, there's still a role for "guy who covers innings so the real prospects can stay on their regular rhythm."

[IndianaTwin]

Of note (though maybe not a very large note), the trade where he went from LA to Miami was a 13-player trade. When was the last time you've heard of a 13-player trade?*

 

*Please don't say, "Just now."

[stringer bell]

The Twins signed a few rather interesting pitchers to minor league contracts. I think Brigham might be the best of the lot, but Bowman and Duarte (who they claimed and later outrighted) have a chance as well. 

[Brandon]

8 hours ago, DocBauer said:

I have to confess I really don't know Jeff Brigham. So naturally I went and looked him up and went through his Baseball Reference page.

Like any arm the Twins bring in, I always hope we uncover something good to help the club. 

But even a glance at his 5 seasons and 117 IP and high BB totals and high ERA and RIP tells me this is not someone to be counting on. But I wish him all the best!

I look at him as someone we can get 5-20 innings from with an era near 4.  Having those results would be a success in my book for us.  

[Doctor Wu]

He certainly seems like a long shot to make the team, at least to start the year, but never say never. If the "Pablo factor" helps and the coaches can help him add a new pitch, maybe he can turn his career around. I love long shots like this, so I wish him lots and lots of luck!

[old nurse]

14 hours ago, DocBauer said:

I have to confess I really don't know Jeff Brigham. So naturally I went and looked him up and went through his Baseball Reference page.

Like any arm the Twins bring in, I always hope we uncover something good to help the club. 

But even a glance at his 5 seasons and 117 IP and high BB totals and high ERA and RIP tells me this is not someone to be counting on. But I wish him all the best!

At a glance you could notice a decent strikeout rate coupled with a high HR rate.  If the fix for the HR is better sequencing they might have something. 

[saviking]

1 hour ago, old nurse said:

At a glance you could notice a decent strikeout rate coupled with a high HR rate.  If the fix for the HR is better sequencing they might have something. 

I don't like projecting something that has never happened in the past. He's carried a high era foreva ...

[jmlease1]

I will say I think the Twins have a competitive advantage in signing former MLB players to minor-league contracts having their AAA franchise be in Saint Paul. Considering what a massive pain it is to be moving around all the time, knowing that you can sign a deal with the Twins and get one apartment and not have to move if you get called up has to be a selling point for some of these guys. (I bet it makes being a player who bounces back and forth a bunch of times from AAA to MLB during a season a heck of a lot easier too)

Not sure Brigham is going to do much, but I don't mind the Twins taking a flyer on him to see if there's something to unlock. As long as you don't buy too many of these lottery tickets, it's fine.

[old nurse]

10 minutes ago, saviking said:

I don't like projecting something that has never happened in the past. He's carried a high era foreva ...

I didn’t think I needed to add that is a mighty big if. ERA in a relief pitcher with few innings is not the best judge of pitching talent.  Tampa continually gets good seasons out of retreads and failures. The difference between a serviceable pitcher and not is not hat big 

[TwinsDr2021]

20 hours ago, gman said:

Maybe it was a fluke season, but in Miami in 2022 he struck out 97 batters in 67 innings between triple A and the Marlins. For the Marlins he allowed 1 inherited runner to score in 24 innings. Then last year for the Mets his numbers all blew up.

Maybe Pablo and the Twins coaches know something that they can get him back to 2022 on.

He was 30 and 69 of those 97 were in AAA. I wish him well and it would be great for him to be dominating in AAA and comes up and does the same if and when needed. He seems like the type of guy you bring up if needed and easily is cut.

[IndianaTwin]

Help me out here -- is this our current list of bullpen guys? 

• Considered locks, if healthy: Duran, Jax, Staumont, Thielbar, Topa.
• On the 40-man, out of options: Jackson, Owert, Stewart.
• On the 40-man, with options: Alcala, Funderburk, Weiss.
• Non-roster invites/minor league contract: Balazovic, Bowman, Brigham, Duarte, Jensen, Henriquez, Moran.
• Being used as a starter, but at least a few folks on TD thinking of them as a bullpen option: Varland, Canterino, Headrick, Sands.

Am I missing anyone? And I don't really care whether Stewart should be a lock and Topa not, etc, I'm just trying to put together a list of bodies. I feel like my wall needs one of those magnetic boards with movable nametags. 

 

[Cody Schoenmann]

11 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

Help me out here -- is this our current list of bullpen guys? 

• Considered locks, if healthy: Duran, Jax, Staumont, Thielbar, Topa.
• On the 40-man, out of options: Jackson, Owert, Stewart.
• On the 40-man, with options: Alcala, Funderburk, Weiss.
• Non-roster invites/minor league contract: Balazovic, Bowman, Brigham, Duarte, Jensen, Henriquez, Moran.
• Being used as a starter, but at least a few folks on TD thinking of them as a bullpen option: Varland, Canterino, Headrick, Sands.

Am I missing anyone? And I don't really care whether Stewart should be a lock and Topa not, etc, I'm just trying to put together a list of bodies. I feel like my wall needs one of those magnetic boards with movable nametags. 

 

You could add Randy Dobnak, Simeon Woods Richardson, and David Festa to the "Being used as a starter, but at least a few folks on TD...." section. I have seen them floated around as stretch relief or late-season short relief options, but I think it's (mostly) universally acknowledged they are going to be utilized as starters. Otherwise, you nailed it!

[Brandon]

5 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

I will say I think the Twins have a competitive advantage in signing former MLB players to minor-league contracts having their AAA franchise be in Saint Paul. Considering what a massive pain it is to be moving around all the time, knowing that you can sign a deal with the Twins and get one apartment and not have to move if you get called up has to be a selling point for some of these guys. (I bet it makes being a player who bounces back and forth a bunch of times from AAA to MLB during a season a heck of a lot easier too)

Not sure Brigham is going to do much, but I don't mind the Twins taking a flyer on him to see if there's something to unlock. As long as you don't buy too many of these lottery tickets, it's fine.

It’s not the number of tickets you buy, it’s the number of spots in the pen available for them. 1 spot for several lottery tickets to compete for is good.  3 spots for 3 lottery tickets is not so good.  

[IndianaTwin]

5 hours ago, Cody Schoenmann said:

You could add Randy Dobnak, Simeon Woods Richardson, and David Festa to the "Being used as a starter, but at least a few folks on TD...." section. I have seen them floated around as stretch relief or late-season short relief options, but I think it's (mostly) universally acknowledged they are going to be utilized as starters. Otherwise, you nailed it!

So last year the Twins used 19 "relief pitchers." I put that in quotes because it doesn't include that Maeda (1) and Keuchel (4) each entered a game from the bullpen. Nor does it include Luplow and Castro. 

Given that they are almost certainly going to go through more than the 11 "relievers" currently on the 40-man roster, I got noooo problem with rolling the dice with a minor league invite to the Brighams of the world. 

[Cody Schoenmann]

2 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

So last year the Twins used 19 "relief pitchers." I put that in quotes because it doesn't include that Maeda (1) and Keuchel (4) each entered a game from the bullpen. Nor does it include Luplow and Castro. 

Given that they are almost certainly going to go through more than the 11 "relievers" currently on the 40-man roster, I got noooo problem with rolling the dice with a minor league invite to the Brighams of the world. 

the Twins bullpen is substantially better right now than it was entering last season, so, barring health, I expect the number to be lower than the 17-19 range. Still, I expected non-roster invitees like Brigham, Duarte, Jensen, etc. to get some run this season. 

[IndianaTwin]

3 minutes ago, Cody Schoenmann said:

the Twins bullpen is substantially better right now than it was entering last season, so, barring health, I expect the number to be lower than the 17-19 range. Still, I expected non-roster invitees like Brigham, Duarte, Jensen, etc. to get some run this season. 

The 19 from last year does include 10.1 combined innings over four combined appearances from Paddack, Woods Richardson and Derrick Rodriguez. There were 16 that pitched 12 innings or more, which probably isn't far off.

I should have included a separate grouping for Moran, "Likely out for the season," so there are actually just 17 bodies listed, aside from the guys working as starters.

I don't know if any of the NRIs include an opt-out, but between that possibility, an injury or two and general incompetence, a couple of those 17 won't make appearances. However, that list also doesn't include fast-rising prospects already in minor league camp. And odds are that one or more of the "currently working as starters" will actually get some relief appearances, whether because of a shift in role or because of load management.

With all of those options, it seems likely to think they won't need to pick up many bodies along the way, a welcome change from prior years. This eternal optimist likes what they've done.