4 Right-Handed Relievers Twins Should Pursue at the Trade Deadline

[Matthew Taylor]

The MLB trade deadline is just six weeks away, and the Minnesota Twins are likely to be active participants in the market. One of their primary areas of interest will be acquiring a right-handed reliever to bolster their bullpen for the stretch run.

Image courtesy of © Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Twins' bullpen has been a strong point this season, ranking in the top half of baseball with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.7 fWAR. Despite this success, there is room for improvement, especially in terms of depth. The team has leaned heavily on the back end of their bullpen, and adding another reliable arm could provide much-needed support as the season progresses and the wear and tear on their current relievers increases.

Right-handed pitchers are particularly important for the Twins' bullpen strategy. Griffin Jax is performing like an All-Star, and Jhoan Durán, while elite, has shown occasional vulnerabilities. Brock Stewart has been excellent when healthy, but is a massive health wildcard, and Jorge Alcalá (despite his promise) has not yet earned complete trust. Introducing another dependable right-handed reliever could significantly strengthen the Twins' bullpen, providing stability and flexibility for manager Rocco Baldelli.

Below are four players whom the Minnesota Twins should consider pursuing as they approach the trade deadline, looking at teams that currently have 10% or worse odds of reaching the playoffs, according to FanGraphs. I listed the relievers in ascending order of my personal interest in these relievers as targets, taking skill, contract and cost to acquire in consideration.

Declan Cronin
A lesser-known right-handed reliever that the Twins could explore going after at the trade deadline this season would be Miami’s Declan Cronin, who is still a rookie after only having thrown 11 innings prior to this season.

Though he is young, Cronin has looked the part of a solid MLB reliever in 34 innings for the Miami Marlins this season, with a 2.65 ERA, backed up by a 2.77 FIP. While Cronin doesn’t boast much in the velocity department (just 93 MPH on his fastball), he does an excellent job of keeping the ball on the ground, with a 62% ground ball rate, meaning Cronin also excels at keeping the ball in the ballpark.

Still relatively unknown, Cronin figures not to come with a high price tag. The Twins have the opportunity to buy low on the former White Sox jetsam while he is still pre-arbitration, and to have him as a low-cost member of the bullpen (if they want him) for years to come.

Kyle Finnegan
In the fifth year of his major-league career, Kyle Finnegan has been one of baseball's largest bullpen breakouts this season. In 30 ⅓ innings this season, Finnegan has a career-low 1.78 ERA, to go along with a 0.85 WHIP and 20 saves, second-most in the National League.

While the right-hander has really broken out this season, he’s hardly a no-name reliever. Over his first four seasons in the bigs, Finnegan had a career 3.53 ERA, and has been a consistent back-end arm for the Nationals year after year.

Finnegan’s 1.78 ERA this season makes him look like one of baseball’s best relievers. However, there is legitimate reason to wonder whether he truly is that bullpen ace, or if he is simply a solid reliever. Finnegan has an xERA of 3.82 and a FIP of 4.24, numbers that much closer resemble his career numbers coming into this season than they do of his All-Star-caliber numbers this year.

Either way, Finnegan is a name that the Twins should explore, though with his trade value higher than it’s ever been and him still having a year of control past this one, he may be a bit more costly than other relievers on the market.

Carlos Estévez
Building on his first career All-Star campaign in 2023, Carlos Estévez is currently in the midst of the best season of his eight-year career. In 23 innings for the Los Angeles Angels this season, Estévez owns a 3.52 ERA with an excellent 0.87 WHIP, and he's racked up 13 saves.

While Estévez was a steady force in Colorado’s bullpen for years before his All-Star season last year, he has taken things up a level this year, thanks to his outstanding control. After a career walk rate of 9.3% coming into the campaign, the Dominican right-hander has only issued three walks all season for a 3.4 BB%, good for ninth-best in baseball.

Estévez relies heavily on his 96-mile-per-hour fastball, which he throws 63% of the time, but he also has a strong slider and changeup that generate swings and misses against righties and lefties, respectively.

Estévez is set to be a free agent at the end of this season. As a result, the cost to acquire the righthander shouldn’t be too drastic, and the 31-year-old should fit right into the middle of the bullpen hierarchy, following Durán, Jax and Stewart.

Hunter Harvey
Another back-end reliever from the Nationals whom the Twins could explore on the trade market is righty Hunter Harvey. Harvey is in the midst of his third straight excellent season for the Nats, with a 2.75 ERA to go along with a 28,2% strikeout rate. 

After battling injury and poor performance for the Baltimore Orioles in his three-year stint with them from 2019-2021, Harvey bounced around waivers a bit before landing with the Nationals--where he's been outstanding, ever since.

Harvey throws a high-90s four-seamer, to go along with a devastating splitter that generates a 39% whiff rate. He is truly one of the best relievers in all of baseball. He limits walks and home runs. Harvey would walk into the Twins bullpen and immediately be right there with Durán and Jax, fighting for the highest-leverage opportunities.

Hunter Harvey won’t be cheap to acquire, though. Along with Mason Miller, Harvey is likely the most talented reliever who will be on the trade market this summer, and he still has a year of team control following this season. That being said, if the Twins simply wanted to go with the best arm from the players listed here, Harvey would be that guy.

Which of the above right-handed relievers are you most interested in? Were there any names not listed here that you think the Twins should pursue? Leave a comment below and start the conversation!

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[mikelink45]

Interesting.  I really don't follow all the RP in the league so it helps to have this primer.  Not sure what we have to give up and I do not like the RP with five years since it means FA and costs go up.  If we give something up I want more than a half year. 

[FlyingFinn]

Unless a trade costs almost nothing, I would rather add Varland and Festa to the bullpen in September.

[Doctor Gast]

I like all of them but the Nationals may not be sellers. My main concern now is Thielbar. Everybody hopes that he'll be able to come back.  They'll give him every opportunity to do so. but there's a good chance that he doesn't. If he doesn't we could be looking at a very good LHRP. MIA has Tanner Scott & A. J. Pukk who'd be 2 good choices. My choice for RHRP is Varland & hopefully later Canterino.

[old nurse]

4 choices, 1 maybe feasible. Miami isn’t going to trade a controllable  player unless it is an overpay. The team Shouldn’t trade for a reliever having a career year. They  are not going to pay a high price for a reliever. They traded a starting pitching prospect to Baltimore for Lopez who is doing reasonably well. The only reasonable option is Esteves

[Shaitan]

I disagree with the premise that a high performing prearbitration player will come "cheap." In trades, you're trading for the contract as much as you are the player.

[Guest]

Why does Jorge Lopez come to mind?

[Linus]

Are we sure the Twins will be active at the trade deadline?  I’m not. It’s unlikely they will take on significant payroll and I’m not sure they can’t add to the bullpen with Varland and Paddock for the playoffs. 

[bean5302]

4 hours ago, old nurse said:

4 choices, 1 maybe feasible. Miami isn’t going to trade a controllable  player unless it is an overpay. The team Shouldn’t trade for a reliever having a career year. They  are not going to pay a high price for a reliever. They traded a starting pitching prospect to Baltimore for Lopez who is doing reasonably well. The only reasonable option is Esteves

They traded more than Povich in that deal. The Twins also shipped out Yannier Cano, who has been excellent for Baltimore, owning a 2.23 ERA in 109 games.

The Twins need upper rotation arms, not more bullpen. At least Brock Stewart is throwing off the mound again.

[SotaSports in NM]

Hunter Harvey is the only arm of interest to me. Unless the price is unexpectedly low on others, I want nothing to do with a trade for an arm without a track record.

[Doctor Wu]

16 hours ago, Minderbinder said:

Why does Jorge Lopez come to mind?

Exactly. That should be a lesson in trading assets for a relief pitcher having a breakout year. I think the best strategy next month will be for the Twins to do not much at all. Injuries and performance issues with Stewart and Thielbar are a concern, but we should have enough capable backups in the minors. 

[Doctor Wu]

56 minutes ago, Doctor Wu said:

Exactly. That should be a lesson in trading assets for a relief pitcher having a breakout year. I think the best strategy next month will be for the Twins to do not much at all. Injuries and performance issues with Stewart and Thielbar are a concern, but we should have enough capable backups in the minors. 

I say that, but ... another healthy and effective arm in the bullpen WOULD be welcome. But I really don't want to part with any top tier prospects for a relief pitcher of any kind. 

[LambchoP]

I think parting with any high level prospects for RP having career years would be another disaster aka Jorge Lopez. If we can get them healthy I think we have some great right handed weapons in Stewart, Topa, Canterino and Varland. If we do trade for a reliever it should be a high leverage lefty to replace Theilbar. I like Funderburk but don't think him or Okert are high leverage, late inning guys.