4 Left-Handed Relievers The Twins Should Pursue At The Deadline

[Lou Hennessy]

The Twins are surging their way into the buyer’s market come the Jul. 31 trade deadline, and they may need some backups for their relief corps. Here are a few names to keep an eye on over the next six weeks, who could fill that role from the left side.

Image courtesy of © Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The Twins have a deep roster, with stars supported by capable role players, as well as minor-league reinforcements in virtually every segment of the team. That holds especially true when it comes to their bullpen picture.

Stars such as Jhoan Durán and Griffin Jax are the headliners of that group, but a class of veterans and young streamers from Triple-A have also contributed to the overall success of the group. So while they may not be desperate to acquire more arms for the low-leverage class of their bullpen, another higher-leverage arm would be ideal, especially if they’re left-handed. Steven Okert has provided some solid value as the de facto top southpaw, with a 3.27 ERA across 25 appearances this year. But Caleb Thielbar has struggled mightily (8.04 ERA across 23 appearances), and has been removed from high-leverage spots late in games.

The team needs a lefty that they can pair with Okert, to use in high-leverage situations late in ballgames. Here are some southpaws who could be enticing for Twins’ decision-makers.

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Matt Moore
If Moore’s name is familiar, that’s because he’s made some version of this list in each of the last three years. He’s a veteran lefty, who has experience getting outs in big situations for contending teams. Plus, he currently finds himself on the Los Angeles Angels, who will almost certainly be shopping their veterans on expiring contracts come late July.

While Moore isn’t having the same success that he had in the last few years, he still constitutes an upgrade over Thielbar when it comes to the war of late-30s lefty relievers. The 35-year-old has a 4.88 ERA across 30 appearances for the Halos, but that's inflated by a disastrous appearance on May 13 wherein he allowed four earned runs while getting just one out. Since then, he has a rock-solid 2.84 ERA in 14 appearances. If the Twins still like his ability to induce weak contact, as well as his lethal four-seam fastball and knuckle-curve combo, he could be had for a pretty reasonable return given his age and the roughly $5 million left on his contract for the remainder of this year.

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Garrett Cleavinger
If the Twins were looking for a reliable lefty to add to their bullpen, they could just look into the visitor’s bullpen this week--and twice, out to the game mound. Cleavinger has quietly been a force for the Tampa Bay Rays for the last four years, pitching to a combined 3.39 ERA in that time with a strong 29.5% strikeout rate, albeit with a worrisome 12% walk rate.

The Twins could be interested in him based on his ability to get strikeouts, as well as induce soft contact, but they would probably want to simplify a repertoire that currently includes a four-seam fastball, cutter, slider and sweeper. But even if they don’t do much retooling with him, Cleavinger would bring a solid veteran presence to the role, and he has three years of club control following the 2024 campaign.

It’s rare that the Rays find themselves in the seller’s pool at the trade deadline, but it’s trending that way as of right now, and they may jump at the opportunity to finally replenish some prospect depth. It can be scary trading with Tampa Bay, as they almost always come out ahead when all is said and done, but the Twins have gotten them before (hello, Joe Ryan), so maybe they go back to the well this time.

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TJ McFarland
After getting run out of Target Field with their tail between their legs, the Oakland Athletics are almost certainly bound for another sell-off (alas, not the kind many were hoping to see from their ownership). One of their biggest assets come the trade deadline will be 35-year-old McFarland, a veteran of eight major-league seasons.

The veteran southpaw is having a strong campaign, even if it lacks the strikeout firepower that you’d hope to see from a late-inning reliever. McFarland has a 3.54 ERA across 35 games, and he’s elite when it comes to average exit velocity (98th percentile), Barrel percentage (99th percentile) and ground-ball rate (99th percentile). He has achieved this through pairing a strong sinker with a relatively new sweeper that has only allowed three extra-base hits this year, and they were all doubles.

McFarland is a true rental, as he is set to hit free agency after this season, so it shouldn’t cost the Twins an arm and a leg to acquire his services, especially given the fact that the A’s are not in a rush to return to contention anytime soon.

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BONUS:
Taylor Rogers
You will NEVER break the chain. 

This one would get many people excited, as Minnesotans love a good ol’ fashioned reunion with a former star. However, there are some major factors that could make this a tough fit. Rogers is owed roughly $5.5 million for the remainder of this season, then $11 million for 2025, which would be his age-34 campaign.

We haven’t seen this front office show much interest in terms of investing heavily in their bullpen group, and the Giants are still middle-of-the-pack when it comes to their aspirations to contend this year. But they play in a tough division and are currently four games below .500, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see them decide to sell a few pieces if they continue to fall. And to his credit, Rogers is having another strong year, on the heels of a solid 2023 campaign. He currently has a 2.22 ERA across 30 games, and he still boasts the sweeper-sinker combo that made him a late-inning stalwart for the Twins from 2016-2021. He would be an immediate improvement over any of the southpaws in the current bullpen.

It’s hard to gauge how much the Twins would have to give up to secure his services. It would almost certainly have to include moving other contracts off the books, or asking the Giants to absorb some salary in the move, either of which would increase the overall transaction cost. But if the stars align (they won’t), a reunion with the former closer could be a really interesting development for the Twins.

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What do you think? Do any of these southpaws stand out to you as potential trade targets? Who else should be on this list? Let us know what you think in the comment section, and as always, keep it sweet.

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[h2oface]

Maybe trade Paddack for Rodgers? 

[Doctor Gast]

IMO TB are better sellers than buyers. They were in a buyer mode when they bought Cruz. They'd be in a seller's mode when selling Cleavinger. I like both Tanner Scott & A. J. Puk (MIA). Tanner Scott will get a lot of attention & his price will probably be higher than we'd like. but Puk is from Mpls. could be had at a reasonable price. Puk tried his luck at SP this season with mixed reviews mainly poor, Sent back to the BP, he remains a very solid RP. I also like the fact that being from a different league, many from our league will not know him well. Last season Okert had a very good season with MIA, then he fell apart towards the end of the season, the reason why MIA was happy to trade him. So I'd not trust him fully to be reliable towards the end of our season.

[jorgenswest]

They need a pitcher that has been consistently solid a healthy over the last three seasons. That leaves out McFarland and Moore. Moore’s velocity has ticked down and his peripherals are not very good this year. I would also take issues with Cleavinger being a force the last 4 years. How can you be a force when your innings totals are 18, 23, 12 and 29? 

Rogers is the only option of the 4 and the Twins will have to pay up. Otherwise I would go with Funderburk and hope that Stewart and Topa return.

[Kenny Powers]

I really dislike trading for relief pitching.  It seems to cost too much and relief pitchers are so up and down, you never really know what you are getting.  Often times, what you have at home is better (and free).  

Funderburk has nothing left to prove at AAA.  He looked great last year (albeit small sample).  I assume scouting caught up to him to start this year.  But now it's time for he (and coaching staff) to make adjustments.  I think he'll be just as good as some of the LH pitchers mentioned in the article.

Theilbar is having a rough go.  I think they should either DL him or option him to AAA to get his groove back.  The velocity seems fine, so not sure if there is anything going on health wise or not?

Also, I have not heard any recent updates on Headrick.  But he would be another guy I'd like to see more of once he's healthy.  I would assume he's getting close to throwing again - but again - I have not seen any recent news or reports.

Down the road, I could see Jaylen Nowlin as another LH bullpen option.  But with our limited Starting Pitching depth, they will certainly keep him as a starter as long as possible.

Try our guys first - they might surprise us.

 

[LambchoP]

Bullpen definitely needs some work. Glad they released Jackson but now Theilbar needs to be next. They could replace him pretty easily with Funderburk which is a decent short term solution. But high leverage, late game situations I wouldn't trust Okert or Funderburk because of their control issues. We need a solid high strikeouts lefty and another right handed. Especially if we're not getting Topa, Canterino or Stewart back anytime soon. Any one of those guys, along with Varland could really strengthen the BP, just need guys to get healthy. As for lefties, how's Aroldis Chapman's season going? He's on a selling team right?

[Chris Spencer]

Lets see some article's about what the Twins can get at the trade deadline as sellers. This team would be terrible if it wasn't for the easy schedule. We will not be able to play Chicago and Oakland all season. They just looked bad against a pretty bad Tampa team. I do not believe this is a team we should be trading assets away to try and improve so we can get slaughtered in the playoffs again.  

[jmlease1]

I think they're going to have to monitor this over the next 6 weeks to be sure. Okert is death to lefties, but is getting crushed by righties, which makes it harder to go to him late in games where he could immediately face at least one pinch hitter and might not get more than 1 lefty out of his minimum 3. Part of Thielbar's strength over the years was he could handle righties as well without getting nuked. I expect he'll get some additional opportunities to see if he can get it back, and he's got the track record that he deserves more rope.

Giving Funderburk the opportunity makes the most sense right now. His control is still concerning, but he been good at not giving up hard contact and should have the ability to work around a walk or two.

[terrydactyls]

I see no need to add anyone to the bullpen (especially a rental).  IF the Twins get into the playoffs and they decide on Ober, Lopez, and Ryan as the starters, they can add Varland, Woods Richardson, and Paddock to the bullpen.  That's a better (and cheaper) alternative.

[TopGunn#22]

I'm not very excited by any of the options mentioned.  I'd be O.K. with Taylor Rogers but he costs more than our entire budget for the BP the rest of this season and next year.  It's the reason why we traded him to the Padres in the first place...we didn't want to pay him.  His cost kills any chance we bring him back.

I'm happy going with Funderburk and Varland in the BP immediately and hopefully Stewart within a couple more weeks.  I'd be happy to move Paddack to the pen and have Festa take his place as #5 SP.

But if we do make some trades at or before the deadline I'm more interested in a solid SP like Luzardo than spare parts in the bullpen.  We may very well trade Kepler.  I think I'd rather see us do that than just let him walk at the end of the season.  Maybe Kepler is involved in a trade for a SP or another bat.  We'll see. 

I think adding Brooks Lee's bat to the lineup and hopefully getting Julien back and producing like he did last year would be enough for the offense.  Why trade for Pete Alonso when Carlos Santana is out producing him so far.  It probably won't hold up  but I still can't see Alonso in a Twins uniform.  

[Bamboo Bat]

33 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

Bullpen definitely needs some work. Glad they released Jackson but now Theilbar needs to be next. They could replace him pretty easily with Funderburk which is a decent short term solution. But high leverage, late game situations I wouldn't trust Okert or Funderburk because of their control issues. We need a solid high strikeouts lefty and another right handed. Especially if we're not getting Topa, Canterino or Stewart back anytime soon. Any one of those guys, along with Varland could really strengthen the BP, just need guys to get healthy. As for lefties, how's Aroldis Chapman's season going? He's on a selling team right?

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Jackson is on the team right now. 

[Lou Hennessy]

12 minutes ago, Bamboo Bat said:

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Jackson is on the team right now. 

[Dman]

2 hours ago, Bamboo Bat said:

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Jackson is on the team right now. 

He is off the 40 man, but will likely make it to St. Paul as I believed they guaranteed his salary.  Other teams could claim him, but given his results this year and the cost it would be highly unlikely. 

[umterp23]

Don't need to trade for an aging lefty in the pen and give up pieces:  Welcome back to the show Funderburk

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

They don't need another lefty reliever. They need to get rid of Thielbar.

[LambchoP]

Best move would be to pick up a SP with control like Crochet or Luzardo. Give the new addition Paddacks place in the rotation and move Paddack to the BP. If we don't aquire a starter, then call up Festa and do the same thing. Basically give Festa his cup of coffee and see if he needs more work in AAA or not. I still think Zebby is our best pitching prospect and should be untouchable in trades. Maybe a package of Kepler, Severino and minor league pitchers gets us a decent starter....?

[KBJ1]

Theilbar just didn't comeback from his early season injury this year. He has lost 3 mph on his fastball and his curve just isn't biting. He may be done.

Funderburk is going to have to step up and take this spot.

Trading for a mid leverage rental, while helpful, doesn't get us to the WS.

A healthy Brock Stewart & Duran from last year might, but neither of those are available either. Putting SWR, Varland etc in the bullpen is fine for the playoffs, but none are Leftys. We don't have any LH starters either. So this is a problem that needs attention.

I'd take McFarland  the weak contact inducing guy mentioned above first.

Then pray Stewart comes back strong & Duran regains his effectiveness.