Mixing and Matching: Why the Twins Are Embracing Bullpen Games in 2025

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

As the dog days of summer give way to the season’s final months, the Twins are playing with a pitching staff that looks a little unconventional. Between innings limits for young arms like Zebby Matthews and Simeon Woods Richardson, the trade of Chris Paddack Monday, and a developmental pipeline filled with multi-inning relievers, the Twins are increasingly turning to “bullpen days” to navigate the schedule.

“We’re in a good spot, and we’ve done this multiple times before,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We've been able to play and pitch some good ballgames using a bullpen sort of day. They all look different.”

Why Bullpen Games Work
The Twins are hardly the first team to try this strategy, but they’ve taken a more deliberate and tactical approach this season. Cole Sands, a former starter, has become the opener of choice in these matchups, and his success stems from a diverse arsenal that plays well against any spot in the lineup.

“Cole [Sands] I think is pretty comfortable starting these games,” Baldelli said. “He has a good pitch mix to pitch to both right- and left-handed hitters… I think he’s a good fit to do this every so often when we run a bullpen day.”

Behind Sands, players like Travis Adams are helping to shoulder the innings. Adams, a converted starter with a deep pitch mix, has emerged as a key “bulk guy” who can bridge the middle innings without needing to be stretched into a traditional starter’s workload.

“He’s handled it all well,” Baldelli said of Adams. “He’s got a mix of pitches that he can use to attack hitters in different ways. But I think he’s done a good job with what we’ve asked him to do… Everything we’ve thrown his way, it’s been pretty smooth. And that’s all you can ask for from a young guy.”

One of the significant advantages of a bullpen day is matchup manipulation. When done right, it can prevent opposing lineups from getting a second or third look at any one pitcher, while also giving the Twins the chance to neutralize platoon-heavy hitters through the game.

For some managers, the unpredictability could create a headache. But for Baldelli, it’s a feature.

“Honestly, I enjoy these games. Maybe not every guy enjoys these games, but I do.”

Yes, he really said that. When asked about his apparent comfort with bullpen days, he responded with an explanation only a manager steeped in game theory could provide.

“We play a lot of baseball games, and when you get to do something that’s a little bit different, or somewhat interesting—that makes you think a little bit in a new way—it’s just, I enjoy that every once in a while,” he said. “When you see things that maybe you haven’t quite seen before—and every time you run a bullpen day, you’re gonna see some kind of situation in that game that is something you probably haven’t seen in 99.8% of the games that you’ve ever been a part of—you’re just gonna run into something new.”

It’s more than just the challenge during the game. The planning starts the night before, with Baldelli and the staff game-planning different scenarios.

“It’s definitely different, and it starts yesterday. It doesn’t start during the game, it starts last night. We decide who’s gonna begin the game; we have to decide that first. And then you go from there. Then you have to wait and see what their lineup’s gonna look like."

That was what the Twins did Sunday, and after they dealt away Tuesday's projected starter, they'll do it again Tuesday. It'll be a matter of feeling their way through the game, one decision point at a time.

“So you kind of walk through those scenarios, knowing that even the ones you plan for may not be the ones that play out,” he said. “So you’re prepared for a lot of different things to come. You talk through as much of it as you can, without getting too far. You plan for what you can plan for; that’s pretty much it.” 

The real-time decision-making on bullpen days is significantly more involved. It’s a chess match from pitch one.

“Even when the game starts, there’s a lot more talking going on, relating to the pitching,” Baldelli noted.

A Developmental Edge
Minnesota's front office and player development staff haven’t just stumbled into this model; they’ve been building toward it. As I wrote about earlier this season, the organization has been developing more pitchers in the minors who are comfortable working multiple innings in relief.

Rather than limiting pitchers to single-inning bursts or traditional five-inning starts, prospects like John Klein, Mike Paredes, and Pierson Ohl have all been utilized in ways that mirror major-league bullpen days. That kind of minor-league structure directly feeds into the big-league flexibility the Twins are currently using.

“The minor leagues are ultimately a testing ground for these things,” Director of Player Development Drew MacPhail said. “With a select number of pitchers that were maybe on the outside looking in of a starting rotation spot but we felt like had a lot of talent and potential, we sort of brought them this idea of almost being like a quasi-starter/long reliever and pitching every day on a four-day cadence—not going through the order multiple times, but pitching three to four innings.”

Having pitchers like Adams and Sands able to step in and pitch two or three innings at a time gives the team options and keeps the rotation fresh for longer series.

What Comes Next
Bullpen games may become more common over the final stretch. Baldelli has been clear that this isn’t a permanent change. He said it's “not something that I aspire to do, run them constantly,” but it’s a card he’s willing to play.

As young pitchers approach innings caps and the staff continues to juggle injuries, these unconventional games might be the best way for the Twins to bridge the gap from the trade deadline to the season’s final game. 

And if you ask Baldelli, the chaos is part of the charm.

“These games keep us on our toes,” he said. “They keep our bullpen on their toes. But I think we’re fully equipped and ready to win a game in this manner.”

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Should the Twins be doing more bullpen games? Will this type of strategy be successful over a 162-game season? Leave a comment and start the discussion. 

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[old nurse]

Bullpen games become a necessity when minor league starters do not develop. Adams, Morris and Lewis took a step back rather than forward hence there is a need for bullpen games. 

[Doctor Gast]

I'm not as much a BP game fan as a long relief fan. IMO, a team must have at least one long RP. I don't understand starting Sands when we have so many SPs who can't go much more than 5 innings, with Raya & Prielipp being the closest to MLB, and I doubt they can go more than 3 innings when they come up. Focus should be long relief, not openers, because we have a ton of young SPs who can do that. The focus has to be long relief & get pitchers in that mindset. IMO, Adams isn't MLB-ready, so Sands is the logical choice.

Long relief should be plan A, not a poorly planned plan C. Baldelli says he is in favor of long relief, but he doesn't incorporate it & when he does, it's usually mop-up. We started the season with a fragile rotation & now we are very shorthanded, even for incorporating BP games & desperately need help.

[Woof Bronzer]

It's interesting that the piece fails to mention if, you know, bullpen games work.  Results matter.  What is the Twins' record in so-called bullpen games?  Isn't this relevant to the discussion?  

Having pitchers like Adams and Sands able to step in and pitch two or three innings at a time gives the team options and keeps the rotation fresh for longer series.

A few days ago they "stepped in" to allow the not-trying Nationals to rout the Twins and easily take the series.  Mission accomplished, I guess? 

  

[Mike Sixel]

1 minute ago, Woof Bronzer said:

It's interesting that the piece fails to mention if, you know, bullpen games work.  Results matter.  What is the Twins' record in so-called bullpen games?  Isn't this relevant to the discussion?  

Having pitchers like Adams and Sands able to step in and pitch two or three innings at a time gives the team options and keeps the rotation fresh for longer series.

A few days ago they "stepped in" to allow the not-trying Nationals to rout the Twins and easily take the series.  Mission accomplished, I guess? 

  

It's a tiny sample size. Also, they seem to be picking less good players to do this. 

I have no idea if this is a good idea, but when you are down three or four starters, there isn't much choice. 

How many good starting pitchers do people think teams have? Most don't even have five......

[Woof Bronzer]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

It's a tiny sample size. Also, they seem to be picking less good players to do this. 

I have no idea if this is a good idea, but when you are down three or four starters, there isn't much choice. 

How many good starting pitchers do people think teams have? Most don't even have five......

Baseball somehow survived something like 125 years without having to resort to openers...if your starters are constantly getting hurt than maybe that's the problem, and the solution isn't to pitch middle relievers (in other words your worst pitchers) instead, but rather to prioritize long term health of your starters (in other words your best pitchers) over a couple more ticks on the gun.  

Also, off topic, but: I would love for someone to tell me what number makes a meaningful sample size.  I never ever hear it.  Is it 50?  100?  1000? Whatever number suits the argument you are trying to make? What's the magic number?  

[old nurse]

4 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

I'm not as much a BP game fan as a long relief fan. IMO, a team must have at least one long RP. I don't understand starting Sands when we have so many SPs who can't go much more than 5 innings, with Raya & Prielipp being the closest to MLB, and I doubt they can go more than 3 innings when they come up. Focus should be long relief, not openers, because we have a ton of young SPs who can do that. The focus has to be long relief & get pitchers in that mindset. IMO, Adams isn't MLB-ready, so Sands is the logical choice.

Long relief should be plan A, not a poorly planned plan C. Baldelli says he is in favor of long relief, but he doesn't incorporate it & when he does, it's usually mop-up. We started the season with a fragile rotation & now we are very shorthanded, even for incorporating BP games & desperately need help.

Ohl is getting his chance. With an over 6 ERA, Raya is not close to ready. Prielipp in AA is not ready

Long relievers do not exist in part due to the shortage of starters. If their stuff as a starter isn’t good enough, the same stuff won’t work as a reliever. Conversion to a short reliever then happens. If increasing speed does not work, they are not major league pitchers 

[Doctor Gast]

17 minutes ago, old nurse said:

Ohl is getting his chance. With an over 6 ERA, Raya is not close to ready. Prielipp in AA is not ready

Long relievers do not exist in part due to the shortage of starters. If their stuff as a starter isn’t good enough, the same stuff won’t work as a reliever. Conversion to a short reliever then happens. If increasing speed does not work, they are not major league pitchers 

IMO, we should focus on having enough SPs (that means maybe going outside the organization). I'd like to bring up our young SPs sooner & have them pitching long relief rather than keeping them at AAA. I have stated this before I don't think we have anyone in AAA who is really ready to make that jump (not Adams or Ohl)

[NotAboutWinning]

Now that the Twins have given up the season, it is a good time to try out the alternate pitching construct they have been using in the minors.

[karcherd]

The Twins have stopped developing starting pitchers.  Look at the box scores, every "starter" in AAA and AA is going 3 or 4 innings and throwing 60 to 70 pitchers.  Then they bring a bulk pitcher in after that to do the same.  The Saints announcer made mention of this a couple of weeks ago, they don't have anyone that goes just one inning, they are all bulk guys.

And now you have these guys coming up but the rest of the pitching staff isn't constructed to support this model.  At some point Falvey has to realize he isn't the smartest man in baseball and stop trying to reinvent the wheel.  It's one thing to tweak things, but he keeps trying to keep changing how things are done.  Well you need to win if you are going to do this and the results have not been there.

 

[Mike Sixel]

1 minute ago, karcherd said:

The Twins have stopped developing starting pitchers.  Look at the box scores, every "starter" in AAA and AA is going 3 or 4 innings and throwing 60 to 70 pitchers.  Then they bring a bulk pitcher in after that to do the same.  The Saints announcer made mention of this a couple of weeks ago, they don't have anyone that goes just one inning, they are all bulk guys.

And now you have these guys coming up but the rest of the pitching staff isn't constructed to support this model.  At some point Falvey has to realize he isn't the smartest man in baseball and stop trying to reinvent the wheel.  It's one thing to tweak things, but he keeps trying to keep changing how things are done.  Well you need to win if you are going to do this and the results have not been there.

 

They are doing the same exact thing as every other team. People here have analyzed the innings to death, both in the minors and majors, and it's the same as every other team. 

[karcherd]

48 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

They are doing the same exact thing as every other team. People here have analyzed the innings to death, both in the minors and majors, and it's the same as every other team. 

That is the argument but it is not about averages.  Right now the Twins are not stretching out any of their pitchers in the minor leagues at the top two levels.  Name one other team that is doing that.  They were quoted as saying that they are doing something new in the minor leagues with the pitching model.

Last night Detroit had a pitcher in his second major start go 7 innings and face 24 batters and there are plenty of other examples.  So I believe the Twins are doing this to a greater degree than other teams.

[Danchat]

22 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

They are doing the same exact thing as every other team. People here have analyzed the innings to death, both in the minors and majors, and it's the same as every other team. 

I wonder if there's a difference in that trend when you compare low minors to high minors / AAA? I did some looking around on Baseball Reference and found there are some young starters who have cracked the big leagues for other teams that were averaging 5 innings per start once they reached AAA. Notably, in 2024 the Astros had 3 players under the age of 26 throw 120+ innings a piece, with one reaching the 140s. Much more research needs to be done to confirm this, but it's a thought.

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, Danchat said:

I wonder if there's a difference in that trend when you compare low minors to high minors / AAA? I did some looking around on Baseball Reference and found there are some young starters who have cracked the big leagues for other teams that were averaging 5 innings per start once they reached AAA. Notably, in 2024 the Astros had 3 players under the age of 26 throw 120+ innings a piece, with one reaching the 140s. Much more research needs to be done to confirm this, but it's a thought.

I can't say! I'm only going off the work others here have done. I used to go into this much depth, but I lost interest in doing the work myself.........

In any event, I don't think the issue here is number of innings. I think it is injuries and good and bad performance. This team has 6 SP (if you count number 5s) even after dealing Paddock. There are systems w/o 4.....I'm not really sure what people expect, realistically, in terms of depth.

Would I like to see Raya go more innings? Or Matthews or Morris or Ohl? Yes, yes I would. Am I sure that would be a good idea? No. 

Last year Matthews threw 134 innings, btw.....Festa 124.....SWR 133.

[NotAboutWinning]

Why can't the 2 approaches coexist? Major league pitching is at a premium. Why not use all your guys to their best abilities? Yes, it will require managing the pitching staff differently.

[Woof Bronzer]

16 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

They are doing the same exact thing as every other team. 

Citation needed.  

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, Woof Bronzer said:

Citation needed.  

People on these boards have posted the data. The twins are middle of the pack in innings, in the minors and majors. I have no interest in crunching the numbers myself. 

[Fatbat]

21 hours ago, Woof Bronzer said:

Baseball somehow survived something like 125 years without having to resort to openers...if your starters are constantly getting hurt than maybe that's the problem, and the solution isn't to pitch middle relievers (in other words your worst pitchers) instead, but rather to prioritize long term health of your starters (in other words your best pitchers) over a couple more ticks on the gun.  

Also, off topic, but: I would love for someone to tell me what number makes a meaningful sample size.  I never ever hear it.  Is it 50?  100?  1000? Whatever number suits the argument you are trying to make? What's the magic number?  

Like the stock market. Sample sizes constantly move and are put into perspective differently by different people. What you take out of any sample is all relative to your own perspective.