These Two Long Relievers Could Break Out With A Role Change

[Cody Pirkl]

Image courtesy of © Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images (Travis Adams), © Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images (Pierson Ohl)

The mass exodus of the Twins' relief corps has left the team with a decimated bullpen for both the short and long term. We’ve already seen them begin to scour the waiver wire for interesting arms, and several spots have been filled by veteran options who are unlikely to develop into much beyond this season. Two recently promoted arms are currently filling bulk roles but could be prime candidates to take the next step toward being valuable relievers.

Travis Adams
We saw Travis Adams spin a fantastic start on Tuesday against Detroit, going five innings and allowing two runs while striking out seven. While worth celebrating, Adams is a tier below many of the current and up-and-coming starting pitchers in the organization in terms of prospect pedigree. Nothing is saying he can’t develop as a traditional starting pitcher if he continues to be successful, but his path to grabbing a rotation spot in the future is narrow.

We’re unlikely to see Adams make many more starts this season, and even his role as a bulk reliever may be unnecessary as several arms are promoted and hopefully return from injury. His six-pitch mix is surely what made him a candidate for this role. Still, as the demand for a neutral innings filler declines, it may be an excellent opportunity for him to trim his repertoire down and focus on retiring hitters in shorter stints.

Adams’ bread and butter is his four-seam fastball and slider. Both offerings have whiff rates above 30% even in his stretched-out role. He throws a sinker, cutter, and curveball, all of which have been pummeled in the small sample of his debut. He’s gotten unlucky with his changeup, but this pitch looks solid as well with a 25% whiff rate and is his go-to pitch for retiring opposing hitters. Out of the bullpen, he would only need a fastball, slider, and changeup to navigate shorter stretches of opposing lineups, and any uptick in stuff in these short bursts could make a huge difference.

Cutting down on the repertoire and letting the stuff play up is a recipe for bullpen success that has played out plenty of times, and Travis Adams is a prime candidate to make this transition.

Pierson Ohl
Like Adams, Ohl has been used as a bulk pitcher this season, and it’s helped him reclaim some of the shine that he lost in 2024. Ohl once looked like an intriguing find in the 14th round when he reached Double-A in 2023 and posted an ERA in the low 3s. 2024 saw a significant step back in stuff across the board, however. In 2025, shortening his role allowed him to ascend to the big-league level, where he’s flashed his elite changeup in his brief debut so far.

Unlike Adams, Ohl doesn’t have much to trim off his repertoire. He’s turned to his fastball and changeup over 80% of the time. He currently looks like a one-pitch pitcher, making him the likeliest candidate to see his innings reduced as the rotation fills back out. The changeup is legitimately dominant, potentially to the point where he could be an effective one-inning reliever in the MLB right now. The question is whether he can take a step beyond that level.

Ohl’s fastball has averaged a shade over 92 mph so far while getting absolutely shelled. Perhaps shorter stints can boost the velocity to the point where that pitch is at least usable. Ohl has also flashed a cutter less than 10% of the time with excellent results. If he can have some time to play with the pitch mix and find another offering to pair with a legitimately elite changeup, it’s easy to see how he could be highly effective out of the bullpen.

Despite the Twins’ previously elite bullpen being homegrown, such situations aren’t put together overnight. It’s often a winding path to the status of “elite reliever” or even “effective reliever”, and there’s no telling who will develop next for the Twins. Adams and Ohl should be given the opportunity down the stretch this season, and both have the kinds of indicators to look for in pitchers who successfully make this transition. 

Do you agree that Austin Adams and Pierson Ohl have what it takes to be part of the next effective Twins bullpen? Are there other arms we should be keeping an eye on? Let us know below!

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[old nurse]

There is nothing in Adams game logs that say major league pitcher other than 1 game.  Ohl may or may not develop, but I doubt there is much advantage to having him spend more time in the minors. So  let him pitch every third day and see what happens. 

[Rod Carews Birthday]

Yes.  They are both worth a shot in the BP.  Neither look likely to make it as starters.  Whether they become successful relievers is still yet to be determined, but that seems like a logical direction.  

[thelanges5]

Both seem better 1 time through the order or les. 

[The Great Hambino]

Whatever the pecking order is in determining who among the group of prospect/recent prospect starting pitcher options they have to determine the future rotation (and by exclusion, the future bullpen), Adams and Ohl are certainly at the bottom of it.  There's no reason not to give them some cracks at short relief to see how their stuff plays in short bursts. 

If they stick, then whatever amount of pocket change that gets allocated to bringing in relievers this offseason would need to be spread out across one fewer acquisition.  So they can get target 2 $1.5MM guys instead of 3 $1MM guys.  That was a depressing sentence to type.

 

[Dman]

47 minutes ago, Rod Carews Birthday said:

Yes.  They are both worth a shot in the BP.  Neither look likely to make it as starters.  Whether they become successful relievers is still yet to be determined, but that seems like a logical direction.  

Totally agree!  I would add that they are on the 40 man taking up valuable spots so finding out if they will work out in the pen ideally happens quickly.  I don't have a ton of faith in either arm and 40 man spots are valuable.  They both have interesting stuff though and have been pretty good starters all the way to AAA.  I hope they can make it as pen arms it's tough to make it at the MLB level though.

[DJL44]

Contenders don't really need "bulk" relievers. Contenders have starting pitchers who can give you 5-6 innings consistently. Long relief is more of a need for bad teams than good ones.

[Major League Ready]

Adams hit 97 a couple times last night.  He might be capable of ramping it up in a RP role like Jax was able to do.

[karcherd]

But the question is, especially after the news today is Falvey going to continue down the bulk pitcher nonsense in the minors and try to shove it into the major league level as well.  If he is, this article means nothing because they are not going to change course unless the limited partners have any say and tell him to run the organization like a major league baseball team and not a lab experiment.

[miller761]

Adams does not pass the eye test. AAAA pitcher. Jury is still out on Ohl but not looking good.

[HerbieFan]

No idea if either of these kids have a future in the bullpen.  But I know this....IF they do have a future it's definitely in 'pen

[DocBauer]

I'm sorry, but how many times in a week plus do we have need to have this same conversation? PLUS, this whole OP is based on a "new idea" that was presented months ago in a different OP.

But like a gerbil tracing lettuce on a wheel, I guess I'm going to go around the wheel ONE MORE TIME.

BACKGROUND: The FO decided to experiment this season with a collection of arms that didn't gave enough pure STUFF to be a back end 8th inning pen option, but also didn't have enough ability to be a ML 5 IP 4th or 5th SP. But they had good enough arms to be viable for 2-4 IP every 4th day. That was the baseline.

Now translate that to the ML level where relievers will fairly often throw 2 days in a row need at least 1 day off if they do so, and 2 days off is preffered.

So what if the 7th and 8th spots in the bullpen were filled with better options than a "we brought him up in case we had an injury or blowout arm and we'll send him down tomorrow or DFA him. Thank the baseball gods we didn't need him for an extra inning game".

FOR A MOMENT, can we pretend the FO knows what they are doing and aren't going to trade away the rest of the team and actually keep the strength of the team intact? 🤞

We'll use the CURRENT rotation intact for example. You have Lopez, Ryan, Ober, the ever improving Matthews, and we'll say SWR for reference sake. MOST days you get 6 IP, sometimes more, sometimes less. Once in a while you only get 5. Occasionally, someone gets dinged, or woke up on the wrong side of the bed, 4 innings. You have the last 2 spots in the pen with arms that have the ability to go 1-2-3 IP depending on the circumstances. That means 30 to a max of 60 pitches thrown to get through 1, 1 1/2, 2 times through a rotation and they can do that every 3 days with a day off, and a couple of EASY bullpens instead of HARD bullpens. 

Doesn't that sound a LOT better than a sacrificial lamb or two filling out a temporary roster spot that makes your stomach turn if they have to pitch in a late inning situation? 

Ohl and Adams are kind of the poster boys for this trial. They are perfect examples of what we are talking about if you've paid attention to their MILB career and their development. 

Does that mean they shouldn't get an opportunity to see if they are the next Jax, or Sands, 2024 version at least, absolutely not. I'd really, really like each to get a couple 1IP moments beyond the roll they've been set up for. FRANKLY they DESERVIVE that opportunity not only for themselves, but for the construction of the 2026 pen, which remains a mystery at this point.

And there are a lot of question marks related to all the pitching depth the Twins currently have. I ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY DO NOT WANT TO MOVE FESTA OUT OF THE ROTATION. To my knowledge, he's never had any sort of major injury. And his most recent dual tired arm  injury might just be a blip. But it reminds me so much of Duran that I have to wonder if he's not the 1st convert to the pen for 2026. Jeremy Nygaard had already predicted him to be the SAVE leader in 2026. I hate to say it, but he might not be wrong.

DON'T dismiss Ohl and Adams and what they might represent in a pen re-build. Nor should anyone dismiss what this idea represents for the future. It's actually really close to what the Cardinals used to do with young arms, getting their debut in the pen and then moving to the rotation. This about decent arms who don't seem to have the ability to be a ML SP, but could be valuable as a strong middle arm who converts to a backend pen arm. 

This is a verervse version of what the Cardinals used to do in today's game, while stilling giving you the same old option of moving someone to the rotation as they prove themselves and develop. 

[h2oface]

The "eye" test. The most worthless subjective BS there ever was. 

[tony&rodney]

6 hours ago, DocBauer said:

FOR A MOMENT, can we pretend the FO knows what they are doing and aren't going to trade away the rest of the team and actually keep the strength of the team intact?

Perhaps some people can, but I'm not sure there is much evidence for that belief. Let's just go with even a blind squirrel ....

[Mike Sixel]

I'd be trying them in normal relief. They need to find bullpen arms.....

[dxpavelka]

9 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Contenders don't really need "bulk" relievers. Contenders have starting pitchers who can give you 5-6 innings consistently. Long relief is more of a need for bad teams than good ones.

And yet, the team with the fewest innings this season from their starting pitchers is the Los Angeles Dodgers, who always seem like contenders to me.

[Fatbat]

3 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

And yet, the team with the fewest innings this season from their starting pitchers is the Los Angeles Dodgers, who always seem like contenders to me.

Its kind of a thing now to pitch a lot of guys 2-4 innings and not have many 6 inning SP.  someone is always trying to change the game to their advantage. 

[dxpavelka]

3 hours ago, Fatbat said:

Its kind of a thing now to pitch a lot of guys 2-4 innings and not have many 6 inning SP.  someone is always trying to change the game to their advantage. 

My point was that I was replying to a post insinuating that the Twins couldn't "compete" because they didn't get enough innings from their starters.  We actually get more than the Dodgers who won the title last year and the same as the Brewers who currently have the best record. I agree that there are fewer 6 inning starts than there used to be.  Twins average just a tick over 5.  Yes, the game has changed in that respect.  I don't really care for it but I'm one of those guys who is always hollering at the damn kids on my lawn.  The nice thing is that the Twins have shown a propensity for being able to build a good bullpen over the last handful of years.  Did we subtract some parts?  Sure.  Can we build it back?  Again, absolutely.  Would it be nice to still have Duran, Jax & Varland?  Sure.  But a quote I like to use in these situations is that every team that has ever won a World Series has done so without any of those guys so there is no reason why the Twins can't as well.  We've got a nice group of  potential starters.  The more of those you have the better the chance that some, or at least one, of them develop into something special, like a Joe Ryan.  With Correa's contract gone, the better the chance of keeping someone like Ryan.  Duran was NEVER going to stay here once he had the opportunity to leave.  A couple more years of him would have been nice but 5-10 years of the two guys we got for him might be alright too.  I will go out on a limb and say that in a few years we will look back at Trade Deadline 2025 as a turning point for a team in serious contention.  Will we win a World Series?  Maybe, maybe not.  But only one team does each year.  The rest better be entertaining and I think we will be that.  Sorry, I got off topic but once I started typing the thoughts and words just kind of started and didn't stop. I am fortunate enough to have seen two Twins championships and I'll die a Twins fan even if I don't see another.  Go Twins.  

We’re gonna win Twins, we’re gonna score!
We’re gonna win Twins, watch that baseball soar!
Knock out a homerun, shout a hip-hooray!
Cheer for the Minnesota Twins today!

We’re gonna win Twins, give it our all!
We’ve got the guys who’ll knock the cover off the ball!
Let’s hear it now for the team that came to play!
Cheer for the Minnesota Twins today!

[TopGunn#22]

Well, now that the dream of new ownership and a new everything has been thoroughly CRUSHED we can get back to discussing the details of a baseball team.  

The Twins have built up a LOT of depth with young SP.  But there are only so many spots to be filled.  We also have a BP that while talented, was completely GUTTED at the deadline.  SOME of these SP candidates either need to be traded or transitioned to BP roles.  Who goes where?  Here's my idea for a bunch of these guys:

Lopez, Ryan, Ober.  This is a solid 1-2-3 for a rotation.  The problem this season has been health.  Ryan has been healthy and was an All Star.  Lopez and Ober haven't been healthy and haven't been effective.  With the Pohlad's remaining, it's very possible that one of Ryan or Lopez and possibly BOTH gets traded.  While the Twins could receive a heck of a haul for either, I'm not in favor of trading them.  They should be the foundation of a strong rotation.  Ober however is another matter.  If he finishes the season strong, he's the SP I would trade.  He could bring back a strong position player or 2.

Matthews, Festa, SWR, Abel, Bradley.  These 5 guys make up the next tier.  With the exception of SWR who probably belongs in the Twins BP or in another teams rotation the other 4 all have the potential to be anything from a #5 all the way to a #2.  So far I've listed 8 SP.  If Ober was traded we could get by with the remaining 7 especially if SWR was shifted to long relief.  He'd be much more effective in that role and if needed to start could be built up fairly quickly.  

Guys like Adams and Ohl could have roles in the BP.  In their cases it's a matter of just making it to the major league roster.  Varland realized he could be an established major league player if he embraced a BP role.  Jax did as well.  I'm a believer that guys would much rather be a "Major Leaguer" even if it means being a "utility player" or a BP arm than chasing the dream in the minors.  Adams has the best chance of being a solid 1 inning guy.  

But before the Twins determine what they want to do with Festa (who could be a Joe Nathan type of arm) or Bradley, Matthews and Abel, they have to determine whether they can actually COMPETE in the A.L. Central in 2026.  And believe me, EVERY TEAM in the A.L. Central outside of the hapless White Sox should feel they can compete.  

This would require the Pohlad family and Falvey to sign someone like Yandy Diaz to play 1B and to bring in at least ONE, veteran closer.  Guys like David Bednar and Camilo Doval are tied to the Yankees for at least a couple more years.  But Devin Williams is a FA who earned $8.6 million in 2025.  Ryan Helsley earned $8.2 million in 2025 and he's a FA.  Kirby Yates is a FA who will earn $13 million from the Dodgers this season (if there was ever better evidence the Dodgers can throw money around like a drunken sailor on leave it's paying Yates almost DOUBLE what Williams, Helsley and others earned).  Yates has had a down year.  He will be 39 next March.  He's not making anything close to $13 million in 2026.  But he was flat out dominant in 2024.  And maybe he wants to be Closer again instead of just some guy in the Dodgers crowded pen.

The glaring hole in the Twins BP is a Closer.  After Duran, Jax AND Varland were dealt there's really nobody.  There is no way Festa should even be considered for Closer as long as he has the potential to be a #2 or #3 SP.  And the same is true for Abel, Matthews and Bradley. 

If the Rotation consists of Ryan, Lopez, Matthews, Festa, Abel and Bradley that's 6 pretty good arms.  That allows Ober to be traded if he builds his value back up.  It also allows for SWR to either land a spot in our BP or land in another teams rotation possibly getting a valuable position player in a position of need back. 

Connor Prielipp is 24.  Marco Raya is 23.  It's time to get them on the major league roster.  Raya should be a BP guy for sure.  Maybe he throws the 8th inning and auditions for "future Closer."  Much like the Twins used Johan Santana in the BP to begin with, these guys should be using their bullets in the big leagues.  Raya is probably destined for the BP.  Prielipp?  I'd like to keep open the idea he could still be a SP while getting value out of him on the big league roster as a high leverage reliver.

There are a LOT more moves to be made this off season.  One of Larnach/Wallner needs to be traded.  Possibly both.  Imagine what an Ober/Larnach or Wallner/SWR package could bring back.  I'd be all over offering Wallner/ SWR to the White Sox to get a package that includes one of their 2 young catchers back. If I was advising the Twins, I'd be looking to get guys like Adams, Raya and Prielipp some innings in the Arizona Fall League or Dominican Winter League as relief pitchers.  That way their innings are limited and they could get their feet wet in the role. 

Heck, if it was up to me, I'd send a couple of the journeyman mediocre BP arms packing (Ramirez, Kriske, Misiewicz) and get Prielipp and Raya up NOW.  The Twins just moved one game closer to the K.C. Royals in the Wild Card race last night.  KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE !!!

 

 

[saviking]

17 hours ago, DocBauer said:

I'm sorry, but how many times in a week plus do we have need to have this same conversation? PLUS, this whole OP is based on a "new idea" that was presented months ago in a different OP.

But like a gerbil tracing lettuce on a wheel, I guess I'm going to go around the wheel ONE MORE TIME.

BACKGROUND: The FO decided to experiment this season with a collection of arms that didn't gave enough pure STUFF to be a back end 8th inning pen option, but also didn't have enough ability to be a ML 5 IP 4th or 5th SP. But they had good enough arms to be viable for 2-4 IP every 4th day. That was the baseline.

Now translate that to the ML level where relievers will fairly often throw 2 days in a row need at least 1 day off if they do so, and 2 days off is preffered.

So what if the 7th and 8th spots in the bullpen were filled with better options than a "we brought him up in case we had an injury or blowout arm and we'll send him down tomorrow or DFA him. Thank the baseball gods we didn't need him for an extra inning game".

FOR A MOMENT, can we pretend the FO knows what they are doing and aren't going to trade away the rest of the team and actually keep the strength of the team intact? 🤞

We'll use the CURRENT rotation intact for example. You have Lopez, Ryan, Ober, the ever improving Matthews, and we'll say SWR for reference sake. MOST days you get 6 IP, sometimes more, sometimes less. Once in a while you only get 5. Occasionally, someone gets dinged, or woke up on the wrong side of the bed, 4 innings. You have the last 2 spots in the pen with arms that have the ability to go 1-2-3 IP depending on the circumstances. That means 30 to a max of 60 pitches thrown to get through 1, 1 1/2, 2 times through a rotation and they can do that every 3 days with a day off, and a couple of EASY bullpens instead of HARD bullpens. 

Doesn't that sound a LOT better than a sacrificial lamb or two filling out a temporary roster spot that makes your stomach turn if they have to pitch in a late inning situation? 

Ohl and Adams are kind of the poster boys for this trial. They are perfect examples of what we are talking about if you've paid attention to their MILB career and their development. 

Does that mean they shouldn't get an opportunity to see if they are the next Jax, or Sands, 2024 version at least, absolutely not. I'd really, really like each to get a couple 1IP moments beyond the roll they've been set up for. FRANKLY they DESERVIVE that opportunity not only for themselves, but for the construction of the 2026 pen, which remains a mystery at this point.

And there are a lot of question marks related to all the pitching depth the Twins currently have. I ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY DO NOT WANT TO MOVE FESTA OUT OF THE ROTATION. To my knowledge, he's never had any sort of major injury. And his most recent dual tired arm  injury might just be a blip. But it reminds me so much of Duran that I have to wonder if he's not the 1st convert to the pen for 2026. Jeremy Nygaard had already predicted him to be the SAVE leader in 2026. I hate to say it, but he might not be wrong.

DON'T dismiss Ohl and Adams and what they might represent in a pen re-build. Nor should anyone dismiss what this idea represents for the future. It's actually really close to what the Cardinals used to do with young arms, getting their debut in the pen and then moving to the rotation. This about decent arms who don't seem to have the ability to be a ML SP, but could be valuable as a strong middle arm who converts to a backend pen arm. 

This is a verervse version of what the Cardinals used to do in today's game, while stilling giving you the same old option of moving someone to the rotation as they prove themselves and develop. 

Tend to agree with what you said but for the life of me, looking back over his minor leagure career, I have no idea what they see in Adams.

[gman]

Next year may turn into a tryout camp for the pitching staff. Right now we may have 3 spots in the rotation spoken for. Beyond that I think guys are trying out for the positions.

May turn into the same thing for the fielders also.

[gman]

I'd add MacLeod as a potential left handed reliever for next year. Going to need someone beyond Funderburk.

[dxpavelka]

On 8/14/2025 at 10:07 AM, TopGunn#22 said:

Well, now that the dream of new ownership and a new everything has been thoroughly CRUSHED we can get back to discussing the details of a baseball team.  

The Twins have built up a LOT of depth with young SP.  But there are only so many spots to be filled.  We also have a BP that while talented, was completely GUTTED at the deadline.  SOME of these SP candidates either need to be traded or transitioned to BP roles.  Who goes where?  Here's my idea for a bunch of these guys:

Lopez, Ryan, Ober.  This is a solid 1-2-3 for a rotation.  The problem this season has been health.  Ryan has been healthy and was an All Star.  Lopez and Ober haven't been healthy and haven't been effective.  With the Pohlad's remaining, it's very possible that one of Ryan or Lopez and possibly BOTH gets traded.  While the Twins could receive a heck of a haul for either, I'm not in favor of trading them.  They should be the foundation of a strong rotation.  Ober however is another matter.  If he finishes the season strong, he's the SP I would trade.  He could bring back a strong position player or 2.

Matthews, Festa, SWR, Abel, Bradley.  These 5 guys make up the next tier.  With the exception of SWR who probably belongs in the Twins BP or in another teams rotation the other 4 all have the potential to be anything from a #5 all the way to a #2.  So far I've listed 8 SP.  If Ober was traded we could get by with the remaining 7 especially if SWR was shifted to long relief.  He'd be much more effective in that role and if needed to start could be built up fairly quickly.  

Guys like Adams and Ohl could have roles in the BP.  In their cases it's a matter of just making it to the major league roster.  Varland realized he could be an established major league player if he embraced a BP role.  Jax did as well.  I'm a believer that guys would much rather be a "Major Leaguer" even if it means being a "utility player" or a BP arm than chasing the dream in the minors.  Adams has the best chance of being a solid 1 inning guy.  

But before the Twins determine what they want to do with Festa (who could be a Joe Nathan type of arm) or Bradley, Matthews and Abel, they have to determine whether they can actually COMPETE in the A.L. Central in 2026.  And believe me, EVERY TEAM in the A.L. Central outside of the hapless White Sox should feel they can compete.  

This would require the Pohlad family and Falvey to sign someone like Yandy Diaz to play 1B and to bring in at least ONE, veteran closer.  Guys like David Bednar and Camilo Doval are tied to the Yankees for at least a couple more years.  But Devin Williams is a FA who earned $8.6 million in 2025.  Ryan Helsley earned $8.2 million in 2025 and he's a FA.  Kirby Yates is a FA who will earn $13 million from the Dodgers this season (if there was ever better evidence the Dodgers can throw money around like a drunken sailor on leave it's paying Yates almost DOUBLE what Williams, Helsley and others earned).  Yates has had a down year.  He will be 39 next March.  He's not making anything close to $13 million in 2026.  But he was flat out dominant in 2024.  And maybe he wants to be Closer again instead of just some guy in the Dodgers crowded pen.

The glaring hole in the Twins BP is a Closer.  After Duran, Jax AND Varland were dealt there's really nobody.  There is no way Festa should even be considered for Closer as long as he has the potential to be a #2 or #3 SP.  And the same is true for Abel, Matthews and Bradley. 

If the Rotation consists of Ryan, Lopez, Matthews, Festa, Abel and Bradley that's 6 pretty good arms.  That allows Ober to be traded if he builds his value back up.  It also allows for SWR to either land a spot in our BP or land in another teams rotation possibly getting a valuable position player in a position of need back. 

Connor Prielipp is 24.  Marco Raya is 23.  It's time to get them on the major league roster.  Raya should be a BP guy for sure.  Maybe he throws the 8th inning and auditions for "future Closer."  Much like the Twins used Johan Santana in the BP to begin with, these guys should be using their bullets in the big leagues.  Raya is probably destined for the BP.  Prielipp?  I'd like to keep open the idea he could still be a SP while getting value out of him on the big league roster as a high leverage reliver.

There are a LOT more moves to be made this off season.  One of Larnach/Wallner needs to be traded.  Possibly both.  Imagine what an Ober/Larnach or Wallner/SWR package could bring back.  I'd be all over offering Wallner/ SWR to the White Sox to get a package that includes one of their 2 young catchers back. If I was advising the Twins, I'd be looking to get guys like Adams, Raya and Prielipp some innings in the Arizona Fall League or Dominican Winter League as relief pitchers.  That way their innings are limited and they could get their feet wet in the role. 

Heck, if it was up to me, I'd send a couple of the journeyman mediocre BP arms packing (Ramirez, Kriske, Misiewicz) and get Prielipp and Raya up NOW.  The Twins just moved one game closer to the K.C. Royals in the Wild Card race last night.  KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE !!!

 

 

I will agree with a lot, if not most, of what you just posted.  Except the part about trading for an established closer.  Quick, when was the last time we successfully traded for an established closer?  

[TopGunn#22]

That's a good point dxpavelka !!!  The last time was Nathan.  But he was young and unproven.  Through the years the Twins have acquired Ron Perranoski, Jeff Reardon and Rick Aguilera by trade.  But your point is still a good one.  THIS front office has not been good when trading for bullpen help.  

The Twins have the makings of a pretty good rotation next season.  As far as the BP, the cupboard is bare.  There are holes in the lineup and behind the plate.  The possibility exists that with a few more trades the Twins could even out their roster and in the A.L. Central possibly contend. 

The Tigers with a resurgent lineup and Tarik Skubal look legit.  The Guardian Indians always find a way to be in the mix (although the Clase situation is a BIG problem).  The Royals have had to deal with a down year from Bobby Witt Jr. and their Ace, Cole Ragans has been hurt much of the year.  The Royals will be better next season.

But I can see the Twins actually being competitive if Buxton stays healthy.  Royce Lewis stays healthy and bounces back.  Luke Keaschall, Brooks Lee and Ryan Jeffers deliver.  That leaves both corner OF, 1B and DH. If the Twins package some SP and also decide to part with Wallner/Larnach they could fill some of those positional/lineup holes while also becoming a better club defensively. 

The BP needs a Closer to be it's foundation, but other arms like Raya, Prielipp, Topa and pray the Rosary...MATT CANTERINO (I just can't give up on this guy) and whatever SP or 2 don't make the rotation line up behind that Closer.

I listed a couple guys like Helsley, Devin Williams and Kirby Yates.  Right now Helsley and Yates are not being used as Closers and their pitching like it (rather uninspired).  The Twins will have some money to spend and if they truly want to contend, they will need a Closer.  The current regime has never paid ANY pitcher in their BP any kind of money.  And they promptly traded Duran and Jax just before they would start seeing their salaries start to climb.

Maybe with a virtually clean slate in 2026 they will determine they NEED a Closer and they go out and get one.  Helsley and Williams will make $8.2 and $8.6 million in 2025, but once their year ends each will have underperformed.  They are still good pitchers.  Could a 2-3 year contract at $6 million be possible??  In terms of the Twins, that is a fortune!  In terms of normal major league teams, Williams or Helsley at $6 million would be a bargain.  

Maybe the new investors are able to impress something like this strategy on the Pohlad/Falvey regime.  Of course Rocco could always send out Devin Williams or Ryan Helsley in the 7th inning in a high leverage situation.  That's his prerogative.  And we will all be pulling our hair out.  I

I can dream, and then still have my dream crushed.  After all, I'm a Twins fan.