Can they build a bullpen?

[jorgenswest]

To open this is about building a bullpen that gives the Twinsa chance to contend next year. If contending isn’t your interest there are countless discussions about trading major leaguers for prospects.

I don’t know the Twins plan for next year. Either way they need to build a bullpen. You can’t build confidence in young starters when the bullpen destroys the games they have started. 

Do we have any pieces? Did anyone step up?

I think Cole Sands has stepped up. His ERA and peripherals are under 4 for the season. He can miss bats. He has been able to strand inherited runners at an acceptable level. I don’t know if he is a top 3 but he is a major league reliever.

Since the trade deadline Kody Funderburk has pitched 15 outings and given up 0 earned runs. That is stepping up. He is a ground ball lefty that doesn’t miss enough bats and he also has an option. I wouldn’t DFA him and think he fits that major league role of back end reliever with options.

What about the others that remained after the deadline?

Justin Topa’s ERA has been good since the deadline at 3.29. His season FIP is good but FIP needs a larger sample that the other ERA estimators due to home runs. xERA is better in a small sample and it hasn’t been good. The one number that stands out is inherited runners. He has allowed 58% of inherited runners to score. He also leads the team in unearned runs allowed. Isn’t that odd? Starters have thrown so many more innings. This isn’t bad luck. He doesn’t get swings and misses. He isn’t an extreme ground ball pitcher. His OPS against with runners in scoring position is .822. He hasn’t had a caught stealing while on the mound this year. He will be 35. I would move on.

Ohl and Adams should start in AAA and be part of the shuttle. Either should have an opportunity to compete with Funderburk for that last spot but I think they need more time in the minors. They have the offseason to refine their pitches with an eye on a reliever role.

Did any of the waiver claims step up and earn a look for 2026?

No. It turns out relievers aren’t that fungible. Effective relievers might have some bad luck of BABiP and have a stretch or even season with an out of norm ERA but their effectiveness hasn’t changed that much. Looking at the peripherals I don’t see any effective relievers here. I wouldn’t put any on the 40 man roster. If the Twins see something in a few they believe they can tweak, offer a minor league contract. They may stay. There is a lot of opportunity here.

What about starters?

The Twins need Lopez and Ryan. The bullpen needs Lopez and Ryan. They can’t start the season with a rotation full of pitchers that struggle to finish 5 innings. They need those longer starts. I am keeping both but if you are in the other camp TD have a place for you. Please go here for a discussion on that.

Behind Ryan and Lopez the Twins have 6 other pitchers that need to be in the majors. They may fail in the majors but they don’t need AAA any longer. Three of them should start the season in the pen. In the past they have used AAA to keep a pitcher stretched out. I wouldn’t do that. If a starter is needed use bullpen games until they are built up. Shuttle in a bulk reliever until that happens. The Twins need to identify three starters and three relievers from Ober, Matthews, Woods Richardson, Bradley, Festa and Abel.

Anyone else?

I would give Prielipp a chance to win a spot in the bullpen. Raya, Rojas and Morris will likely be on the 40 starting in AAA.

What do they need?

I would bring in at least three relievers as well several others on minor league contracts. The best route to get those three might be utilizing the depth of their prospect pool in trades.

Whether or not they plan to contend they must invest in their bullpen for next year. It is critical to their future that they develop these young starters and those pitchers need a pen behind them they can count on.

Mr. Pohlad, You say you are committed to this team. Words mean little. Actions mean everything. Show us your commitment and rebuild this pen. While you are at it bring in a bat to take some pressure off them. Bring this team back to a median payroll. That is commitment. Please fight or step aside. 

 

 

[Linus]

You have largely described my opinion.  They need to take the best 14 pitchers. The first 5 are the starters, number 6 goes to AAA to be the first man up for injuries and the remaining 8 go to the pen regardless of prior role. If another pitcher gets hurt they use a bulk reliever until someone gets stretched out a little - they only pitch 5 anyway.   St Paul gets the best of the rest. This plan is predicated on the idea that young pitchers can pitch in the bullpen for a year or two and still become starters. I don’t believe the FO shares my beliefs so I don’t expect this to happen. If they try to construct the bullpen as they have in the past, it will not be good next year. The good bullpen they just blew up took them years to construct. 

[jorgenswest]

40 minutes ago, Linus said:

You have largely described my opinion.  They need to take the best 14 pitchers. The first 5 are the starters, number 6 goes to AAA to be the first man up for injuries and the remaining 8 go to the pen regardless of prior role. If another pitcher gets hurt they use a bulk reliever until someone gets stretched out a little - they only pitch 5 anyway.   St Paul gets the best of the rest. This plan is predicated on the idea that young pitchers can pitch in the bullpen for a year or two and still become starters. I don’t believe the FO shares my beliefs so I don’t expect this to happen. If they try to construct the bullpen as they have in the past, it will not be good next year. The good bullpen they just blew up took them years to construct. 

How close are they to 14 major league pitchers? I think they need three.

I also want upside from the bottom three or four in the bullpen. I don’t want them a 34 year old pitcher in the middle innings role. I want a young pitcher that can grow from the middle to the late innings. Jax went from the last man shuttle pitcher to the middle to the late innings. Sands has moved from the last man to the middle innings. If a pitcher like Topa makes the team it is because he can be counted on to put out fires and be a late inning pitcher.

I am not as sure about the number 6. They will have Morris, Raya, Rojas, Culpepper, possibly Prielipp, Armstrong, maybe Gallagher, Ohl and Adams that can start in AAA. If someone like SWR is determined to be the 6th starter I would put him in the major league pen to begin. If they need a starter I would open with SWR and then follow with one from the list above. SWR can probably approach 40 in that first outing and then increase from there. Doing it this way also gives one more young pitcher a chance to thrive in the bullpen. Those 6 pitchers may all be relatively close as starters but someone among them is going to shine as a reliever.

[Linus]

10 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

How close are they to 14 major league pitchers? I think they need three.

I also want upside from the bottom three or four in the bullpen. I don’t want them a 34 year old pitcher in the middle innings role. I want a young pitcher that can grow from the middle to the late innings. Jax went from the last man shuttle pitcher to the middle to the late innings. Sands has moved from the last man to the middle innings. If a pitcher like Topa makes the team it is because he can be counted on to put out fires and be a late inning pitcher.

I am not as sure about the number 6. They will have Morris, Raya, Rojas, Culpepper, possibly Prielipp, Armstrong, maybe Gallagher, Ohl and Adams that can start in AAA. If someone like SWR is determined to be the 6th starter I would put him in the major league pen to begin. If they need a starter I would open with SWR and then follow with one from the list above. SWR can probably approach 40 in that first outing and then increase from there. Doing it this way also gives one more young pitcher a chance to thrive in the bullpen. Those 6 pitchers may all be relatively close as starters but someone among them is going to shine as a reliever.

As far as how close to 14 I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Would you go with Ohl / Adams / Raya over a retread for the last spot or two?  I’m not sure as I have serious doubts about them but at least there is a chance for improvement. Your observation about the 6th spot is a good one. I like it better than my original idea - gets one more good arm in the pen. My question is would this FO ever do something like this?

[tony&rodney]

1 minute ago, Linus said:

My question is would this FO ever do something like this?

When I read the first post, that was my question.

Sands, Funderburk, Adams, Prielipp, and Raya seem like a start for a bullpen. Rojas looks very raw right now. Morris could be in the rotation or bullpen. I'm higher on him than most.

We might be better able to flesh out the pitching by January after the organization does whatever shaking they plan to do. The roster is far from set, seemingly. I also hope the Twins do not fill the bullpen with veteran losers. Sign reliable solid relievers or use what is available in house. There should be funds for a few bullpen fellows.

[Parfigliano]

With the CBA expiring after next season they will make scrap heap league minimum moves and grab up maybe 3 on their last leg pitchers.  

[jorgenswest]

42 minutes ago, Linus said:

My question is would this FO ever do something like this?

My wonder also but we have countless threads to debate that. Thanks for joining in the discussion about rebuilding the pen.

I get your point about retreads. I do think they need to trade or spend for a better than retread arm.

[nicksaviking]

While Jhoan Duran and Taylor Rogers hit the ground running, Cole Sands, Louie Varland, Griffin Jax, Tyler Duffey and Trevor May did not. And bringing in free agents provides even less likely success; a good pen is built from a careful evaluation of guys you already know. Sorry, it's going to take time and patience to build a pen, so I see next to no chance it will be good next year, even if they spent 50M to fix it. 

[Linus]

14 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

My wonder also but we have countless threads to debate that. Thanks for joining in the discussion about rebuilding the pen.

I get your point about retreads. I do think they need to trade or spend for a better than retread arm.

Agreed but their past suggests that won’t happen. So to sum my thoughts, there is a way to build a good pen next year but they would have to adopt your thoughts to do it and I don’t think they have your phone number 😀

[jctwins]

I don't get this line of thinking. Playoff teams add or develop starting pitching and hitters before and during the season, and then add to their bullpen at the deadline.

This recent trend of developing a bullpen with no starting or hitting to put them in a position to succeed is exactly what has put this team in the position it's in.

[jorgenswest]

22 minutes ago, jctwins said:

I don't get this line of thinking. Playoff teams add or develop starting pitching and hitters before and during the season, and then add to their bullpen at the deadline.

This recent trend of developing a bullpen with no starting or hitting to put them in a position to succeed is exactly what has put this team in the position it's in.

In my version the starting staff is solid and they need a bat. I ended with that. I don’t think they can go into the season without adding probably by trade of prospects a reliable arm to the pen.

A competitive team is within reach. They can’t do it with a pen full of waiver wire arms to start the season.

[The Great Hambino]

 

3 hours ago, jorgenswest said:

I would bring in at least three relievers as well several others on minor league contracts. The best route to get those three might be utilizing the depth of their prospect pool in trades.

If they were planning on using their prospect pool to acquire relievers in trade, they wouldn't have dealt the entire bullpen in the first place - especially not Varland.  They're not going to turn around and make the same trades in reverse just a couple months later.

If you want to realistic plan for rebuilding the bullpen, I think you have to limit it to internal development and free agents.  I'm on record what I think about the viability of this plan, but I'll play along here.

First, the rotation needs to be sorted out, since the excess from that process will be your internal bullpen options.  Lopez/Ryan (they're not keeping both, so let's split the difference and say they keep one and the other brings back some hitting), Ober, Matthews, SWR, Bradley are the leaders in the clubhouse for the opening day rotation. 

From there, you need to identify who of your excess starters you want to keep developing as such to be the next men up from St Paul, and who maybe profiles better as a reliever.  Abel and Rojas to me are locks to at least continue to be developed as starters - probably Culpepper too - while I think some of the guys with arm talent but injury issues should be sent to reliever bootcamp immediately.  There, I'm thinking Prielipp and Festa.  Even if they still have starter potential, if the goal is to be competitive next year, then you can't just wait on the rotation sorting itself out.  Some have to go to the pen straight away.  And putting the injury risks in the bullpen just seems like a smart way to play the odds.  Hopefully in short bursts their stuff plays up to something approximating closer/primary setup man results.

And you're going to need to find some relievers of that caliber from your starter prospects right away, because you're not finding that in the current bullpen options.  Sands and Funderburk (if you're relying on Topa, you're not competitive) may very well be able to fill bullpen roles, but not to be one of your top 3 high-leverage shutdown relievers.

So we now have 4 relievers in Sands, Funderburk, Prielipp, and Festa.  That leaves 4 spots that need to be filled either from free agency or whomever is left behind in the starter development race.  If you get a couple free agents, at least one has to be of the closer/primary setup variety - and historically the results of that are mixed at best.  Internally, that leaves guys like Raya, Morris, Adams, Ohl, and who else - is Canterino still alive? - that you're hoping can swiftly transition from starter development to being an effective piece of the bullpen.

And that's why building a competitive bullpen for next year is really a tough needle to thread - you have to identify the guys you want to transition from starter AND they have to become effective in their new role in a short time frame.  You can't wait until June to identify them as you might already be out of contention by then, and it's a pretty tall ask to expect multiple prospects to go from starter to effective reliever immediately.  Even the recent success stories like Duran, Jax, and Varland didn't make the switch overnight.  It will probably take some time.

Anyway, that's my best shot at a realistic (again, I don't think keeping all the starters and dealing prospects for relievers is realistic) bullpen for 2026

 

[jorgenswest]

Thanks for playing @The Great Hambino

I just want to be clear what you would do. Would you trade one of Pablo or Joe to help them be more competitive next year? Perhaps you said that out of certainty that the Twins will trade one of them and not an interest of being competitive in 2026 or perhaps a desire that they sell off and build for a few years down the road.

For this exercise I am only interested in discussing trades Joe or Pablo if that is a path to success in 2026. One of the keys to that success will be is finding new arms for the bullpen whether currently in the organization or not.

[The Great Hambino]

21 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

Thanks for playing @The Great Hambino

I just want to be clear what you would do. Would you trade one of Pablo or Joe to help them be more competitive next year? Perhaps you said that out of certainty that the Twins will trade one of them and not an interest of being competitive in 2026 or perhaps a desire that they sell off and build for a few years down the road.

For this exercise I am only interested in discussing trades Joe or Pablo if that is a path to success in 2026. One of the keys to that success will be is finding new arms for the bullpen whether currently in the organization or not.

If I'm totally honest, I'm trading both of them because I don't think that there is a path to being competitive in 2026.  However, I tried to craft something that would be as close to competitive as I could reasonably get within what I think are realistic constraints - things the front office might actually do.  In this scenario, I would be trading Ryan (better return than Pablo) for a lineup-worthy bat that can contribute immediately (plus prospects).  I would want someone with more control than Ryan because whatever you think their chances are of contending in 2026, their chances are certainly better further down the road given where their roster currently sits.  Because I believe the lineup needs more help than the rotation (any chance for competitiveness relies on a LOT of coin flips working in their favor on the position player side), I see this as a better allocation of resources that could help now as well as in the future.

Maybe the right partner isn't out there for this, but this trade of Ryan would have to be done in the offseason since that's when they could potentially find a partner willing to trade a major-league quality bat if they had a glut at a certain position and needed pitching - sort of how Arraez and Lopez were traded for each other.  Strength for a strength.  I don't think that trade works during the season because the contender that would be trading for Ryan isn't going be as willing to subtract from their lineup in the middle of a pennant race.

I was trying to keep it within the realm of what I think might actually happen.  I'd love to see them pour $100MM worth of free agents into the roster, but that isn't realistic.  Just as I don't think it's realistic for them to trade prospects for a reliever, or to retain their most valuable trade chips so their value withers away to nothing in the name of an unrealistic chance at contention.  By trading Ryan for some immediate lineup help, they could perhaps walk that fine line.  I admit it's a reach, but realistic contention next year, in my opinion, is a reach.  They have no margin for error if they try to pull this off on the budget they'll likely have to work with

[chpettit19]

Are you turning 3 of the Ober, Matthews, Woods Richardson, Bradley, Festa and Abel group into relievers for the long-term or just while you still have Lopez and/or Ryan in the fold? If you're not turning them into career relievers, I'm not sure I agree that the best thing for developing them as starters is to bounce them back and forth between starter and reliever as needed.

I'll bet my house, both vehicles, and every penny I earn for the next 50 years that the Twins are going to need more than 5 starting pitchers next year. Shoot, I'll bet they need more than 6 starting pitchers next year. They'll use each and every one of those guys as a starting pitcher next year whether they have Lopez and Ryan or not. I don't think shifting any of them to the pen is the move if those are the guys you're looking to build your future rotation around.

[bunsen82]

2 hours ago, The Great Hambino said:

 

If they were planning on using their prospect pool to acquire relievers in trade, they wouldn't have dealt the entire bullpen in the first place - especially not Varland.  They're not going to turn around and make the same trades in reverse just a couple months later.

If you want to realistic plan for rebuilding the bullpen, I think you have to limit it to internal development and free agents.  I'm on record what I think about the viability of this plan, but I'll play along here.

First, the rotation needs to be sorted out, since the excess from that process will be your internal bullpen options.  Lopez/Ryan (they're not keeping both, so let's split the difference and say they keep one and the other brings back some hitting), Ober, Matthews, SWR, Bradley are the leaders in the clubhouse for the opening day rotation. 

From there, you need to identify who of your excess starters you want to keep developing as such to be the next men up from St Paul, and who maybe profiles better as a reliever.  Abel and Rojas to me are locks to at least continue to be developed as starters - probably Culpepper too - while I think some of the guys with arm talent but injury issues should be sent to reliever bootcamp immediately.  There, I'm thinking Prielipp and Festa.  Even if they still have starter potential, if the goal is to be competitive next year, then you can't just wait on the rotation sorting itself out.  Some have to go to the pen straight away.  And putting the injury risks in the bullpen just seems like a smart way to play the odds.  Hopefully in short bursts their stuff plays up to something approximating closer/primary setup man results.

And you're going to need to find some relievers of that caliber from your starter prospects right away, because you're not finding that in the current bullpen options.  Sands and Funderburk (if you're relying on Topa, you're not competitive) may very well be able to fill bullpen roles, but not to be one of your top 3 high-leverage shutdown relievers.

So we now have 4 relievers in Sands, Funderburk, Prielipp, and Festa.  That leaves 4 spots that need to be filled either from free agency or whomever is left behind in the starter development race.  If you get a couple free agents, at least one has to be of the closer/primary setup variety - and historically the results of that are mixed at best.  Internally, that leaves guys like Raya, Morris, Adams, Ohl, and who else - is Canterino still alive? - that you're hoping can swiftly transition from starter development to being an effective piece of the bullpen.

And that's why building a competitive bullpen for next year is really a tough needle to thread - you have to identify the guys you want to transition from starter AND they have to become effective in their new role in a short time frame.  You can't wait until June to identify them as you might already be out of contention by then, and it's a pretty tall ask to expect multiple prospects to go from starter to effective reliever immediately.  Even the recent success stories like Duran, Jax, and Varland didn't make the switch overnight.  It will probably take some time.

Anyway, that's my best shot at a realistic (again, I don't think keeping all the starters and dealing prospects for relievers is realistic) bullpen for 2026

 

I would argue using some prospect capital is perfectly fine.  The goal was to get a higher draft pick.  They will be successful in that regard.  You would have to spend money to rebuild a decent one though.  

Tyler Rogers  (closer)  10 million, Devin Williams (6 million) scene change from New York,  trade for Pete Fairbanks also 10 million.     

Sands, Topa (2 million option), Funderburk,  Ohl or Adams, Canterino (if healthy), transition Festa in AAA to RP to be next one up. 

This would be $26 million plus $2 million for Topa's option.  Likely too rich but it does show you can rebuild a bullpen.   This is only if we keep Ryan and Pablo.  Otherwise no reason to spend this much.  Just rebuild it organically plus 1 to 2 cheaper free agent signings.  

 

 

[Patzky]

6 hours ago, jorgenswest said:

To open this is about building a bullpen that gives the Twinsa chance to contend next year. If contending isn’t your interest there are countless discussions about trading major leaguers for prospects.

I don’t know the Twins plan for next year. Either way they need to build a bullpen. You can’t build confidence in young starters when the bullpen destroys the games they have started. 

Do we have any pieces? Did anyone step up?

I think Cole Sands has stepped up. His ERA and peripherals are under 4 for the season. He can miss bats. He has been able to strand inherited runners at an acceptable level. I don’t know if he is a top 3 but he is a major league reliever.

Since the trade deadline Kody Funderburk has pitched 15 outings and given up 0 earned runs. That is stepping up. He is a ground ball lefty that doesn’t miss enough bats and he also has an option. I wouldn’t DFA him and think he fits that major league role of back end reliever with options.

What about the others that remained after the deadline?

Justin Topa’s ERA has been good since the deadline at 3.29. His season FIP is good but FIP needs a larger sample that the other ERA estimators due to home runs. xERA is better in a small sample and it hasn’t been good. The one number that stands out is inherited runners. He has allowed 58% of inherited runners to score. He also leads the team in unearned runs allowed. Isn’t that odd? Starters have thrown so many more innings. This isn’t bad luck. He doesn’t get swings and misses. He isn’t an extreme ground ball pitcher. His OPS against with runners in scoring position is .822. He hasn’t had a caught stealing while on the mound this year. He will be 35. I would move on.

Ohl and Adams should start in AAA and be part of the shuttle. Either should have an opportunity to compete with Funderburk for that last spot but I think they need more time in the minors. They have the offseason to refine their pitches with an eye on a reliever role.

Did any of the waiver claims step up and earn a look for 2026?

No. It turns out relievers aren’t that fungible. Effective relievers might have some bad luck of BABiP and have a stretch or even season with an out of norm ERA but their effectiveness hasn’t changed that much. Looking at the peripherals I don’t see any effective relievers here. I wouldn’t put any on the 40 man roster. If the Twins see something in a few they believe they can tweak, offer a minor league contract. They may stay. There is a lot of opportunity here.

What about starters?

The Twins need Lopez and Ryan. The bullpen needs Lopez and Ryan. They can’t start the season with a rotation full of pitchers that struggle to finish 5 innings. They need those longer starts. I am keeping both but if you are in the other camp TD have a place for you. Please go here for a discussion on that.

Behind Ryan and Lopez the Twins have 6 other pitchers that need to be in the majors. They may fail in the majors but they don’t need AAA any longer. Three of them should start the season in the pen. In the past they have used AAA to keep a pitcher stretched out. I wouldn’t do that. If a starter is needed use bullpen games until they are built up. Shuttle in a bulk reliever until that happens. The Twins need to identify three starters and three relievers from Ober, Matthews, Woods Richardson, Bradley, Festa and Abel.

Anyone else?

I would give Prielipp a chance to win a spot in the bullpen. Raya, Rojas and Morris will likely be on the 40 starting in AAA.

What do they need?

I would bring in at least three relievers as well several others on minor league contracts. The best route to get those three might be utilizing the depth of their prospect pool in trades.

Whether or not they plan to contend they must invest in their bullpen for next year. It is critical to their future that they develop these young starters and those pitchers need a pen behind them they can count on.

Mr. Pohlad, You say you are committed to this team. Words mean little. Actions mean everything. Show us your commitment and rebuild this pen. While you are at it bring in a bat to take some pressure off them. Bring this team back to a median payroll. That is commitment. Please fight or step aside. 

 

 

You do a great job of organizing the moving parts that make it so hard to visualize what next year might look like. Rightfully so everyone frets about the position players, there is much fixing that needs to happen. We all know the bullpen needs as much help but it's not a beautiful thing.. you make the case that without at least one of Ryan-Lopez the staff will be worn out and dead in the water by May 1st. A couple of leftovers from 2024, Duarte etc, might also pop up to help.

[jorgenswest]

2 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

Are you turning 3 of the Ober, Matthews, Woods Richardson, Bradley, Festa and Abel group into relievers for the long-term or just while you still have Lopez and/or Ryan in the fold? If you're not turning them into career relievers, I'm not sure I agree that the best thing for developing them as starters is to bounce them back and forth between starter and reliever as needed.

I'll bet my house, both vehicles, and every penny I earn for the next 50 years that the Twins are going to need more than 5 starting pitchers next year. Shoot, I'll bet they need more than 6 starting pitchers next year. They'll use each and every one of those guys as a starting pitcher next year whether they have Lopez and Ryan or not. I don't think shifting any of them to the pen is the move if those are the guys you're looking to build your future rotation around.

I am not turning any of them into career relievers. From my original post.

5 hours ago, jorgenswest said:

Behind Ryan and Lopez the Twins have 6 other pitchers that need to be in the majors. They may fail in the majors but they don’t need AAA any longer. Three of them should start the season in the pen. In the past they have used AAA to keep a pitcher stretched out. I wouldn’t do that. If a starter is needed use bullpen games until they are built up. Shuttle in a bulk reliever until that happens. The Twins need to identify three starters and three relievers from Ober, Matthews, Woods Richardson, Bradley, Festa and Abel.

They can approach 40 pitches in their first abbreviated start and build from there. They don’t need to be fixed as relievers just because they start in the pen. Abel has been very good in AAA. I think he is better off in the bullpen facing major league hitters if he doesn’t make the starting rotation. I don’t think any of the 8 gets better by pitching in AAA next year. I also believe they will be among the best 13 pitchers and I am putting the best 13 pitchers in the roster.

I wake up every day fighting to be the odds. I expect the Twins will fight to put up their best team possible next year. It is hard for me to grasp any other mindset.

[DJL44]

They're not going from worst to best in one season, but they could go from worst to the middle of the pack. I agree with moving Festa and Prielipp to the bullpen. Festa is older and Prielipp is unlikely to ever provide 150 innings in a season. They should be able to find a couple low cost free agent relievers. It sure would be nice to have Ronny Henriquez.

[jaimedude]

I think Festa, Bradley and Abel all have the stuff to be either a closer or too set up guy in the glimpses we have gotten. Bradley seems like the guy with strike out stuff. I thought Festa had the stuff and make up to be a closer before the shoulder injury. Funderburk has stuff but o don't know if he has a closers mindset to go after people. 

[chpettit19]

10 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

I am not turning any of them into career relievers. From my original post.

They can approach 40 pitches in their first abbreviated start and build from there. They don’t need to be fixed as relievers just because they start in the pen. Abel has been very good in AAA. I think he is better off in the bullpen facing major league hitters if he doesn’t make the starting rotation. I don’t think any of the 8 gets better by pitching in AAA next year. I also believe they will be among the best 13 pitchers and I am putting the best 13 pitchers in the roster.

I wake up every day fighting to be the odds. I expect the Twins will fight to put up their best team possible next year. It is hard for me to grasp any other mindset.

Yes, Abel has dominated in AAA, but he's also struggled. And he has things that could realistically be worked on there. Like control. He doesn't know where his pitches are going quite often and major league hitters are too good for him. So, are you trying to compete in 2026? Because he isn't going to give you a great shot at that if you're throwing him out there as one of your core pitching pieces regularly. He's going to have a lot of blowup games where he's walking everybody and getting shelled when he throws it down the middle. 

I'm not concerned about the buildup, I'm concerned about the short- and long-term development and production of those guys. Ober and SWR are a separate thing, but the difference in pitching out of the pen and out of the rotation is real. The routines are different. The in-game approaches are different. 

Like I said before, every one of those guys would get real starts next year with or without Ryan and Lopez in the rotation. If you're making them relievers for the entire year because you want to get them major league innings for their development without care for trying to win in 2026 that'd be one thing, but that's not your goal. I don't think you can have an actually competitive pen and have all those guys in it. And at that point I don't understand why you wouldn't be focusing on their long-term development. 

From following along here, to me, the question really is whether or not you've actually built a competitive bullpen here or just tried your best to. I would not go into next year looking at that pen and expecting it to hold leads effectively. You're kind of going down 2 paths. You talk about what's best for Abel being him facing MLB hitters. Well, that isn't about building a good MLB pen, that's about his development. Building a good MLB pen, in my opinion, wouldn't include Mick Abel to start the year. Because the odds are he struggles. Mightily. Same with Bradley. 

So, is it about them getting better by pitching in AAA or about building a competitive Twins bullpen? Because I think the answers to those questions change things. 

[jorgenswest]

I don’t how many times I can say I am not making them relievers for the entire year by starting them in the pen. Should I type in all CAPS? There will be injuries and there will be opportunities to start. If they aren’t competing at the deadline that is when I would listen to offers on Ryan or Lopez. They also aren’t locked into relieving in future years. Roster the best 13 pitchers in the roster next year. At least roster the best 12 and plan for a shuttle spot of pitchers like Adams, Ohl and Funderburk in the 13th. If they acquire pitchers to the point that those 8 starters are not among the best 12 I will rejoice. I my mind only Sands is ahead of some of the, now.

[chpettit19]

42 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

I don’t how many times I can say I am not making them relievers for the entire year by starting them in the pen. Should I type in all CAPS? There will be injuries and there will be opportunities to start. If they aren’t competing at the deadline that is when I would listen to offers on Ryan or Lopez. They also aren’t locked into relieving in future years. Roster the best 13 pitchers in the roster next year. At least roster the best 12 and plan for a shuttle spot of pitchers like Adams, Ohl and Funderburk in the 13th. If they acquire pitchers to the point that those 8 starters are not among the best 12 I will rejoice. I my mind only Sands is ahead of some of the, now.

I don't know if this is aimed at me, but I fully understood that that wasn't what you were saying. And I didn't say you were saying that. So, no, you don't need to type it in all caps (for me). My mention of making them relievers for the entire season was saying that it would make more sense to do that than to have them bounce back and forth between roles all year.

My stance on having them be a reliever to start the year, then a starter when you need it, then a reliever again, then a starter again, then a reliever again, and so on as needed is that it will not only hurt their development but also their production. You want them to be an important part of a pitching staff on a team you say you want to compete? Then give them a role and let them stick with it. Preparing to start a game is different than preparing to relieve. Pitching multiple innings as a starter is different than pitching one or 2 innings as a reliever. Trying to bounce back and forth between those 2 roles whenever needed throughout the year would not only hurt their development but also how they performed in season. 

So, pick their 2026 role. Reliever in the majors or starter that may have to begin the year in AAA. And what happens if Abel gets shelled for 3 months as a reliever in the majors? Do you put him back in AAA and try to stretch him back out as a starter and restart his development there? Give him the whole year to get his brains bashed in at the major league level as a reliever because he's one of your 12 or 13 best pitchers because you have a bad team? Send him to AAA as a reliever?

Just blindly putting your 13 best pitchers on the major league roster because you want to compete is not a good strategy. More needs to be taken into account. It's why no team (not even the Dodgers) operates that way.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I am not following the league so cannot give you any sleeper names from other organizations.

However, I can offer you three familiar names I would target for the bullpen for 2026:

1. Simeon Woods Richardson. As you said, starters pitching into the late innings will be important in 2026. Woods Richardson has demonstrated that he cannot do that. My carrot and stick for Sim would be, go back down to the minors for most of the season to show us you can consistently pitch 7 innings, or, stay in the majors with the big club and make yourself into a good relief pitcher. Pitchers often balk at being moved out of the rotation (pun intended), but in most cases pitchers will prefer to stay in the majors. 

2. Connor Prielipp. As others have said, injuries have hurt his chances to be a starter. Invite him to spring training with the understanding he will be in the bullpen going forward. And then, tell him to let it rip. Whatever his best two pitches are. Let’s see what happens. He has options if needed.

3. Griffin Jax. Yes, Jax. He has been awful in Tampa Bay and I would not be surprised if he is absolutely miserable there and that it shows. No team wants a guy like that around. I don’t think Tampa Bay would just give him back for nothing, but another trade should be possible. I like his chances to recapture his success here in a familiar place. 

13 hours ago, jorgenswest said:

Mr. Pohlad, You say you are committed to this team. Words mean little. Actions mean everything. Show us your commitment and rebuild this pen

I’m sure you know that the Pohlads do not micromanage roster decisions. Whatever. We can all be optimistic in our own way that big meaningful changes will happen this offseason. 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

9 hours ago, The Great Hambino said:

They're not going to turn around and make the same trades in reverse just a couple months later

Not for Varland, but maybe Jax! 🙂

[Riverbrian]

Yes... They can build a decent bullpen... Time Frame TBD. 

There will be trial and error until the bullpen gets to where they need to be.

The next decent bullpen will contain some names that nobody is talking about right now and I won't even attempt to figure out who the next Brock Stewart is.  

There will be risers who impress and then fall and players that stumble out of the gate and put it together later but in the end... they can build a bullpen. 

The best bullpen in baseball this year belongs to the Padres. The Padres are not the best example because they invested a lot in the building of that pen... at least at the top of the pen. We all know the names at the top of that pen. Saurez, Mason Miller, Jason Adam. However... Go deeper... Jeremiah Estrada is 26 year old waiver claim that the Cubs DFA'd. Morejon burned all of his options until he became a left handed all-star. Wandy Peralta is 34 once DFA'd by the Reds at age 27. David Morgan was undrafted in 2022. At age 25 he has been pretty damn good as a rookie since being called up in May. 43 Innings with 1.19 WHIP. 

The 2nd best pen this year belongs to the Giants. Like the Twins... they also traded away bullpen talent at the deadline but look at the names they are working with and ask yourself who is Ryan Walker drafted in 31st round in 2018 and how did he become a bullpen stud at age 27. How did a 34 year old submariner Tyler Rogers become what he became at age 30. 

The 3rd best pen belong to the Red Sox. We can all see that Chapman has been really incredible in the closer role this year but what about the rest of the pen. Whitlock, Weissert, Berandino, Wilson and Slaten. Who are they, how did they combine to be the 3rd best bullpen in baseball. 

Yes... they can build a pen and it can happen quicker than many of us imagine and it's rather pointless for us to scan the free agent pool and say if we spent 20 million on these three players that we have heard of. 

Yes they can build a pen. Here's what it will take. DEVELOPMENT. Coaching, Learning a new pitch, Improving an old one and it will take opportunity and right now... opportunity... There should be plenty of that. 

Yes the can build a pen... Time Frame TBD.  

[jaimedude]

Would much rather see Morris and Raya be given chances I n bullpen to close out year than some of the current cast of characters in the major league bullpen. 

[Chembry]

2 hours ago, jaimedude said:

Would much rather see Morris and Raya be given chances I n bullpen to close out year than some of the current cast of characters in the major league bullpen. 

Definitely agree.  Since the vast majority of the current bullpen won't have a future in the Twins organization, why wouldn't we give some of the younger guys a chance?  Give them some experience against MLB hitters for the last month of the season and get a jump start on 2026. 

I responded that exact question to a Gleeman tweet, and he responded that Morris is still being built up after coming back from injury and Raya has >6 ERA in AAA.  As a reliever, Raya's ERA is 4.97, still not great.  But if we feel his future with the organization is in the pen, let's get some experience now.  There is no reason to run Davis, Kriske, Cabrera, Funderburk (I know he has been better as of late), etc...out there when we have younger guys that would probably be better (definitely not any worse) and could use the experience.  Davis should be DFA'd today when Pablo is reinstated.

[jaimedude]

57 minutes ago, Chembry said:

Definitely agree.  Since the vast majority of the current bullpen won't have a future in the Twins organization 2025, why wouldn't we give some of the younger guys a chance?  Give them some experience against MLB hitters for the last month of the season and get a jump start on 2026. 

I responded that exact question to a Gleeman tweet, and he responded that Morris is still being built up after coming back from injury and Raya has >6 ERA in AAA.  As a reliever, Raya's ERA is 4.97, still not great.  But if we feel his future with the organization is in the pen, let's get some experience now.  There is no reason to run Davis, Kriske, Cabrera, Funderburk (I know he has been better as of late), etc...out there when we have younger guys that would probably be better (definitely not any worse) and could use the experience.  Davis should be DFA'd today when Pablo is reinstated.

Cabrera and Davis seem like no brainer DFA's to me. 

[tony&rodney]

Every pitcher is slightly different in how they rebound from pitching. Many guys manage to bounce back (their arms) in a couple of days to make them available as relief pitchers. A few take 4 days of recovery after pitching. A few others have rubber arms and can throw often. Tonkin has made a career for himself, whatever you think of him, because he can provide innings on a regular basis. He also has had injuries. Without any knowledge of how guys like Abel, Bradley, and a host of others recover after throwing an inning or two we can't know if they would reasonably transition to the bullpen.

Building a bullpen is possible with identification of arms suitable for the task. Some may be internal but others may arrive from waiver claims or trades. The immediate problem (maybe just for me) is whether there exists an eye or three within the organization to find those gems. An additional issue is the ongoing philosophy of the current front office regime.

My personal thought is that the Twins are in trouble until such time as there is a change in leadership. As putrid, careless, and indifferent to baseball as the Pohlad family appears, they have nothing to do with the identification, accumulation, and compilation of the roster.

In the meantime, we all seemingly work harder to think of ways to improve the team than those who are responsible for the task. I'm discouraged by the state of the team.