BREAKING: Twins Sign Left-Handed Reliever Taylor Rogers to One-Year Deal

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins have agreed to a one-year, major-league deal with left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers, sources tell Twins Daily. Rogers, 35, was the Twins' 11th-round draft pick in 2012 and spent the first six seasons of his major-league career with the team, posting a 3.15 ERA in 319 appearances and recording 50 saves. Last season, for the Reds and Cubs, he had a 3.38 ERA in 57 relief appearances.

 

Once a high-strikeout control artist, Rogers misses fewer bats these days, and his walk rate has ticked up sharply in the last few years. Twins fans remember a pitcher whose fastball could play like a two-seamer with solid ride and who utilized two distinct breaking balls, but Rogers is now purely a sinker-slider guy, with age and injuries having frayed his command of each. Nonetheless, he's an effective middle reliever, especially when he can be shielded from right-handed batters. 

Rogers first hit free agency after the 2022 season, and signed a three-year $33-million deal with the Giants. San Francisco dumped his salary in a trade that sent Rogers to the Reds last winter, and he was technically dealt twice in July, going from the Reds to the Pirates to the Cubs without actually appearing in Pittsburgh. His strikeout rate of 24% last season was his lowest since 2017, and he's no longer in high demand, but he remains a sturdy relief option—and a cheap one, at just $2 million. Presumably, he'll slot in alongside Kody Funderburk as the main lefties in a bullpen that leans to the right. There's a chance that Rogers will even pick up some save opportunities for Minnesota; he's easily the most accomplished big-league reliever on their staff.

Picking up Josh Bell, Victor Caratini and a melange of fringier players gave Derek Falvey's front office the depth they craved on the positional side. However, until now, they'd neglected the bullpen, which was emptied at last year's trade deadline and looks like the most glaring weakness for the 2026 team. This move is a small step toward fully addressing that issue, but it's a concrete one. Rogers is a familiar face, and a reliable addition to a high-variance collection of arms.

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[AceWrigley]

He looks a lot like Tyler Rogers, doesn't he?

[DJL44]

Adding another Topa-level arm to the bullpen. Another "floor" move that doesn't help the ceiling.

[AceWrigley]

The lead photo is a curious capture in time. Didn't he used to have fingers on his pitching hand?

[DocBauer]

I'm really surprised it's for only $2M. He's not the pitcher he once was, but he was still solid in 2025. I kept reading $4-5M was his likely landing spot.

Is it possible the early run on pen arms...which seems to have slowed...actually worked in the Twins favor?

Now go grab the best RH option out there and help stabilize the pen from that side. It's not all about depth. It's also about a couple veterans to help show some of the younger guys how to go about their daily business. 

That's also where Hawkins comes in to play not just as a coach, but as a guy who's been there, done that, for a long time.

Smart, solid, and somewhat surprising move. Here's hoping he had 1 more really solid season left in his arm.

[nicksaviking]

I don't like reunions because usually they reek of fan service.

This one makes sense though. And 2M seems like a bargain honestly.

[LambchoP]

Good move, especially for only 2 million. Now go out and get Dominguez. I still think Larnach could bring back a decent reliever too.

[IndyTwinsFan]

Even though he's clearly not what he once was in his previous tenure, I think we could have done a lot worse, especially at a price of about $2M.

[thelanges5]

3 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

Good move, especially for only 2 million. Now go out and get Dominguez. I still think Larnach could bring back a decent reliever too.

Agree. Dominguez or Kopech would make me feel much better about this bullpen. 

[dberthia]

Well, at least I've heard this name before, so we have that going for us.

[UK Twin]

We've signed a reliever!!!!!! 

Good deal - for 2mill there's very little risk and he's still a good pitcher, even if he's not as good as he once was. 

[Brandon]

Great signing 👍!  I approve!  Now we need 1 more major league arm and a few more minor league signings to compete for a spot and we should be ready to roll.  I expect the Twins to have 2 or 3 rookies in the pen.  We have too many talented pitchers vying for a rotation spot.  But having a group that can keep leads when we have them can help keep the season interesting.  At least above .500

 

[Jose Herrera]

Hooray, we needed a quality left handed relief pitcher. Thank you for choosing us Taylor and welcome back 😁

[Dman]

As others have stated for 2M what's not to like.  Will be interesting to see what 40 man moves get made to make this work.

[Parfigliano]

7 minutes ago, Brandon said:

Great signing 👍!  I approve!  Now we need 1 more major league arm and a few more minor league signings to compete for a spot and we should be ready to roll.  I expect the Twins to have 2 or 3 rookies in the pen.  We have too many talented pitchers vying for a rotation spot.  But having a group that can keep leads when we have them can help keep the season interesting.  At least above .500

Narrator Voice:  "They will not be above .500"

[JD-TWINS]

28 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

I'm really surprised it's for only $2M. He's not the pitcher he once was, but he was still solid in 2025. I kept reading $4-5M was his likely landing spot.

Is it possible the early run on pen arms...which seems to have slowed...actually worked in the Twins favor?

Now go grab the best RH option out there and help stabilize the pen from that side. It's not all about depth. It's also about a couple veterans to help show some of the younger guys how to go about their daily business. 

That's also where Hawkins comes in to play not just as a coach, but as a guy who's been there, done that, for a long time.

Smart, solid, and somewhat surprising move. Here's hoping he had 1 more really solid season left in his arm.

Agreed, $2M seems almost “free” in today’s market. Coulombe & Thielbar are 2x this $$ amount.

Hawkin’s presence in the PEN will certainly be helpful & I saw Ryan Presley signed on to help in the organization as well - one would think he would interface with relievers.

If they can spend another $10M total between 1-2 more relievers, I’ll be happy.

[JD-TWINS]

Good news is, “they are still working the market”!!!

[Brandon]

1 minute ago, Parfigliano said:

Narrator Voice:  "They will not be above .500"

They have a good rotation and slightly above average offense. Probably in the 5-7 ranking in runs scored in the league this year....  And with another good reliever they will have an ok pen.  To me they should be able to win in the 82-85 range and depending on rookies maybe a little more.

[TopGunn#22]

I have to admit my heart rate jumped a couple of beats when I saw this headline !  I agree with every poster on TD who said:

"He's not the guy he used to be, but still pretty decent.  He's a great signing at $2 million when projections were double or triple that.  He could actually close some games for us with his previous experience.  We still need a solid veteran RH option" (both Kopech and Dominguez are good suggestions).

But Kopech is "projected" to get a contract between 2 years $14 million ($7M per) or as much as 2 years $22M (waaay too expensive at $11M annually).  Dominguez is in the 2-years $15M to $20M, so $7.5 to $10M annually.  That just doesn't seem remotely within what the Twins would do.  But adding one of them is "possible."

But if I expect David Festa to have some sort of high leverage role in the Twins BP this year, the addition of Taylor Rogers helps with depth and track record.  

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

Solid move with little downside. 

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

Question for TD - what's the consensus on Pierson Ohl? Seems like he got better as he got more innings last season - could he potentially turn into a mid-to-high leverage reliever in 2026? 

[bunsen82]

Boom.  

1 hour ago, DocBauer said:

I'm really surprised it's for only $2M. He's not the pitcher he once was, but he was still solid in 2025. I kept reading $4-5M was his likely landing spot.

Is it possible the early run on pen arms...which seems to have slowed...actually worked in the Twins favor?

Now go grab the best RH option out there and help stabilize the pen from that side. It's not all about depth. It's also about a couple veterans to help show some of the younger guys how to go about their daily business. 

That's also where Hawkins comes in to play not just as a coach, but as a guy who's been there, done that, for a long time.

Smart, solid, and somewhat surprising move. Here's hoping he had 1 more really solid season left in his arm.

The Twins held serve and now are one the last real landing spots.   You now have a pitcher who had 8th and 9th inning experience.  Even if that isn't where he is now.    

You sign Dominguez,  and this plan effectively worked to perfection for putting a pretty solid team together.      Yes most likely a .500 team, but it does have the potential to outperform.    

For $2 million it gives us a lot of options moving forward.    

[thelanges5]

3 minutes ago, Twins_Fan_in_NJ said:

Question for TD - what's the consensus on Pierson Ohl? Seems like he got better as he got more innings last season - could he potentially turn into a mid-to-high leverage reliever in 2026? 

He did perform better when they moved him out of the four inning role and gave him one inning or one time through the order. 

[bunsen82]

4 minutes ago, thelanges5 said:

He did perform better when they moved him out of the four inning role and gave him one inning or one time through the order. 

I think there is 1 spot available between Ohl and Adams,  Ohl seems to have better stuff and did decent when he was operating as a true reliever.    You start stacking multiple innings and he had more chances to flounder.  

[sweetmusicviola16]

17 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

Narrator Voice:  "They will not be above .500"

Exactly. I like signing Rogers but this is still a very bad team. A 60 win team until they prove otherwise. Nothing to lose signing Rogers for 2mil, but he's right at the head of the line for a July trade. The roster construction is still very bad. The offense bad. The defense bad. Rogers fills a whole in the BP but it's still not a position of strength. 

[Cris E]

Rogers is valuable because even if he's dog average but retains some platoon advantage it frees Funderburk to be used as a good reliever, not simply as a lefty. It's a solid move.

I don't think the bullpen will be settled this year, since even the best rosters have lots of churn at the back end. But Shelton should be able to get the first six or seven arms identified by June even if the roles aren't quite set it stone. Older guys like Topa and Rogers (and Hawkins) may offer some guidance, but mostly they need to pitch to hold a spot. This is a season of tryouts and learning so they need to actively sift to select the ones that are working and remove the ones that are not.

[Dawgzilla]

Not a terrible signing, but, man, are the Twins tight and helbent on being subpar or very mediocre!  Good luck with attendance!

[AceWrigley]

16 minutes ago, TopGunn#22 said:

But if I expect David Festa to have some sort of high leverage role in the Twins BP this year, the addition of Taylor Rogers helps with depth and track record.  

Taylor Rogers was one of our "starter" arms in the minors that transitioned to the bullpen for the Twins. Can't hurt to have that direct experience with this group of young arms possibly facing the same type transition.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

In no particular order...

Cole Sands

Kody Funderburk

Justin Topa

Taylor Rogers

Eric Orze

That's five. Need to get to eight. Presuming Ohl is one of those. 

[rv78]

What I wrote in reply in another article

In years past we were told the bullpen was possibly the best in baseball, yet it was the first thing Falvey disposed of at the deadline. You think it's middle of the road? I believe it will be one of the worst in baseball. Especially if they don't add anyone with at least a year or two of high leverage experience in the prime of their career. Knowing Falvey, he'll go for someone that is at the end of his career and has his best days behind him. Hoping to catch a star as it fades into darkness. A Taylor Rogers or Caleb Theilbar, maybe Liam Hendriks or some other washed up former Twin. This is the Falvey way. 

 

bunsen82 .... I think I nailed it.