Twins Claim Jackson Kowar On Waivers

[Cody Christie]

The Twins dipped back into the waiver wire this week, grabbing right-handed pitcher Jackson Kowar after he was cut loose by Seattle. Minnesota had room to make the move and plenty of motivation, continuing a busy stretch of roster shuffling that keeps the back end of the pitching staff very much in flux.

Kowar’s path to Minnesota is a winding one. Seattle designated him for assignment shortly after acquiring catcher Jhonny Pereda from the Twins, creating an odd bit of organizational overlap. Minnesota, meanwhile, had recently cleared space on the 40-man roster through a pair of trades with Colorado, moving Edouard Julien and Pierson Ohl for Jace Kaminska and cash considerations. That left one open 40-man spot, and the Twins chose to use it on a familiar type of gamble: big arm, big questions.

Entering his age-29 season, Kowar still brings eye-catching velocity. His four seamer and sinker live in the upper 90s, and the raw stuff has never really been the concern. Translating that power into outs has been another story. Across 91 major league innings with Kansas City and Seattle, Kowar has been hit hard, posting an ERA north of 8.00, but his FIP is below 6.00. His walk rate sits in the low teens, which is not unheard of for power relievers, but the strikeouts have lagged behind expectations. Even in the high minors, results have been uneven, with an ERA hovering near five.

Seattle also exhausted Kowar’s final minor league option last season, leaving him without roster flexibility. That reality often shortens the leash, especially for a pitcher still searching for consistency. Once the Mariners needed space, Kowar became expendable.

From the Twins' perspective, the fit is obvious. The bullpen has open spots and needs arms that can fill the void after last season’s trade deadline selloff. While the front office has talked about a return to contention in 2026, the relief group remains light on proven arms. Beyond the reunion with Taylor Rogers and the addition of Eric Orze, there has not been much reinforcement.

That context makes Kowar an understandable add. Minnesota can afford to see if a new environment and some mechanical tweaks unlock something closer to the pitcher scouts once dreamed on. The opportunity will be there, simply because innings need to be covered.

There is also very little long-term commitment. Kowar is out of options, and that makes it tough to stick on a big-league roster without a proven track record. If the experiment fails, the Twins can move on just as easily as they claimed him.

For now, this looks like another low-risk attempt to plug a hole with upside. The stuff gives you a reason to watch, even if the track record urges caution. In a bullpen full of question marks, Kowar becomes one more name trying to turn raw velocity into something the Twins can actually trust.

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[IndyTwinsFan]

Yawn.  Just fiddling around on the fringes of a very uninspiring bullpen, as it now stands.

[bunsen82]

You just took a flyer on someone who if you can get right can be a nice 8th inning guy.  You do realize how many people we have let go of from the bullpen that have suddenly figured it out.   Ronny Henriquez,  you mean we let him go and he did that,  Emilio Pagan, Tyler Kinley ect.     I like it as a flyer,   we still need 1 to 2 more stable arms.  

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

Is this what contention looks like?

[Parfigliano]

51 minutes ago, bunsen82 said:

You just took a flyer on someone who if you can get right can be a nice 8th inning guy.  You do realize how many people we have let go of from the bullpen that have suddenly figured it out.   Ronny Henriquez,  you mean we let him go and he did that,  Emilio Pagan, Tyler Kinley ect.     I like it as a flyer,   we still need 1 to 2 more stable arms.  

It would be nice if one of the relief pitchers we pick up "suddenly figured it out."  Seems it's the ones we let go suddenly figuring it out.

[Parfigliano]

14 minutes ago, Twins_Fan_in_NJ said:

Is this what contention looks like?

Contention for a 2027 top 2 draft pick...yes

[50Ways]

The reality is this is a smart move, BUT it can’t be the only/last move for the bullpen if Tom is going to try to sell the idea that this roster has any chance to be successful….

[HerbieFan]

1 hour ago, bunsen82 said:

You just took a flyer on someone who if you can get right can be a nice 8th inning guy.  You do realize how many people we have let go of from the bullpen that have suddenly figured it out.   Ronny Henriquez,  you mean we let him go and he did that,  Emilio Pagan, Tyler Kinley ect.     I like it as a flyer,   we still need 1 to 2 more stable arms.  

....Jeff Hoffman...Tyler Wells as a starter...Trevor Megill...Yennier Cano............

[HerbieFan]

I don't mind the move.  No risk.  Some potential upside...emphasis on "potential".  Easily expendable if/when it doesn't work out.

[arby58]

2 hours ago, Parfigliano said:

It would be nice if one of the relief pitchers we pick up "suddenly figured it out."  Seems it's the ones we let go suddenly figuring it out.

Brock Stewart and Danny Coloumbe are cases where they picked up relief pitchers that 'figured it out.'

[Vanimal46]

4 hours ago, bunsen82 said:

You just took a flyer on someone who if you can get right can be a nice 8th inning guy.  You do realize how many people we have let go of from the bullpen that have suddenly figured it out.   Ronny Henriquez,  you mean we let him go and he did that,  Emilio Pagan, Tyler Kinley ect.     I like it as a flyer,   we still need 1 to 2 more stable arms.  

A fun exercise for you is looking at Jackson Kowar's B-Ref page, and Ronny Henriquez' B-Ref page, and ask yourself if they belong together. 

[Vanimal46]

Ronny Henriquez was DFA'd to make room for the signings of Harrison Bader and Danny Coulombe. In hindsight a bad decision by the fired executive Falvey keeping others like Darren McCaughan on the opening day roster instead of Henriquez. 

[mrtwinsfan]

[David HK]

Oh my Gawd, the Jim pohlad era is off to a rollicking start.  8.61 ERA? Sign me up!!

Please, guys, these needle-moving, earth-shaking, pennant-clinching moves are giving me palpitations!

Stop!  Stop!!  Next you'll be telling me you're re-upping 5X DFA'd (including US!) Matt Bowman or something- that would just be too ecstatic for words!

Oh, wait...

[gil4]

On 2/3/2026 at 10:26 PM, Vanimal46 said:

A fun exercise for you is looking at Jackson Kowar's B-Ref page, and Ronny Henriquez' B-Ref page, and ask yourself if they belong together. 

Their minor league lines are both not very good.

Of course, Henriquez is 4 years younger than Kowar and has 1 great year preceded by two decent months at the major league level.

Kowar's ERA has dropped in each major league stint after the first one.  The progression was horrendous, really bad, bad, and finally adequate for the last arm in the pen.

He missed all of 2024 and the first half of 2025 with Tommy John surgery.  Maybe he's finally healthy and ready to do something.  Apparently he also missed the last month of 2025 with a shoulder impingement, so maybe he's not

Edit to add:  I'd tell you whose stats are whose, but I don't remember.