The Twins' Pitching Philosophy Is at War With Itself

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The unraveling of the Minnesota Twins over the past two seasons has been anything but subtle. Payroll was slashed heading into 2024, the 2025 trade deadline turned into a full-scale fire sale, and Derek Falvey exited just before spring training this year. What once looked like a sustainable contender after the 2023 playoff run has instead snowballed into an organization searching for alignment.

For a franchise operating under strict payroll limitations, every dollar matters. That reality should push the organization to build a reliable, self-sustaining pitching pipeline. Instead, the Twins have found themselves caught between two philosophies that do not quite meet in the middle. Their development system prioritizes starting pitching depth, while their major league roster construction increasingly demands bullpen solutions they are unwilling to buy.

Keeping Pitchers Starting As Long As Possible
Minnesota has made it clear that pitching prospects will remain starters for as long as possible. In theory, that approach maximizes value. Starters are harder to find, and developing one internally can provide significant surplus value. But the execution has created a bottleneck.

Take Connor Prielipp and Kendry Rojas as examples. There has been outside speculation about potential bullpen futures, yet the organization continues to develop them as starters. Prielipp has flashed promise in his first taste of the big leagues, but there is no certainty that his performance will hold over a full workload. Waiting for that answer delays the ability to address immediate bullpen needs.

The Twins have also had success stories. David Festa and Zebby Matthews were not premium draft picks, yet both added velocity and broke out within the system. That is the development model working as intended. However, the reality is less clean. Festa is now dealing with a shoulder injury that could shift his long-term role, while Matthews has struggled to find consistency early this season at Triple-A.

The transition from starter to reliever is often reactive rather than proactive. Injuries or underperformance force the issue. That path worked beautifully for Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, and Louis Varland, all of whom saw velocity spikes and became dominant late-inning arms. But those outcomes are the exception, not the rule. Relying on that conversion pipeline year after year is a risky bet.

Marco Raya highlights the downside. Developed aggressively as a starter, he moved quickly through the system while rarely facing lineups multiple times. Even after reaching Triple-A at 21 years old, he never established consistency. A late move to the bullpen has not unlocked another level, leaving the organization without clarity on his role or value.

Andrew Morris might be the clearest example of the organization being caught in between philosophies at the big-league level. He entered the year looking like the next starter in line for a rotation spot, but instead has been deployed in a long relief role. It is a usage pattern that keeps him stretched out without offering a real opportunity to claim a starting job, while also limiting his ability to adapt to the intensity of shorter bullpen outings. The Twins are hesitant to close the door on his future as a starter, yet they are not committing to that path in a meaningful way. That leaves Morris in a developmental gray area, neither building toward a defined rotation role nor being put in a position to succeed as a true reliever.

Not Spending Money on the Bullpen
If the development strategy leans heavily toward starting pitching, the roster construction doubles down by avoiding bullpen spending altogether. During Falvey’s tenure, the Twins consistently bypassed the top end of the reliever market. Instead, they relied on minor league deals, waiver claims, and buy-low trades. That philosophy only works if the pipeline consistently produces major league-ready relievers. Right now, it is not.

The 2026 bullpen is a reflection of that gap. Taylor Rogers was the most notable addition at $2 million, and he appears to be nearing the end of his effectiveness. Beyond that, the unit is a patchwork of interchangeable pieces without defined roles. The result has been one of the least effective bullpens in baseball.

The lack of investment creates compounding pressure. The front office must develop relievers internally, but the system is not designed to produce them quickly. Prospects are stretched as starters, delaying their transition, while injuries to arms like Pablo López and Festa thin the rotation and force even more prospects to remain in starting roles.

Meanwhile, the Triple-A bullpen has not provided obvious reinforcements. There is no wave of high-leverage arms ready to step in, and no financial safety net to cover the gap.

The Twins are operating with two ideas that make sense independently but clash in practice. Developing starters has value, and avoiding risky bullpen contracts can be justified under payroll constraints. But doing both at the same time without adjustment creates a structural imbalance.

Minnesota needs to pick a lane or find a better middle ground. That could mean identifying relievers earlier in the development process, being more aggressive with role changes, or selectively investing in proven bullpen arms to stabilize the roster. Right now, they are asking their system to solve a problem it is not built to address.

Until those philosophies align, the Twins will continue to develop pitchers with long-term upside while struggling to get outs in the innings that matter most.

How can the Twins fix the pitching development philosophy? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

 

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[DJL44]

Can anyone name a team that developed enough pitching to fill the rotation AND the bullpen with homegrown pre-arbitration players. It’s a nearly impossible task.

[UpstateNewYorker]

If the system is "not designed to produce relievers" (quickly or otherwise) then it's a really bad system. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

1) Let the starters pitch more pitches per game. Shelton is doing that. 2) Find pitchers with funky or unusual pitches, who will never, ever walk the first batter in an inning and make them relievers. Control is key.  3) Get really good fielding  shortstops, 3rd basemen, 2nd basemen, first basemen and fast outfielders (all of which will help he pitchers) and play them regularly at their best positions. Foot speed is essential. 4) Get smart catchers who study the opposition's players and who understand the game and can encourage the team's pitchers. Catchers with rifle arms are essential. 5) Draft more tall flame throwing pitchers. And finally,  if "ifs" and "buts" were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas.  

[FlyingFinn]

But remember since we arent really trying to win  we can let this play out longer and find out which starters make it.

[Whitey333]

Very good article.  Bottom line is the Twins bullpen is, as predicted, a mess and looks to stay that way.

[Coach Wheels]

43 minutes ago, UpstateNewYorker said:

If the system is "not designed to produce relievers" (quickly or otherwise) then it's a really bad system. 

What the Twins did last July was undo multiple years of work in creating a bullpen that was as good as any in baseball. Tearing down an elite bullpen can't be fixed in one off-season, especially when you traded for LH OF'ers and starting pitchers.. 

We're going to be reading these articles for the entire summer and it's a drag.

SELL THE TEAM, please!!!

[Jeff K]

The Twins bullpen is truly a disaster and this past offseason, virtually nothing was done except bringing in retreads and cut outs (old music store reference).  Whether that is what ownership dictated or what Zoll wanted to do, it was destined to fail.

[Paul Walerius]

Rojas needs to be up and given a longer look.  He wasn't great in his only appearance but wasn't bad either.   Morris has been pretty good in the first innings (each game) he has pitched.  Why not reduce the innings he goes out for a bit.  Klein looked good (didn't even realize he was brought up). Festa is about ready. Adams was activated (AAA) even Matthews can be in the pen.  We don't need to keep sending out Garcia, Topa, Sands, Banda. Heck SWR has been bad as a starter this year. He could be long relief. Laweryson has been good minus the 2nd inning he came out for in his first outing, get him healthy. There are options that I think make the team better.

[Jack Pine]

It doesn't help the pitching staff any when half the starting lineup's BA is below the Mendoza line.  

[shimrod]

"Their development system prioritizes starting pitching depth, while their major league roster construction increasingly demands bullpen solutions they are unwilling to buy."

This isn't a philosophy problem, it's a spending problem. As an earlier commenter points out, ownership statements to the contrary, this team was not constructed to win. They are putting up a facade of contention while waiting for a CBA resolution. 

You can absolutely buy a bullpen. You can use promising young starters to fill bullpen openings. You can, and probably should, do both IF you're actually focused on winning. Twins probably will do both, eventually. In 2026 they're conserving cash and preparing pitching prospects to start. 

 

[Peter Gravett]

35 minutes ago, Jeff K said:

The Twins bullpen is truly a disaster and this past offseason, virtually nothing was done except bringing in retreads and cut outs (old music store reference).  Whether that is what ownership dictated or what Zoll wanted to do, it was destined to fail.

Music store reference is a good one. Sadly our bullpen is an oarfolkjokeopus...

[jmlease1]

Meh. Not excited about the idea of converting starters to relievers earlier in their careers before they've proven that they can't start. Yes, the bullpen this season is a mess and it's a self-inflicted wound, but it's still harder to find starters and quality ones are more valuable. Beyond that they get injured frequently and you always need reinforcements (as has been proven this season as well).

Does anyone really believe that Raya would be thriving as a reliever if they'd made him one back in AA rather than continuing to try him in the rotation until he struggled at AAA? Would we be happier with Matthews or Rojas already in the bullpen, or would we be complaining about the shortage of starters if another guy goes down for a few weeks?

The problem is they stripped down the bullpen to almost nothing at the deadline, and then did nothing of substance to rebuild it in the offseason. They spent their self-imposed budget limit more on the lineup and put little to no resources on the bullpen, despite it being a gaping hole. This was always the most likely scenario.

But if they can ID a couple of guys as pieces this season (Klein, Morris, Matthews, Festa, Funderburk are contenders) and actually spend a little money for next season then they should be back to a functional bullpen.

I'm glad to see Rojas looking impactful, because if he busts while Varland keeps being a high impact arm....

[DJL44]

15 minutes ago, Jack Pine said:

It doesn't help the pitching staff any when half the starting lineup's BA is below the Mendoza line.  

It doesn’t really affect them at all. Bad defense certainly affects the pitching staff.

[karcherd]

Are they developing starters in the minors.  It appears like they are more concerned with developing bulk guys.  Like the article says pick a lane, but they aren't really doing either right now.

[Paul Walerius]

27 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Meh. Not excited about the idea of converting starters to relievers earlier in their careers before they've proven that they can't start. Yes, the bullpen this season is a mess and it's a self-inflicted wound, but it's still harder to find starters and quality ones are more valuable. Beyond that they get injured frequently and you always need reinforcements (as has been proven this season as well).

Does anyone really believe that Raya would be thriving as a reliever if they'd made him one back in AA rather than continuing to try him in the rotation until he struggled at AAA? Would we be happier with Matthews or Rojas already in the bullpen, or would we be complaining about the shortage of starters if another guy goes down for a few weeks?

The problem is they stripped down the bullpen to almost nothing at the deadline, and then did nothing of substance to rebuild it in the offseason. They spent their self-imposed budget limit more on the lineup and put little to no resources on the bullpen, despite it being a gaping hole. This was always the most likely scenario.

But if they can ID a couple of guys as pieces this season (Klein, Morris, Matthews, Festa, Funderburk are contenders) and actually spend a little money for next season then they should be back to a functional bullpen.

I'm glad to see Rojas looking impactful, because if he busts while Varland keeps being a high impact arm....

Griffin Jax has entered the chat.  Varland and Duran should be by at anytime.

[Patzky]

53 minutes ago, Jack Pine said:

It doesn't help the pitching staff any when half the starting lineup's BA is below the Mendoza line.  

Shhh.. you're not wrong. But we shouldn't require an 11 spot to win.

[Patzky]

38 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

It doesn’t really affect them at all. Bad defense certainly affects the pitching staff.

Groundball pitchers force the IF defense hand. Can we find some (intentionally) fly ball pitchers? Without allowing 440 ft fly balls? 😁

[Blyleven2011]

Pohlads called Terry Ryan's tenure a total system failure  ...

They haven't come out and said anything negative about the Falvey's administration but I'm sure they are regretting the colossal failure he has brought to this organization ...

Falvey emphasized the development of starting pitching as a priority but neglected the spending on the bullpen,  developing defense and offense  , once he hired Rocco and the two collaborated together with a  plan , it just didn't work out  ...

A colossal failure  ...

 

[Western SD Fan]

24 minutes ago, Paul Walerius said:

Griffin Jax has entered the chat.  Varland and Duran should be by at anytime.

Both Jax and Varland were tried out as starters prior to converting to the bullpen.  Jax was only given one year as a starter before going to the bullpen.  Varland spent parts of three years as a starter before transitioning to the bullpen after coming back from an injury in 2024 and found his niche.  Only Duran was converted to a reliever in the minors.  

[Nshore]

The Cleveland Guardians seem to always operate at or below the Twins operational budget.  And they always seem to have superior pitching.  WDCD.  (What Does Cleveland Do).

[Paul Walerius]

7 minutes ago, Western SD Fan said:

Both Jax and Varland were tried out as starters prior to converting to the bullpen.  Jax was only given one year as a starter before going to the bullpen.  Varland spent parts of three years as a starter before transitioning to the bullpen after coming back from an injury in 2024 and found his niche.  Only Duran was converted to a reliever in the minors.  

Correct. 

[terrydactyls]

3 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Can anyone name a team that developed enough pitching to fill the rotation AND the bullpen with homegrown pre-arbitration players. It’s a nearly impossible task.

I did it once (1985) playing fantasy baseball.  Then I traded for Ron Davis.

[TJSweens]

"Prielipp has flashed promise in his first taste of the big leagues, but there is no certainty that his performance will hold over a full workload. Waiting for that answer delays the ability to address immediate bullpen needs."

The obsession with moving Prielipp to the pen continues. Prielipp is outperforming other prospects as a starter at the major league level. For that matter, he is out performing SWR. Why even bring up assessing him as a reliever? The Twins shouldn't be willing to sacrifice Prielipp's development as a starter to fill a bullpen need on a team that is only going to win about 75 games.