Twins Bullpen Power Rankings: How Much Trade Deadline Help Does Minnesota Really Need?

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

 

The Minnesota Twins have made their trade deadline intentions crystal clear. General manager Jeremy Zoll told reporters before Tuesday's game that the club intends to improve the major-league roster before Monday's August 3 trade deadline, with bullpen help sitting at the top of the shopping list. 

That shouldn't come as much of a surprise. While Minnesota has fought its way back into contention, the relief corps remains the biggest obstacle between this team and a legitimate postseason push. There are a few relievers manager Derek Shelton can trust. After that, the confidence level drops off quickly.

If the Twins want this bullpen to become a strength instead of simply surviving games, they'll need to add multiple high-leverage relievers—not just another middle-inning option. Here's what the current hierarchy looks like, as the club ponders upgrades.

Tier 1: Yoendrys Gómez, Andrew Morris

Few waiver claims have changed the trajectory of a season like Yoendrys Gómez. He has quite literally saved Minnesota's bullpen. Shortly after arriving, Gómez took over the closer's role and never looked back. Credit goes to both Gómez and Minnesota's pitching coaches, who made subtle mechanical adjustments that unlocked another level. Since joining the Twins, Gómez owns a 1.78 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP, and is a perfect 13-for-13 in save opportunities.

Andrew Morris has been just as important. When Minnesota traded Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, and Louis Varland at last year's deadline, the organization believed it could rebuild the bullpen internally. Morris has become the poster child for that philosophy.

After transitioning from the rotation into a one-inning relief role, his stuff has played up dramatically. Over his last 19 appearances, Morris has surrendered just one earned run (a solo home run) while striking out 20 batters across 21 innings. He's quickly become one of the most dependable setup options in the American League.

Tier 2: Tommy Nance, Kendry Rojas, Travis Adams

This is where Minnesota's bullpen starts showing its biggest weakness. Tommy Nance has been perfectly serviceable since arriving from Toronto. His 23.8% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate, and 4.03 FIP paint the picture of a capable middle reliever. On many playoff-caliber clubs, he'd slot into the sixth or seventh inning.

For the Twins? He's arguably their third- or fourth-most trusted reliever. That's the problem. Nance isn't pitching above his ability. He's being asked to occupy a bigger role than a contender ideally wants.

Kendry Rojas remains one of the organization's most intriguing arms, but he's difficult to rank. The left-hander has bounced between spot starts, piggyback outings, and relief appearances as injuries have forced Minnesota to stay flexible. He's probably the club's most trusted left-handed reliever, but he isn't being used like one, because the organization still views him as a long-term starter candidate and an important source of legnth.

With Mike Paredes landing on the injured list, Rojas also represents the next logical rotation option. Until that changes, he'll stay at least partially stretched out, instead of becoming a traditional late-inning weapon.

Travis Adams has quietly climbed this list over the past month. His overall numbers remain inflated after allowing 14 earned runs in 10 appearances between May 27 and June 29, but July has looked much different. Adams has given up just two earned runs across 10 2/3 innings, while striking out eight and walking four.

Perhaps the most encouraging development has been his strikeout rate, which has climbed to 26.4%, nearly seven percentage points better than last season. The walks, however, remain elevated at 10.7%, leaving room for improvement before he can consistently handle high-leverage situations.

Tier 3: Taylor Rogers, Kody Funderburk, Jack Anderson

Taylor Rogers's return to Minnesota had a chance to be one of the better stories of the season. The veteran reunited with the organization that drafted and developed him, while also reaching the milestone of 10 years of major-league service time. Unfortunately, sentiment hasn't translated into production.

Rogers owns an ERA north of 5.00, and his strikeout rate has dropped more than eight percentage points below his career average. There are encouraging signs, though. He's allowed just one earned run over his last nine appearances, suggesting he may have a little gas left in the tank.

Kody Funderburk hasn't taken the step forward Minnesota hoped to see after his strong finish to 2025. Instead, he's spent much of the season shuttling between Triple-A and the majors. His strikeout rate has fallen from 21.9% to just 15.0%, while a matching 15.0% walk rate has created too many stressful innings. Since returning at the end of June, Funderburk has been more effective, posting a 3.65 ERA with 10 strikeouts and four walks across 12⅓ innings. It's progress, but not enough to erase the inconsistency.

Jack Anderson may be the bullpen's biggest unknown. Claimed off waivers from Boston, Anderson has quietly impressed during his brief stint with Minnesota. He's thrown 4 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit while striking out four. Earlier this season with the Red Sox, he posted respectable numbers over three appearances, giving the Twins enough reason to believe there's more upside to unlock. The sample size remains small, but Anderson has earned the opportunity to stick around.

What the Deadline Should Look Like

The biggest takeaway from these rankings isn't that Minnesota lacks quality relievers. It's that there aren't enough of them, and that shouldn’t be a surprise to Twins fans. Gómez and Morris have formed an excellent late-inning duo, but asking Nance to be one of your top setup options is asking too much from the current roster construction. In an ideal bullpen, Nance slides down a couple spots on the depth chart, while Rogers, Adams, Funderburk, and Anderson compete for lower-leverage innings.

That's why adding one reliever may not be enough. If the Twins are serious about making noise in October, they need to acquire multiple relievers who immediately rank ahead of Nance in the bullpen hierarchy. Doing so would transform the middle innings, deepen Shelton's options, and lessen the nightly workload on Gómez and Morris.

There's also another reinforcement on the horizon. As Connor Prielipp approaches his anticipated innings limit as a starter, the Twins could transition one of their top pitching prospects into a relief role late in the season. His power arsenal could make him an impact weapon out of the bullpen, much like Morris after his own move away from starting. Of course, if they go that route, they have to replace Prielipp in the rotation.

That possibility gives Minnesota another intriguing internal option. But with October aspirations on the line, the Twins can't afford to wait for internal solutions alone. The bullpen has improved dramatically since Opening Day, but the gap between Minnesota and the American League's elite contenders is still measured in late-inning arms. Jeremy Zoll knows it. Now, the trade deadline will reveal just how aggressively the Twins intend to close it.

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Do you agree with the rankings above? Leave a comment and start the discussion. 

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[Patzky]

The bullpen is easier to itemize but the lack of timely hitting (or hitting at all many games) will ultimately be this team's undoing.

[Linus]

I think Rojas should be in tier 2 all by himself. No way Adam’s belongs in that conversation. If they are really going to try and make the playoffs they need at least two pitchers that slot in tier 2 or above. One preferably being left handed as Rogers and Funderburk are not sufficient. So excited about Morris and Rojas (and Gomez). That’s the start of a good young bullpen. 

[tony&rodney]

Just add one guy - Mason Miller. See what Preller will accept. I totally think Miller is unavailable because San Diego believes it still has a shot but it never hurts to talk with people.

[saviking]

Excellent Article! Thx 

And I agree with all ...

[nicksaviking]

The bullpen should be:

Morris, Gomez, Adams, Funderburk, Raya and Klein. Anderson's still young so give me him and then Matthews, with Rojas going to the rotation. I'd be more than happy to try Culpepper over Klein or Anderson too. If you absolutely have to have a second lefty, sigh, I guess you keep Rogers, or help Prielipp limit his innings in the pen. But only Matthews and/or Anderson do the mop up multi inning stuff, the others all concentrate on learning the nuances of being a high leverage reliever. Matthews can do that next year.

Not all of them are going to make it, but I'd bet good money that over half of them do, and getting them  ready to rock in 2027 will set this team up to be an actual contender next year. Retreads from other teams will just hinder the evaluation of the players who are much more likely to contribute.

 

 

 

[LA Vikes Fan]

I agree that we don't want any retreads. There may be a younger controllable guy out there to be had. The Angels just traded away Chase Silseth and O'Hoppe for an A ball guy with upside. Silseth may have been able to slide into that Tier 2 group. I would definitely be speaking with them about Sam Bachman and Ryan Zeferjahn, two more guys who have Tier 2 potential. Frankly, I think Bachman would slot right in as an eighth-inning guy. I know there's others out there on other teams. That's who we should be targeting and I'm willing to give up as many Class A or Class AA guys with upside as it takes to get them. Conversely, I am not particularly interested in trading for Kirby Yates of the Angels, a classic 39-year-old reliever on the downside with the track record. That's where I would draw the line. I hope we can pull it off.

[Rufus]

47 minutes ago, Patzky said:

The bullpen is easier to itemize but the lack of timely hitting (or hitting at all many games) will ultimately be this team's undoing.

 The last time I looked the Twins are one of the leading teams with runners on base

 

[Rufus]

Anderson has looked promising so far. I have read so many comments about how the Twins would be in 1st place if the Varland and Duran.  That is impossible to predict and Gomez and Morris would not have been given their opportunities to step up. Both have become bullpen staples.  Gomez probably would not even be on the team

[Danchat]

Many of us have been asking for starters to get moved to being relievers, so seeing Morris break through isn't exactly shocking, this seems to be how the best relievers get discovered. So next up, move Klein to being a one inning reliever and see what happens.

I do wonder about Raya, I'd like him to get more of a chance in the majors now that he's healthy.

Oh, and Nance isn't a Tier 2 reliever. I haven't been impressed with what I've seen from him so far.

[Western SD Fan]

43 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Morris, Gomez, Adams, Funderburk, Raya and Klein. Anderson's still young so give me him and then Matthews, with Rojas going to the rotation.

This means that you still have to trade for a starting pitcher.  If you replace Matthews with Rojas and then eventually shut down Prielipp to the bullpen, your rotation is Ryan, Bradley, Ober, Rojas, and 🤷‍♂️.  We have seen the results of using 🤷‍♂️as a strategy and it typically hampers our bullpen for days.  Abel and Paredes aren't coming back this season.  Matthews also has started every game since 2024, in Wichita.  Moving a starter to the bullpen mid-season isn't all that easy, ask Sim or Lance McCullers, Jr (recently DFA'd from the Brewers after they traded for him).  Sean Manea from the Mets has probably been the best at it we have seen in recent memory.  The Rays prepared Jax in the offseason to start, not in the middle of the season.  Same with Crochet.  I don't disagree that this move may eventually need to be made.  I disagree that this move can be made on the fly, in a playoff race, with no history on how Zebby will react.

Now to the bullpen.  The current state of the bullpen has rounded enough into shape that, unless we get a 7-9th inning reliever-type, I'm not sure it's worth trading for someone.  This differs from my opinion from a couple months ago when we were running out the likes of Garcia on a consistent basis.  I doubt the Royals would trade with us, but I have always like Lynch IV's stuff.  Senzatela from the Rockies could work.  The big arms on the market would cost more than I'm willing to pay for a marginal playoff contender, no matter how much talk Zoll or TP do before the deadline.  Even in today's world, sometimes you still have to marry the person you went to the alter with.

 

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

If you leave Adams as a 1 inning guy, you will get better results. 

Anderson has pitched well. Tier 3 feels a bit insulting. 

At minimum, we need a proven Closer that pushes everybody down 1 spot. Morris and Gomez as 7th and 8th inning setup arms pushes those tier 2 guys into the middle reliever roles theyre better suited for and pushes Rogers off the roster. If that is where the BP ends up after the deadline, you could really work with that. 1 more set up type arm to push Funderburk back to AAA would be ideal. 

Im asking for 3 acquisitions before the deadline:

A proven closer for the reasons stated already. 

A starter to slot in with Taj and Ryan making a 3 man playoff rotation you can trust.

A legit 1B. The prototypical 1B with a big bat and a solid glove. 

On the selling side:

I'm trading Rogers if I can find a taker.

Trading Lewis to make room for the new 1B.

Trading or releasing Gray because he is awful.

Im trading Bell a moving Larnach to DH

Also trading Caratini. 

[DJL44]

Statcast doesn’t trust Gomez and neither do I. Morris looks legit.

[TheLeviathan]

This entire tier list can be described thusly:

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, Western SD Fan said:

This means that you still have to trade for a starting pitcher.  If you replace Matthews with Rojas and then eventually shut down Prielipp to the bullpen, your rotation is Ryan, Bradley, Ober, Rojas, and 🤷‍♂️.  We have seen the results of using 🤷‍♂️as a strategy and it typically hampers our bullpen for days.  Abel and Paredes aren't coming back this season.  Matthews also has started every game since 2024, in Wichita.  Moving a starter to the bullpen mid-season isn't all that easy, ask Sim or Lance McCullers, Jr (recently DFA'd from the Brewers after they traded for him).  Sean Manea from the Mets has probably been the best at it we have seen in recent memory.  The Rays prepared Jax in the offseason to start, not in the middle of the season.  Same with Crochet.  I don't disagree that this move may eventually need to be made.  I disagree that this move can be made on the fly, in a playoff race, with no history on how Zebby will react.

Now to the bullpen.  The current state of the bullpen has rounded enough into shape that, unless we get a 7-9th inning reliever-type, I'm not sure it's worth trading for someone.  This differs from my opinion from a couple months ago when we were running out the likes of Garcia on a consistent basis.  I doubt the Royals would trade with us, but I have always like Lynch IV's stuff.  Senzatela from the Rockies could work.  The big arms on the market would cost more than I'm willing to pay for a marginal playoff contender, no matter how much talk Zoll or TP do before the deadline.  Even in today's world, sometimes you still have to marry the person you went to the alter with.

 

I'd take either a salary dump starter or even a low level waiver starter to get Matthews to the pen, which is where I think he belongs. That's not to be demeaning at all, because I think Matthews is going to thrive there as soon as he gets used to the transition.

[clone52]

Given July performances and the fickle nature of relievers, if they really want to be buyers, they need to focus on the bats.

Could still trade Jeffers if its part of a plan to upgrade the offense overall.

Or, lets start giving some AAA a shot, not even just the big names.  Rosario, Ross, Mendez would be better than Gray and Roden right now.  Lee kinda slumping to, so could move Royce to 3B freeing up 1B/DH.

Hell, see if Wallner can mash for a bit.

[bean5302]

Gomez has a 5.18 xERA, a 4.58 FIP and a 5.24 xFIP. He's getting soooooo lucky.

Andrew Morris' xFIP suggests a bunch of regression too, but his other peripherals are good. I wouldn't want to lean on him as a setup or closer.

I think the Twins need both a closer and a setup guy.

[jmlease1]

I'd like to see a LHP who isn't cooked, a RH set-up guy (I'd rather get a guy that can be a good set-up man than pay a premium for someone who just happened to get tapped to pitch the 9th inning a lot) and wouldn't mind one more RHP with some velocity.

Rogers is getting by on guts and guile, Funderburk has been poor, so we need a LHP. Gomez may be getting lucky, but I'll ride the luck. Morris is looking like a real guy in the 'pen. Nance seems fine. Adams is worth working with. But we need 2 more for sure, and Rojas is probably more of a bulk guy right now with the rotation thin too.

[weitz41]

1st off I don't want to jinx it...but...The DP has been pretty dang good for a month now.

I'd say they need to get a rental starter and a RH DP arm. Ray, Gausman or Rogers on the top end. Singer to maybe even Springs on the low end. Not looking for a no hitter here, just a 4.00 era and 60+ innings. I really don't want to part with any top 20 prospects for a 30% chance at a WC. Singer or Springs would be my preferred.

Then I'd move Prielipp to the BP. 100-110 innings should be his max for the season. We need him next year as much or more then this season.  I'd like to think in one inning Prielipp would land in the second tier. RH RP idk really who. I'd love to get Hoffman from Toronto. He would cost a bit in prospects.

As for the Gray call up. It is, to me, one of those...there has to be more to it...My out of left field guess is once Emma finishes rehab he'll get the call and Gray with head back to St. Paul. Buxton hip is becoming a chronic issue, and Emma is a good CF.

Just caught the walk off by Clemens! Go Twins!

[Cris E]

I like Anderson and think he'll keep growing into a bigger role.

I think Preilipp has to end up in the pen next month to manage his innings, which could solve my biggest gripe with this group: the lefties are not good enough. 

Travis Adams may some day end up making the same jump as Morris, but he'll need to be moved back to a one inning role where he can just attack.  Those guys in the in-between multi-inning space seem to have more trouble than those in a locked down single frame role.

They need one starter to replace Connor and another guy in that Tier 2 space. Those guys are out there  in controllable forms (ie Angels) and picking them up would not break the bank. And if that somehow leaves us with "too much pitching" (ha!) it's an easy problem to fix over the winter.