The 7 Biggest Decisions for the Twins’ Offseason: How Big of a Bullpen Arm to Add?

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins have traditionally been hesitant to spend significant money on bullpen help. Taylor Rogers, Eric Orze and Anthony Banda were their idea of a relief boost over the winter. They eventually tried to correct course at this year's trade deadline, adding Jeff Hoffman, A.J. Minter, and Tommy Nance to a bullpen that needed reinforcements.

Those improvements gave the team more options, but the results were unsatisfying. The Twins struggled down the stretch, leaving questions about whether the organization needs to take a more aggressive approach to building its bullpen.

That puts a decision in front of new general manager Jeremy Zoll. Will he follow the strategy used by his predecessor, Derek Falvey, or will the Twins finally make a meaningful financial investment in their bullpen? Let's break it down.

The Pros of Adding a Big Bullpen Arm

The biggest benefit of adding a proven reliever would be improving the team from the beginning of the season. The Twins' bullpen was a mess during the first few months of last season, with a -2.08 WPA through April 30. Waiting until the trade deadline meant Minnesota had to spend prospect capital to address a problem that had already cost the team valuable games. Adding a major bullpen piece during the winter would allow the organization to enter spring training with a more established group.

The Twins also have a better baseline heading into this offseason. Hoffman, Andrew Morris, and Yoendrys Gomez give Minnesota some options toward the back end. However, Morris and Gomez clearly tired during the team’s second-half collapse. If Hoffman remains healthy and performs the way he did after joining the Twins, the team already has one significant piece in place.

Still, the bullpen needs another quality left-handed option. Minter showed how valuable that type of arm can be. Finding someone of his caliber could give the Twins a much-needed weapon against opposing left-handed hitters while also providing another high-leverage option.

There's another benefit to acting during the winter: it costs money rather than prospects. The Twins learned at the trade deadline that quality relievers can require significant prospect capital. Signing a reliever in free agency means giving up financial resources, but it doesn't require sending one of the organization's young players to another team. For a club trying to build around a younger core, that distinction matters.

The Cons of Adding a Big Bullpen Arm

The problem is that bullpen arms are fickle. Relievers can burn brightly for a few seasons before their performance suddenly fades. Others can have one outstanding season and struggle to replicate it. Because relievers generally work in smaller sample sizes, a handful of poor outings can dramatically change the perception of an entire season.

That makes spending big money on a reliever a risky proposition. The Twins won't have unlimited financial flexibility this winter. If the organization commits a significant portion of its available payroll to a reliever, that player needs to perform. There isn't much room for Minnesota to absorb an expensive bullpen contract that doesn't work.

And that's the biggest issue with trying to find a surefire bullpen option. There isn't one. Even the best relievers carry some level of risk. Injuries happen. Velocity changes. Command disappears. A pitch that was nearly unhittable one season can become much easier to square up the next.

The Twins could also explore an internal solution. Instead of spending heavily on another reliever, Minnesota could move one of its current starting pitching options into the bullpen. Zebby Matthews, David Festa, or Kendry Rojas could potentially provide another option if the organization believes their best path to helping the team is in shorter outings. That approach would save money, but it also comes with its own uncertainty.

What Would the Timeline Look Like?

Timing could be a major factor in Minnesota's decision. The Twins will have roughly a month between the end of the World Series and the beginning of the December 1 lockout. That creates a relatively small window for teams to make significant moves before negotiations between MLB and the players potentially bring the offseason to a halt.

The last time baseball dealt with a lockout, five years ago, free-agent activity accelerated before the deadline. Teams and players had an incentive to get deals completed rather than risk entering an uncertain period without contracts in place. The same thing could happen this winter. If the Twins decide they want to add a significant bullpen piece, they may not be able to wait for the market to develop over several months. The best options could be off the board before December arrives.

Otherwise, Minnesota could find itself scrambling after the lockout ends to sign the remaining free agents and get them into camp on time. There is no guarantee the lockout will be short. If it stretches into spring training, teams could have even less time to prepare for the season. That makes early offseason planning particularly important.

The Verdict

The Twins probably don't need to make the biggest bullpen splash on the market, but they should be open to making a meaningful investment. Their bullpen was too unreliable for too much of last season, and waiting until the trade deadline proved expensive in terms of prospect capital. Minnesota enters this offseason with a better foundation than it had a year ago, but adding another proven high-leverage arm, particularly a left-hander, could make a significant difference.

The challenge is finding the right player at the right price. Zoll doesn't need to recreate the bullpen with one signing. He needs to identify whether there is a reliever worth committing real money to and determine whether that investment gives the Twins a better chance to win in April, May, and June rather than waiting for another deadline correction.

After years of taking a relatively conservative approach to bullpen spending, this could be one of the clearest opportunities for Zoll to establish a different philosophy. The question is whether the Twins are willing to pay for it.

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Should the Twins invest in the bullpen this winter? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[1985Fan]

I’d like to see some spend on the BP. Matthews, Rojas, and others should be used as SP until that door is completely closed. Adding one or two BP arms via FA would be helpful, instead of spending prospect capital. Spending big on guys like Bednar or Morejohn is premature, so maybe Minter and Abreu are more reasonable. 
 

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

We need a proven Closer. Signing David Bednar to be our Closer would help immensely. 

We have other guys to fill the rest of the BP. Hoffman gets the 8th inning. Gomez, Morris, Adams, Banda, and Nance are under team control. Other potential options could include Rojas, Ober, Festa, and any other Starter the team feels is destined for BP work. 

Im not interested in working the fringes or raising the floor. Raise the ceiling for once. 

If Funderburk wont cut it as THE Lefty, resign Minter if wants to come back. But a Closer is a necessity. We do not have one on the roster. 

Edited 3 hours ago by soyouresayingtheresachance

[LambchoP]

Minter and Abreau would be good enough for me. Then go out and improve the lineup by signing a decent catcher for a year or two and getting a legit power hitting first baseman. Dump Lewis, Wallner and Larnach for whatever we can get.

[MapleGroveTwinsFan]

44 minutes ago, soyouresayingtheresachance said:

We need a proven Closer. Signing David Bednar to be our Closer would help immensely. 

We have other guys to fill the rest of the BP. Hoffman gets the 8th inning. Gomez, Morris, Adams, Banda, and Nance are under team control. Other potential options could include Rojas, Ober, Festa, and any other Starter the team feels is destined for BP work. 

Im not interested in working the fringes or raising the floor. Raise the ceiling for once. 

If Funderburk wont cut it as THE Lefty, resign Minter if wants to come back. But a Closer is a necessity. We do not have one on the roster. 

Why do the Twins need a closer?

Gomez had 23 saves, 7 holds and two blown saves.

Morris had 5 saves, 24 holds and 6 blown saves.

Rogers 2 saves, 9 holds and 1 blown save.

Funderburk had 3 saves, 28 holds and 0 blown saves.

Banda had 2 saves, 10 holds and 2 blown saves.

Minter 1 save, 11 holds, 2 blown saves,

Hoffman 1 save 10 holds and 0 blown saves

Nance 0 saves, 7 holds and 3 blown saves.

Orze, Sands, Adams, Topa

 

The problem in 2026 wasn't the back end of the bullpen, and getting a closer won't change the win total by much. 

 

 

 

 

[jmlease1]

34 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

Minter and Abreau would be good enough for me. Then go out and improve the lineup by signing a decent catcher for a year or two and getting a legit power hitting first baseman. Dump Lewis, Wallner and Larnach for whatever we can get.

I generally agree: Twins should be shopping for their first option LHP in the bullpen (whether that's Minter or someone else at that level) and a RHP set-up man that could be the first pick to pitch the 7th-8th inning in higher leverage situations. Abreu seems to be a guy they like and want and would fit that role nicely, and giving him a 2 or even 3 year deal shouldn't be too high-risk.

Right now they have: Hoffman, Gomez, Morris, Funderburk and maybe Nance and Sands along with Adams and some fringe guys to pick from. They need a LHP that can be trusted from Day 1 to pitch higher leverage situations and has more certainty than Funderburk. They need a RHP that can slot in behind Hoffman and makes you less reliant on Gomez and gives you more time to develop Morris as a reliever.

They will have to spend to fill those roles, but they don't need to pay the additional 20-40% premium on "proven closer"; they already have Hoffman and despite late season struggles Gomez was quite good at pitching the 9th on a regular basis so they have guys who can finish games.

A bullpen of Hoffman, Abreu, Minter, Gomez, Morris, Funderburk, and Sands with the last spot open to competition (maybe it's a reclamation project, maybe it's Zebby getting bumped to the bullpen, maybe it's Adams after an offseason in the lab, maybe it's Festa (lol) back and healthy). Even if you dump Sands into the "maybes" crowd and have 2 spots open, that's ok if that's the top 6.

I wouldn't complain if they added 2 RHP with real velocity and experience to the bullpen, but they need 1 LHP and one RHP who can handle higher leverage roles from the jump. I actually like Morris quite a bit and think he could potentially be one of those guys, but we should want him to be a middle reliever who gets opportunities to test himself in higher leverage roles and has to earn his way into being a set-up guy. 

 

[Patzky]

7 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

I generally agree: Twins should be shopping for their first option LHP in the bullpen (whether that's Minter or someone else at that level) and a RHP set-up man that could be the first pick to pitch the 7th-8th inning in higher leverage situations. Abreu seems to be a guy they like and want and would fit that role nicely, and giving him a 2 or even 3 year deal shouldn't be too high-risk.

Right now they have: Hoffman, Gomez, Morris, Funderburk and maybe Nance and Sands along with Adams and some fringe guys to pick from. They need a LHP that can be trusted from Day 1 to pitch higher leverage situations and has more certainty than Funderburk. They need a RHP that can slot in behind Hoffman and makes you less reliant on Gomez and gives you more time to develop Morris as a reliever.

They will have to spend to fill those roles, but they don't need to pay the additional 20-40% premium on "proven closer"; they already have Hoffman and despite late season struggles Gomez was quite good at pitching the 9th on a regular basis so they have guys who can finish games.

A bullpen of Hoffman, Abreu, Minter, Gomez, Morris, Funderburk, and Sands with the last spot open to competition (maybe it's a reclamation project, maybe it's Zebby getting bumped to the bullpen, maybe it's Adams after an offseason in the lab, maybe it's Festa (lol) back and healthy). Even if you dump Sands into the "maybes" crowd and have 2 spots open, that's ok if that's the top 6.

I wouldn't complain if they added 2 RHP with real velocity and experience to the bullpen, but they need 1 LHP and one RHP who can handle higher leverage roles from the jump. I actually like Morris quite a bit and think he could potentially be one of those guys, but we should want him to be a middle reliever who gets opportunities to test himself in higher leverage roles and has to earn his way into being a set-up guy. 

 

Paredes and Ober are other internal options. The premise is fundamentally correct to identify the options but frustratingly vague in how to proceed. Whether the first domino is keeping Ryan Jeffers, trading Joe Ryan, or both, will impact how the first dollars to fall are spent. What to do with Royce Lewis, AJ Minter, Victor Caratini, Josh Bell, and Trevor Larnach will have secondary impacts.

[DJL44]

I would look to add to the bullpen with whatever budget is left over after finding an infielder and a catcher.

They have 5 spots taken by relievers without options: Hoffman, Nance, Banda, Funderburk and Gomez. I would move Ober to the bullpen because I think he’s a better pitcher than what you can get for $6M in free agency. That leaves 2 spots if you plan on optioning everyone with options (Sands, Morris, Adams, Festa). Leaving a spot open to move players with options up and down is a good idea. That means I would spend whatever I had left on the best arm I could find. I think that means a $6M pitcher who will keep Adams in AAA. That’s someone like Paul Blackburn, Kenley Jansen, Mark Leiter, etc.