3 Free-Agent Relievers Who Could Give the Twins a Lift

[Sam Caulder]

Image courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins entered the 2026 season knowing their bullpen would be a weakness, and the front office did little to address that problem after last year's trade deadline fire sale. They felt the effects of that decision throughout the season, leaving another offseason with plenty of work to do. While the bullpen is in a better place than it was a year ago, there are still some significant holes to fill.

Tom Pohlad and the front office have another opportunity to address those needs this winter. If the Twins want to compete in 2027, adding some reliable late-inning arms should be near the top of their offseason checklist. With that in mind, here are three relief pitchers the Twins should target in free agency.

LHP Alex Vesia

Vesia will probably be the most expensive option on this list, but with Taylor Rogers and A.J. Minter both set to become free agents, the Twins could use another reliable left-handed option in the bullpen. He’s established himself as a dependable reliever with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his 2026 numbers suggest he could be a significant addition to Minnesota's relief corps.

He finished the season with a 2.64 ERA and 74 strikeouts over 58 innings. Those are impressive numbers on their own, but the underlying data makes his performance even more appealing. Both his whiff rate and strikeout rate ranked in the 95th percentile or better, while his hard-hit rate, barrel rate and average exit velocity were all within the top quarter of the league. Vesia consistently missed bats while limiting the quality of contact when hitters did put the ball in play.

One of the more interesting aspects of Vesia's arsenal is his delivery. He throws almost straight over the top, with a 69° arm angle that helps his four-seam fastball generate a lot of run up in the strike zone. That fastball also helps his secondary pitches play up. Neither his slider nor his changeup has an especially impressive movement profile, but both pitches generate plenty of whiffs because hitters have to respect the fastball.

Vesia figures to be one of the better relief pitchers available this winter, and his price tag will likely reflect that. The Twins have other needs to address, but if they're willing to spend on the bullpen, he would be a significant upgrade.

RHP Bryan Abreu

The Twins almost acquired Abreu at the trade deadline. Minnesota and the Houston Astros reportedly had a deal in place that would have sent Trevor Larnach to Houston in exchange for Abreu. The trade ultimately fell through, but perhaps his destiny was always to wind up in Minnesota.

He had a somewhat disappointing 2026 campaign by his standards, finishing with a 3.73 ERA after averaging a 2.27 mark over the previous four seasons. However, there's still plenty to like about his underlying numbers, and one down year shouldn't erase what he's accomplished throughout his career.

Both his whiff rate and strikeout rate ranked in the 91st percentile or higher, while all three of his pitches generate sharp vertical movement. His stuff remains good enough to miss bats at an elite rate, which is exactly what the Twins need from someone who could handle high-leverage situations. The biggest concern, with both Abreu and Vesia, is command.

Abreu finished the season with a walk rate north of 15%, while Vesia also walked more than 13% of the hitters he faced. That's a problem for a Twins bullpen that already has too many relievers who struggle to consistently throw strikes.

Still, Abreu's walk rate was comfortably the worst of his career, so there's reason to believe he can improve in that area. His track record gives the Twins a legitimate reason to expect a bounce-back season in 2027 and beyond. Coming off a down year, he could also be more affordable than he would’ve been after another dominant season. He comes with some risk, but the upside is difficult to ignore. If the Twins want an established late-inning arm without paying the absolute top of the market, he would be an intriguing target.

RHP Kevin Ginkel

Ginkel has spent his entire major league career with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and his results over the past couple of seasons probably don't inspire much confidence at first glance. He finished with a 7.36 ERA in 2025 before posting a 4.12 mark this year. However, there's more to his recent performance than those numbers suggest.

He dealt with recurring shoulder issues in 2025 that limited him to just 25 2/3 innings. Despite his struggles, he finished with a 3.64 FIP, suggesting he pitched considerably better than his ERA indicated. The underlying numbers were encouraging again in 2026. Ginkel ranked in the 77th percentile or better in both strikeout rate and whiff rate, while his chase rate landed in the 94th percentile. He continued to generate swings and misses, and hitters had a difficult time laying off pitches outside the strike zone.

Unlike Vesia and Abreu, Ginkel also did a much better job limiting walks. He's finished with a walk rate of 6.2% or better in each of his last two healthy seasons, which would be a welcome addition to a bullpen that needs more reliable command.

Ginkel is essentially a two-pitch pitcher, relying primarily on his slider and four-seam fastball. He doesn’t have as deep an arsenal as some other options on the market, but his stuff has been effective enough to make the combination work. Given his inconsistent results over the past two seasons, the Twins probably wouldn't need to pay top dollar to bring him aboard. There's some risk involved, especially considering his fairly recent shoulder problems, but his underlying numbers suggest there's still something worth pursuing.

Vesia offers the most reliable production, Abreu brings high-end strikeout stuff, and Ginkel could be a more affordable option with the potential to outperform his recent results. If the Twins can land the right combination of those profiles, their bullpen could look considerably different in 2027.

View full article

[tony&rodney]

Two guys. The Twins need to identify and sign 2 bullpen arms. Money should not be an issue. The length of contract could be a barrier. If the Twins can add a couple of relievers to Hoffman, Gomez, Morris, Sands, Adams, Funderburk, Rojas, and anyone else that stands out from the minor leagues or from an invite ..... well, the pen should be improved. 

These three (Vesia, Abreu, Ginkel) sound like possible choices. I would think that the new pitching coaches might have some ideas.

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

Vesia would be fine, although Minter would be great, as well. Both solid lefties. 

No to the other 2. I dont trust any player from Houston. 

David Bednar is the other guy we need. 

A solid lefty and a high end Closer and suddenly our BP looks a whole lot better 

[Cory Engelhardt]

I would love Abreu for sure, and Vesia seems great. But I think a Bednar (Shelton certainly speaks glowingly of him from his time in Pittsburgh) or Raisel Iglesias or another that can be put into the closing role would be good, along with another setup caliber arm. Heck, I'd even shoot for 3 mlb free agent arms, a couple that are on multi year deals and another maybe after the lockout is lifted on a 1 year deal. 

[darin617]

I wouldn't have a problem with Vesia as a bullpen addition. They need to swing big and go for whoever is the best free agent closer or look to trade for one.

The bullpen has some good arms already but if they want to contend they need a shutdown closer.

[SE23]

Who do we move to make room for FA signing(s)?

 

Proposed 2027 Twins Pitchers

 

SP - Taj Bradley

SP - Pablo Lopez

SP - Joe Ryan

SP - Mick Abel

SP - Connor Prielipp

SP - Dean Kremer

RP - Bailey Ober

RP - Zebby Matthews

RP - Kendry Rojas

RP - Jeff Hofman

RP - Yoendrys Gomez

RP - Kody Funderburk

RP - AJ Minter

 

 

Pitchers to stash in St Paul:

 

RP - Andrew Morris

RP - Travis Adams

RP - David Festa

RP - Mike Paredes

RP - Jack Anderson

RP - Garrett Acton

RP - Marco Raya

RP - Cole Sands

[Cory Engelhardt]

12 minutes ago, SE23 said:

Who do we move to make room for FA signing(s)?

 

Proposed 2027 Twins Pitchers

 

SP - Taj Bradley

SP - Pablo Lopez - Hope he is healthy

SP - Joe Ryan - Sure, get a good trade

SP - Mick Abel - Hope he is healthy

SP - Connor Prielipp

SP - Dean Kremer 

RP - Bailey Ober - Absolutely ready to move on

RP - Zebby Matthews - He also does have options, but I bet he starts the year on the big league club in some capacity

RP - Kendry Rojas - start at St. Paul

RP - Jeff Hoffman

RP - Yoendrys Gomez

RP - Kody Funderburk - Also has options

RP - AJ Minter - I'd also love to resign him

 

 

Pitchers to stash in St Paul:

 

RP - Andrew Morris 

RP - Travis Adams - The way he ended the year I can see him starting the season in the majors

RP - David Festa - I wonder if he truly will ever pitch again

RP - Mike Paredes - Good stash

RP - Jack Anderson - Gone

RP - Garrett Acton - I'm fine with moving on

RP - Marco Raya - He very much has options, but I'd also be ok with moving on

RP - Cole Sands - Again, ok to move on from

 

[SE23]

5 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

 

Appreciate the input and commentary!

[SE23]

Your pruning makes our pitching 'depth' look far less deep...

Proposed Twins Staff

 

SP - Taj Bradley

SP - Pablo Lopez - If healthy

SP - Mick Abel - If healthy

SP - Connor Prielipp

SP - Dean Kremer 

RP - Zebby Matthews 

RP - Jeff Hoffman

RP - Travis Adams

RP - Yoendrys Gomez

RP - Kody Funderburk 

RP - AJ Minter 

 

To stash in St Paul:

 

RP - Kendry Rojas 

RP - Andrew Morris 

RP - Mike Paredes 

[old nurse]

Relief pitching is further down the list of needs. If they are spending on Vesia it would signal that there are no difference making hitters willing to entertain the notion of coming to the Twins 

[JD-TWINS]

1 hour ago, old nurse said:

Relief pitching is further down the list of needs. If they are spending on Vesia it would signal that there are no difference making hitters willing to entertain the notion of coming to the Twins 

My question is, what position does a new, BAT, difference maker PLAY?

Outfield seems crowded at this point with existing possibilities (Keaschall/Buxton/Jenkins +/+)…….not saying they couldn’t go a different way with a FA or trade but seems very doubtful.

Other Teams aren’t trading offensive catchers - Twins, nearly every time, would get outbid in FA….. seems too simple but loading up a deal for Jeffers for 2 years…….. $18M/year……. a good place to spend!……..if he signs, could trade Caratini & cover some of his salary to move him ……. saved $$ applied to Jeffers.

Not a bunch of effective FA BATS available for 2B, that I can imagine.

1B is a probable  ….. do they run it back with Royce & give him until the All-star break to maintain his spot?

Any DH, that’s BETTER than platooning Larnach v. RH and Keaschall or Buxton v. lefties is going to cost waaay more than would be worthwhile, for the guy Team gets signed………no reason to release Larnach & try to sign a guy the might hit 7-8 more HR but hit 25 points less and strike out 5% more & pay more……..no real upside in that move.

If they sign Jeffers (nearly zero chance IMO) they still have $$ to apply to relief help………I just saw Hoffman is having Elbow Surgery - never good!

[TopGunn#22]

Nice synopsis on the pitching staff Cory, thanks for teeing things up for him SE23.  I agree with how Cory has laid out the possibilities.  It's not that we HAVE to trade Joe Ryan.  But we should pursue discussions and see what we would get back. 

Part of a Joe Ryan and/or a Bailey Ober trade is the possibility that a pitcher or 2 come back.  The same is true for a Larnach, Lewis or Wallner trade.  I expect every one of the mentioned Twins players to be a part of trade discussions.  The primary target should probably be a Catcher and a 1B.  But dealing veteran pitchers like Ryan and Ober could also bring a young arm back that could find a spot on the staff sometime in 2027.  Much like Joe Ryan did after the Nelson Cruz trade.  

I'd like to see the Twins bring Minter back and take a strong look at Bryan Abreu.  I think he got off to an awful start last year as the Closer while Hader was out, but he really turned things around.  He's a horse, who consistently gives you a lot of innings out of the pen and LOT of K's. 

With Abreu, Hoffman and Gomez all having closing experience, Shelton wouldn't have to commit to a specific Closer.  He could mix and match as the situation presents itself.  Toss Minter into the equation and you have the makings of a decent BP.  Adams and Funderburk have the potential to grow and keep improving.  Without knowing what other pitchers could come back in trades, Zebby Matthews becomes a key swing man.  He could start in the BP if the rotation was Lopez, Bradley, Prielipp, Abel and Kramer, but also be used for spot starts.   

Bednar would be an excellent target, especially with his ties to Shelton.  But I can't see the Yankees letting him get away after the year he had for them.  Same with Vesia for the Dodgers.  I just find it unlikely those guys are pitching for new teams in 2027.  

[Twins GFP]

Like it or not, money comes into play. Showing what their projected salary would be is a big part of this type of discussion.

[Linus]

In consideration of potential bullpen moves, I invite everyone to watch the two bullpens tonight. Do we think there is any combination of returning pitchers and / or free agents in our price range that will get us close to these two pens?

[Parfigliano]

6 minutes ago, Linus said:

In consideration of potential bullpen moves, I invite everyone to watch the two bullpens tonight. Do we think there is any combination of returning pitchers and / or free agents in our price range that will get us close to these two pens?

No.

[Whammy]

21 minutes ago, Linus said:

In consideration of potential bullpen moves, I invite everyone to watch the two bullpens tonight. Do we think there is any combination of returning pitchers and / or free agents in our price range that will get us close to these two pens?

Neither of them did it by signing free agents though

[Whammy]

1 hour ago, Linus said:

In consideration of potential bullpen moves, I invite everyone to watch the two bullpens tonight. Do we think there is any combination of returning pitchers and / or free agents in our price range that will get us close to these two pens?

I actually think we could have a really good bullpen if we stray from our normal methods and spend, let's say $25M, on free agents (that's 2027 salary - there would likely be some future year commitment as well)

Bednar - 3/45
Vesia - 3/30

That gives us a bullpen of:
Bednar
Hoffman
Vesia
Morris
Gomez
Nance
Funderburk
Adams

That's a total of about $38M in 2027 salary, which is obviously a departure from the Twins historic strategy of bullpen building, but when you have as many pre-arb guys on the hitting side as we do, splurging in other areas become possible.

Then here are the guys with some injury questions, or some possible SP/RP conversions
Banda
Festa
Rojas
Raya
Matthews

I think Matthews and Rojas could very easily be top 5 bullpen guys and Banda was having a lot of success before his injury.

[MeleMouth]

The fact of the matter is that teams like the Rays and Brewers rarely sign free agent relievers who have been OK and expect to be paid better than OK.

Instead, the relievers they acquire usually are either turnaround free agents, like Fernando Rodney, or pitchers who are buried on other teams, like Trevor Megill and Bryan Baker.

Usually, Tampa and Milwaukee have found one thing they think they can improve in these pitchers, such as command, and are doing more than hoping that just a change in scenery or better luck will make a difference.

Suggestions along these lines would be interesting and would be a more realistic path to success for the Twins.

[killercarewoliva]

out of the three mentioned here, I would say Vesia if available would be the one to sign but not the other two. too much. downside all this talk about well. this statistic means they're in run averages and as bad as it looks and all that stuff, no they're unrun average is what it is but Vesia is the impressive one my gosh looks good to me.

[ashbury]

I have a hard time believing that the same front office that traded away relievers in 2025 because they would become expensive will now spring for additional expensive relievers beyond Hoffman.  Falvey and Ownership parted ways, but the same basic dynamics would seem to be in place.

[Whammy]

31 minutes ago, ashbury said:

I have a hard time believing that the same front office that traded away relievers in 2025 because they would become expensive will now spring for additional expensive relievers beyond Hoffman.  Falvey and Ownership parted ways, but the same basic dynamics would seem to be in place.

I've always assumed that it was more (though not exclusively) about Falvey seeing value in trading relievers for desirable prospects more so that getting rid of relivers before they got expensive. 

Regardless of which side of that you believe is more correct, the Twins WERE shedding payroll at that point, whereas they are theoretically increasing payroll from 2026 to 2027. It's one thing to look at your roster with a bunch of holes to fill, $20M to spend, and decide resources can be used better than paying for relievers, but it's another thing to have $40M to spend (Yes, I'm assuming a payroll north of $140M), with big holes to fill in your bullpen, not a ton of other big holes, other than 1B, and then STILL not spend on the BP. 

[Vanimal46]

The one philosophy I fully agree with in the Falvey/Zoll era is not spending big money on FA relievers. The role is simply too fickle. The SSS kings. 

I'm looking at Fangraphs' leaderboard of relievers this season. Only 3 in the top 20 were acquired as free agents. Tanner Scott 4/$72, Aroldis Chapman 1/$13 with vesting option, and Juan Morillo (minor league signing with ST invite). That's it. Everyone else was either traded for or developed internally. 

[Vanimal46]

Last year's top FA reliever signings:

Edwin Diaz - disaster, Rasiel Iglesias - solid, Devin Williams - bad, Robert Suarez - great, Ryan Helsley - bad, Pete Fairbanks - disaster, Tyler Rogers - great, Brad Keller - bad

3 solid to great years, 5 bad to disastrous years.  

[Whammy]

12 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

The one philosophy I fully agree with in the Falvey/Zoll era is not spending big money on FA relievers. The role is simply too fickle. The SSS kings. 

I'm looking at Fangraphs' leaderboard of relievers this season. Only 3 in the top 20 were acquired as free agents. Tanner Scott 4/$72, Aroldis Chapman 1/$13 with vesting option, and Juan Morillo (minor league signing with ST invite). That's it. Everyone else was either traded for or developed internally. 

I'm curious what happens if you bump that out to Top 100 (roughly 3 per team).

[Vanimal46]

3 minutes ago, Whammy said:

I'm curious what happens if you bump that out to Top 100 (roughly 3 per team).

You would have to play around with min IP I suppose to get what you want. #100 on the qualified innings list is Tommy Nance. So that's not really moving the needle for the organization. 

[Whammy]

17 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

You would have to play around with min IP I suppose to get what you want. #100 on the qualified innings list is Tommy Nance. So that's not really moving the needle for the organization. 

I removed the "qualified" filter from your fangraphs link and just sorted by WAR. 

There were (48) players who had an fWAR of 1.0 or higher.

The 100th most valuable RP in 2026 was Taylor Clarke (Diamondbacks) who had a 0.5 fWAR (Eric Orze was 96th 🤮 )

Tommy Nance was 177th.

If instead I sort by xFIP (and apply a 30IP minimum), then Jeff Hoffman is 14th and Tommy Nance is 34th

What does this tell us? No idea.
But probably at least something like RP small samples lead to funny results.

[PuckettProtector]

My question is if the new pitching staff will put everyone out of our misery and move Zebby to the bullpen where he belongs. 

[TheLeviathan]

On 10/22/2026 at 5:58 PM, SE23 said:

Who do we move to make room for FA signing(s)?

 

Proposed 2027 Twins Pitchers

 

SP - Taj Bradley

SP - Pablo Lopez

SP - Joe Ryan

SP - Mick Abel

SP - Connor Prielipp

SP - Dean Kremer

RP - Bailey Ober

RP - Zebby Matthews

RP - Kendry Rojas

RP - Jeff Hofman

RP - Yoendrys Gomez

RP - Kody Funderburk

RP - AJ Minter

 

 

Pitchers to stash in St Paul:

 

RP - Andrew Morris

RP - Travis Adams

RP - David Festa

RP - Mike Paredes

RP - Jack Anderson

RP - Garrett Acton

RP - Marco Raya

RP - Cole Sands

I too cannot see any possible way to add talent to this group.

Saturated I tells ya.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

It's gonna be a long winter.

[old nurse]

On 10/23/2026 at 7:33 AM, JD-TWINS said:

My question is, what position does a new, BAT, difference maker PLAY?

Outfield seems crowded at this point with existing possibilities (Keaschall/Buxton/Jenkins +/+)…….not saying they couldn’t go a different way with a FA or trade but seems very doubtful.

Other Teams aren’t trading offensive catchers - Twins, nearly every time, would get outbid in FA….. seems too simple but loading up a deal for Jeffers for 2 years…….. $18M/year……. a good place to spend!……..if he signs, could trade Caratini & cover some of his salary to move him ……. saved $$ applied to Jeffers.

Not a bunch of effective FA BATS available for 2B, that I can imagine.

1B is a probable  ….. do they run it back with Royce & give him until the All-star break to maintain his spot?

Any DH, that’s BETTER than platooning Larnach v. RH and Keaschall or Buxton v. lefties is going to cost waaay more than would be worthwhile, for the guy Team gets signed………no reason to release Larnach & try to sign a guy the might hit 7-8 more HR but hit 25 points less and strike out 5% more & pay more……..no real upside in that move.

If they sign Jeffers (nearly zero chance IMO) they still have $$ to apply to relief help………I just saw Hoffman is having Elbow Surgery - never good!

If you believe Larnach has finally figured it out you have a slightly bettter than median part time DH/ LF. If you think you have a player who will regress back to his past performance, you hope someone wants to trade for him. The attempted trade signals the latter is the Twin’s opinion.  

Yup there isn’t much out there for 1b/dh types with limited 2b type players.  That doesn’t change what the hole in the Twins roster is.  Pohlad ran his mouth saying something fans want to hear.  To build a team that wins the mid market teams still needs to have a strong development system and to lock up that developing talent for years 7 and 8. They did that with Buxton, butt he has that injury issue that rarely goes away. Free agency is to baindaid the weak spots.