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The Twins have a deep roster, with stars supported by capable role players, as well as minor-league reinforcements in virtually every segment of the team. That holds especially true when it comes to their bullpen picture.
Stars such as Jhoan Durán and Griffin Jax are the headliners of that group, but a class of veterans and young streamers from Triple-A have also contributed to the overall success of the group. So while they may not be desperate to acquire more arms for the low-leverage class of their bullpen, another higher-leverage arm would be ideal, especially if they’re left-handed. Steven Okert has provided some solid value as the de facto top southpaw, with a 3.27 ERA across 25 appearances this year. But Caleb Thielbar has struggled mightily (8.04 ERA across 23 appearances), and has been removed from high-leverage spots late in games.
The team needs a lefty that they can pair with Okert, to use in high-leverage situations late in ballgames. Here are some southpaws who could be enticing for Twins’ decision-makers.
Matt Moore
If Moore’s name is familiar, that’s because he’s made some version of this list in each of the last three years. He’s a veteran lefty, who has experience getting outs in big situations for contending teams. Plus, he currently finds himself on the Los Angeles Angels, who will almost certainly be shopping their veterans on expiring contracts come late July.
While Moore isn’t having the same success that he had in the last few years, he still constitutes an upgrade over Thielbar when it comes to the war of late-30s lefty relievers. The 35-year-old has a 4.88 ERA across 30 appearances for the Halos, but that's inflated by a disastrous appearance on May 13 wherein he allowed four earned runs while getting just one out. Since then, he has a rock-solid 2.84 ERA in 14 appearances. If the Twins still like his ability to induce weak contact, as well as his lethal four-seam fastball and knuckle-curve combo, he could be had for a pretty reasonable return given his age and the roughly $5 million left on his contract for the remainder of this year.
Garrett Cleavinger
If the Twins were looking for a reliable lefty to add to their bullpen, they could just look into the visitor’s bullpen this week--and twice, out to the game mound. Cleavinger has quietly been a force for the Tampa Bay Rays for the last four years, pitching to a combined 3.39 ERA in that time with a strong 29.5% strikeout rate, albeit with a worrisome 12% walk rate.
The Twins could be interested in him based on his ability to get strikeouts, as well as induce soft contact, but they would probably want to simplify a repertoire that currently includes a four-seam fastball, cutter, slider and sweeper. But even if they don’t do much retooling with him, Cleavinger would bring a solid veteran presence to the role, and he has three years of club control following the 2024 campaign.
It’s rare that the Rays find themselves in the seller’s pool at the trade deadline, but it’s trending that way as of right now, and they may jump at the opportunity to finally replenish some prospect depth. It can be scary trading with Tampa Bay, as they almost always come out ahead when all is said and done, but the Twins have gotten them before (hello, Joe Ryan), so maybe they go back to the well this time.
TJ McFarland
After getting run out of Target Field with their tail between their legs, the Oakland Athletics are almost certainly bound for another sell-off (alas, not the kind many were hoping to see from their ownership). One of their biggest assets come the trade deadline will be 35-year-old McFarland, a veteran of eight major-league seasons.
The veteran southpaw is having a strong campaign, even if it lacks the strikeout firepower that you’d hope to see from a late-inning reliever. McFarland has a 3.54 ERA across 35 games, and he’s elite when it comes to average exit velocity (98th percentile), Barrel percentage (99th percentile) and ground-ball rate (99th percentile). He has achieved this through pairing a strong sinker with a relatively new sweeper that has only allowed three extra-base hits this year, and they were all doubles.
McFarland is a true rental, as he is set to hit free agency after this season, so it shouldn’t cost the Twins an arm and a leg to acquire his services, especially given the fact that the A’s are not in a rush to return to contention anytime soon.
BONUS:
Taylor Rogers
You will NEVER break the chain.
This one would get many people excited, as Minnesotans love a good ol’ fashioned reunion with a former star. However, there are some major factors that could make this a tough fit. Rogers is owed roughly $5.5 million for the remainder of this season, then $11 million for 2025, which would be his age-34 campaign.
We haven’t seen this front office show much interest in terms of investing heavily in their bullpen group, and the Giants are still middle-of-the-pack when it comes to their aspirations to contend this year. But they play in a tough division and are currently four games below .500, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see them decide to sell a few pieces if they continue to fall. And to his credit, Rogers is having another strong year, on the heels of a solid 2023 campaign. He currently has a 2.22 ERA across 30 games, and he still boasts the sweeper-sinker combo that made him a late-inning stalwart for the Twins from 2016-2021. He would be an immediate improvement over any of the southpaws in the current bullpen.
It’s hard to gauge how much the Twins would have to give up to secure his services. It would almost certainly have to include moving other contracts off the books, or asking the Giants to absorb some salary in the move, either of which would increase the overall transaction cost. But if the stars align (they won’t), a reunion with the former closer could be a really interesting development for the Twins.
What do you think? Do any of these southpaws stand out to you as potential trade targets? Who else should be on this list? Let us know what you think in the comment section, and as always, keep it sweet.
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