Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account
  • Twins News & Analysis

    Building a Bullpen from Scratch: How the Twins Can Rebound in 2026

    Minnesota traded away much of its relief core, but a blend of returning arms, converted starters, and smart signings could turn the 2026 bullpen into a strength.
    Cody Christie

    By Cody Christie

    Image courtesy of © Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

    Twins Video

    The Twins' bullpen was once a reliable force. Between 2022 and 2024, Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax anchored the late innings, while role players like Caleb Thielbar, Cole Sands, and Brock Stewart provided valuable depth. But after the 2025 trade deadline, that group is mostly gone. Minnesota dealt several relievers with years of team control to retool the farm system, leaving the bullpen thin and uncertain heading into 2026.

    Still, there is a path to rebuilding an effective unit without breaking the bank. The Twins have internal arms with upside, a few conversion candidates who could thrive in shorter stints, and affordable veterans on the open market who can provide stability. This is how they can build a bullpen capable of competing next season.

    Returning Pieces
    Justin Topa: The Twins traded for Topa before the 2024 season, hoping to bolster their late-inning depth, and when healthy, he showed flashes of being that dependable arm. His sinker-slider combo generates weak contact, and he has experience in high-leverage spots, which was one of the reasons the Twins targeted him in the Jorge Polanco trade. In 2025, he ranked in the 88th percentile for Barrel rate and the 72nd percentile or better in both walk and ground-ball rate. If he can avoid the injuries that limited his usage, Topa could easily slide into a setup or closer role.

    Cole Sands: Sands quietly became one of the most reliable relievers in the organization in 2024. However, he took a step back in the first half of 2025, before a better performance following the trade deadline. His Offspeed Run Value ranked in the 95th percentile, led by a splitter that was worth seven runs and held batters to a .184 SLG. The Twins will need late-inning options early in the year as roles solidify, and Sands’s versatility fits that need perfectly.

    Kody Funderburk: Funderburk’s deceptive delivery and sweeping slider make him a tough matchup for left-handed hitters. Last season, he held lefties to a .292 SLG, which was nearly 130 points lower than what righties posted. While command can waver, his ability to miss bats from the left side gives the bullpen valuable balance. His barrel and ground-ball rates would have ranked among the league’s best, had he had enough innings to qualify. With more consistency, he could take on a larger role as a sixth- or seventh-inning option in 2026.

    Starters Turned Relievers
    Zebby Matthews – The Next Griffin Jax?
    Like Jax before him, Zebby Matthews may find his long-term fit in the bullpen. He has the command and competitive edge to attack hitters aggressively, and his fastball could tick up in shorter outings (96.3 mph in 2025). He is arguably a two-pitch pitcher, with his fastball and slider being his best weapons. If he cuts out the other pitches in his repertoire, he may be more effective out of the bullpen. Matthews has spent his developmental years as a starter, but a move to relief could accelerate his path to the majors while helping Minnesota fill a significant need.

    Connor Prielipp – The Next Jhoan Duran?
    Duran was considered a starter throughout his minor-league career, before injuries forced the Twins to make a shift. The Twins have waited patiently for Prielipp to recover and rediscover the form that made him a top draft pick. His electric slider and mid-90s fastball can be devastating weapons when unleashed in one- or two-inning bursts. Last season, he made 24 appearances (23 starts) and posted a 4.03 ERA with a 27.0% strikeout rate. Much like Duran, Prielipp’s path might not be linear, but if he embraces a relief role, he could emerge as a dominant late-inning force by midseason.

    Travis Adams – A Max Effort Option
    Adams has spent most of his professional career as a control-oriented starter, but the Twins moved him to a different role last season, with him pitching every four days. A switch to relief could unlock a different version of his arsenal. Instead of pacing himself through multiple innings, Adams could focus on emptying the tank in one frame. His slider had a 32% whiff rate in his first taste of the majors, and his fastball had a 26% whiff rate with an average velocity of 94.8 mph. A sharper slider and increased velocity could turn him into a valuable multi-use arm who can handle leverage or mop-up duties as needed.

    Free Agents
    Caleb Thielbar – A Familiar Face Returns
    If the Twins want a veteran presence who knows the organization and thrives in big spots, Thielbar would be a natural reunion. Even as he nears 40, his ability to command his breaking ball and neutralize left-handed hitters makes him a steadying force. Bringing Thielbar back could also provide leadership for younger pitchers adjusting to life in the bullpen. The Twins could also turn to other veteran free agent lefties like Taylor Rogers or Danny Coulombe.

    Minor-League Flyer – A Smart Gamble
    Every year, teams find undervalued arms who turn into reliable contributors. Think of this as finding the next Brock Stewart. Minnesota could take a low-risk chance on someone like Stewart, who has shown flashes of potential when healthy. A minor-league deal with an invite to spring training could uncover the next breakout bullpen piece without straining payroll flexibility. Multiple players who fit this mold will likely be in camp with the Twins. 

    The Blueprint for 2026
    The Twins do not need to recreate the Duran-Jax pairing overnight. What they need is functionality, flexibility, and a plan that blends experience with upside. Topa and Sands can handle leverage early. Funderburk and Adams provide innings stability. Matthews and Prielipp represent the next wave of internal talent, while a veteran like Thielbar and a flyer addition round out the mix.

    The 2026 bullpen might not grab national headlines in April. Still, with patience and development, it could once again evolve into one of the American League’s more reliable groups by season’s end. Minnesota has rebuilt a bullpen before, and it can do it again.

    Can the group outlined above compete in the AL Central? Leave a comment and start the discussion. 

    Cody Christie is a Twins writer and content contributor. His writing can be found exclusively at Twins Daily and his voice can be heard on radio stations throughout the Upper Midwest. Outside of the Twins, he is a father, high school teacher, and avid runner.
    Follow Cody Christie on Twitter: nodaktwinsfan

    Follow Twins Daily For Minnesota Twins News & Analysis

     Share
     Share
    Go to articles

    Recent Twins Articles

    Recent Twins Videos

    Community Blogs

    • Introducing All New Interactive C-Gangster Style Game Threads!
    • Time to Bring Back CES? He's on Waivers

    Forum Topics

    • Victor Caratini’s Mind Game Shows the Next Evolution of ABS
    • What the Heck Is Going On with Zebby Matthews?

    Twins Top Prospects

    James Ellwanger

    Fort Myers Mighty Mussels - A, RHP
    On Wednesday, Ellwanger walked 3 and struck out 6 batters in 4 2/3 scoreless, hitless innings. In 3 starts and 11 2/3 innings, he's given up no runs, just 3 hits, walked 5 and has 15 strikeouts.
    View All Top Prospects
    The Ultimate Minnesota Twins Gift Ideas Shopping Guide

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments



    Featured Comments

    Cory Engelhardt

    Cory Engelhardt 6,693

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    As someone who would take Zebby right now over any starter not named Pablo or Ryan, I hope he is a fixture in the rotation.

    I also see no point to moving Prielipp to the bullpen any time soon.

    David Festa, to me, seems like a great bullpen option. 
     

    They will have to make moves, but they have some other talent they could try out there too. We will see. 

    rdehring

    rdehring 5,048

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    Great read, Cody, as your comments are what I have been thinking the last month.

    Continue to believe that Prielipp is too valuable to be a reliever.  But perhaps he can be that bulk reliever in 2026, pitching two plus to four innings every three or four days. 

    Continue to believe they need to bring in one good free-agent reliever.  Also want to believe that Canterino will finally be healthy and an absolute stud working out of their bullpen come late June. 

    DJL44

    DJL44 16,520

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    17 minutes ago, hlsballer318 said:

    Could Funderburk develop into a closer? Or is he topped out as a good 7th/8th inning relief guy?

    Funderburk has likely peaked as a 6th inning guy. He's turning 29 this month.

    LA Vikes Fan

    LA Vikes Fan 8,095

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    Agree on Festa given his shoulder issues. He seems much more likely to be sent to the BP than Matthews or Prielipp. Matthews is close ato being an MLB starter and another year will tell us if he can be a viable near top of rotation starter or not. Prielipp has injury issues just like Festa but he's a high octane guy and a LH starter, a rare breed, so I think the Twins will stick him as a starter option for at least one more season. 

    Another possible conversion is Marco Raya. He hasn't shown starter potential at AAA, so I would expect him to be sent to the BP and it looks like they tried that at the end of the year in AAA. It wouldn't surprise me if Andrew Morris and John Klein got some bullpen run in 2026.    

    Finally, it will interesting to see if the Dodgers keep Brock Stewart on their very crowded 40 man roster. There might b a reunion possible there similar to the Thielbar, Rogers, and Coulombe possibilities. 

    jmlease1

    jmlease1 15,196

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    There are some internal options that should make the bullpen more viable for next season, but they're absolutely going to need to supplement with some actual names and contracts in free agency if they have any intention of fielding a competent bullpen from the jump in 2026. (they still might be able to get to a competent bullpen with almost exclusively internal options and waiver-wire types, but it's unlikely to shake out that way immediately; they'll need to sift out too many guys to expect even solidity at the start of the season.)

    I would say they need to spend $10-15M on veteran bullpen arms in order to get at least 1, preferably 2 pitchers that have some experience in handling higher leverage roles, and they should be looking to add in another LHP so that they're not starting out with only Funderburk as an option. (frankly, a reunion with Coulombe probably won't cost that much and he'd immediately add confidence in facing lefties in close and late situations)

    I'm fine with bringing back Topa (he's not expensive and can be effective in middle relief) and Sands is solid enough. Adams and Ohl interest me as options who can pitch more than 1 inning at a time, but also may continue to improve when you take the starter label off them and even reduce the idea of them being "bulk" pitchers.

    FA Reliever A, FA Reliever B, Sands, Topa, LH Reliever C, Funderburk, Adams, and Ohl would be trending towards acceptable. I'm reluctant to assign Festa to anything until we really know he's available after Thorassic Outlet Syndrome. Not sure I'm ready to move Matthews into the bullpen yet, but he would certainly improve the top end over someone like Ohl or Adams. Think the team is still looking at Prielipp as a guy who can start, but if he goes into the bullpen he'll likely immediately be the best pitcher there.

    But they really need to spend a little money this season on some FA. I normally agree with the idea of building your bullpen on the cheap, using internal options and converting failed starters to get there, but they wiped out so many guys from last year's 'pen they simply can't expect to fill it back up internally in one season.

    Cory Engelhardt

    Cory Engelhardt 6,693

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    51 minutes ago, LA Vikes Fan said:

    Agree on Festa given his shoulder issues. He seems much more likely to be sent to the BP than Matthews or Prielipp. Matthews is close ato being an MLB starter and another year will tell us if he can be a viable near top of rotation starter or not. Prielipp has injury issues just like Festa but he's a high octane guy and a LH starter, a rare breed, so I think the Twins will stick him as a starter option for at least one more season. 

    Another possible conversion is Marco Raya. He hasn't shown starter potential at AAA, so I would expect him to be sent to the BP and it looks like they tried that at the end of the year in AAA. It wouldn't surprise me if Andrew Morris and John Klein got some bullpen run in 2026.    

    Finally, it will interesting to see if the Dodgers keep Brock Stewart on their very crowded 40 man roster. There might b a reunion possible there similar to the Thielbar, Rogers, and Coulombe possibilities. 

    Agreed 100% on Raya here too.

    DJL44

    DJL44 16,520

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    42 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

    I would say they need to spend $10-15M on veteran bullpen arms in order to get at least 1, preferably 2 pitchers that have some experience in handling higher leverage roles, and they should be looking to add in another LHP so that they're not starting out with only Funderburk as an option. (frankly, a reunion with Coulombe probably won't cost that much and he'd immediately add confidence in facing lefties in close and late situations)

    Varland had zero experience with higher leverage roles and now he has the record for most appearances in a postseason.

    DMcQ

    DMcQ 10

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    44 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

    There are some internal options that should make the bullpen more viable for next season, but they're absolutely going to need to supplement with some actual names and contracts in free agency if they have any intention of fielding a competent bullpen from the jump in 2026. (they still might be able to get to a competent bullpen with almost exclusively internal options and waiver-wire types, but it's unlikely to shake out that way immediately; they'll need to sift out too many guys to expect even solidity at the start of the season.)

    I would say they need to spend $10-15M on veteran bullpen arms in order to get at least 1, preferably 2 pitchers that have some experience in handling higher leverage roles, and they should be looking to add in another LHP so that they're not starting out with only Funderburk as an option. (frankly, a reunion with Coulombe probably won't cost that much and he'd immediately add confidence in facing lefties in close and late situations)

    I'm fine with bringing back Topa (he's not expensive and can be effective in middle relief) and Sands is solid enough. Adams and Ohl interest me as options who can pitch more than 1 inning at a time, but also may continue to improve when you take the starter label off them and even reduce the idea of them being "bulk" pitchers.

    FA Reliever A, FA Reliever B, Sands, Topa, LH Reliever C, Funderburk, Adams, and Ohl would be trending towards acceptable. I'm reluctant to assign Festa to anything until we really know he's available after Thorassic Outlet Syndrome. Not sure I'm ready to move Matthews into the bullpen yet, but he would certainly improve the top end over someone like Ohl or Adams. Think the team is still looking at Prielipp as a guy who can start, but if he goes into the bullpen he'll likely immediately be the best pitcher there.

    But they really need to spend a little money this season on some FA. I normally agree with the idea of building your bullpen on the cheap, using internal options and converting failed starters to get there, but they wiped out so many guys from last year's 'pen they simply can't expect to fill it back up internally in one season.

    Nice comments! Is it possible the Twins would spend 8-10 mil on one player? I hope Funderbuck is a sleeper in the group.

    DJL44

    DJL44 16,520

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    43 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

    Think the team is still looking at Prielipp as a guy who can start

    I think Prielipp can be one of those rare relievers worth nearly as much as a starter (Aroldis Chapman, Josh Hader, Tanner Scott). 

    Doctor Gast

    Doctor Gast 10,566

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    I know where you're coming from, Cody, but w/o a legit closer, it'll make it very difficult to establish a BP. Maybe at the end of the season, we can start seeing daylight. It'd be much more feasible with Varland. Not crazy about the remnant from last year, But I could get excited about the future possibility from Prielipp, Raya, & Canterino. They make much more sense in the BP than Duran was. I agree that Fiesta makes more sense in the BP. 

    At this point, they have to keep Pablo, Ryan, & Ober on our rotation & not trade them. SWR is starting to establish himself as a veteran but other unproven young SPs, IMO, should be rotating as a spot starter & long relief. I really like a Thielbar, Rogers or Coulume as a veteran #1 LHRP to anchor the BP.

    old nurse

    old nurse 4,495

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

    You think Funderburk will be better at 40 than he is now? I'll take that bet.

    He pitched well after the trade deadline. Can he pitch better than that?  Doubtful Then again, I only said effective, not better. 

    LewFordLives

    LewFordLives 2,563

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    3 hours ago, LA Vikes Fan said:

     

    Finally, it will interesting to see if the Dodgers keep Brock Stewart on their very crowded 40 man roster. There might b a reunion possible there similar to the Thielbar, Rogers, and Coulombe possibilities. 

    Stewart had shoulder surgery and won't be ready to start the season. I don't see a fit with the Twins anymore. Maybe on a minor league deal.

    DocBauer

    DocBauer 22,233

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    I believe there is a path for a solid, competent bullpen. Not a great one. But one that can be solid/competent. 

    I wouldn't move Matthews there yet. There's just too much potential still there after mixed results in 2025, which was basically a rookie year after a late looksee in 2024. But I'd remind everyone that I believe Bradley is out of options, as is SWR. So if Matthews turns a corner, or Abel suddenly takes off, Bradley might end up in the pen. But I'm not looking at any of them for the Day 1 pen.

    I'm also of the belief that Prielipp is sticking as a SP for now. And considering his still vast potential as a LH option, that's the smart play.

    Do let's look at how to try to build this solid/competent pen for 2026:

    FESTA has been largely dominant in his brief career once and even twice through a lineup. He probably hits 100mph in a 1 IP stint. He's also had some shoulder issues. His TOS issue was about as mild as could be hoped for. Let's hope that remains true. He's perfect for 1 IP 2-3 times a week.

    SANDS had a tremendous 2024. He then had a really mediocre 2025 before a series of really good performances over the last 2 months. Minus about a 7-10 stretch, he looked like his '24 self. He has the potential to be a key component.

    FUNDERBURK has flashed at times, but been terribly inconsistent. IIRC, part of his issue previously was against LH hitters. TWO MONTHS, even very good ones, doesn't mean he's figured it out. But those were a couple of very good months.

    TOPA as the 7th man in the pen, with experience, and a decent track record when healthy, is inexpensive, and not a bad option. But I'm sure not wanting him a setup role unless he re-discovers his 2023 season with Seattle.

    ADAMS, OHL, and LAWYERSON are 3 candidates for the rotating 8th spot in the pen. Neither Adams or Ohl have enough pure stuff for the rotation. But max velocity and good control for each could make them a potentially solid fit as 1 IP options. But for now, they are part of the shuttle to St Paul as the 8th man until they prove otherwise. And Lawyerson is, and has been throughout his MILB career, and effective middle man. So he's part of the "8th man" contingent for now. (Really wish they had brought up Laweryson earlier for a longer look last year).

    In theory, 5 spots are mostly filled. 

    WHO ELSE MIGHT HELP:

    Unless I've imagined it or mis-read something, Lewis and Raya have already been moved to reliever status going forward. Both posses the arsenal to become effective relief options, but I'd be surprised if either was ready opening day. Rumors surrounding Klein...big, strong, good velocity and a nice assortment of pitches...might also be moved to the pen. I can see him being very effective there. And LH arm MacLeod also began the transition to the pen last year. But he was very inconsistent on his AAA arrival. And there was a surprising number of highly productive RP arms in AA this past season that should all hit St Paul this year. That's unusual. 

    But these are all surprises, or later in 2026 options. 

    So we still have 3 spots to fill effectively. 

    COULOMBE, THIELBAR, ROGERS, and CHAFIN are ALL over 30yo and possibly coming to the close of their careers. In fact, I believe all 4 will be 35yo plus for 2026. But all 4 ALSO had solid seasons in 2025 and have had solid careers. I have a hard time believing any of them will get more than 1yr and $3-4M max. Take your pick. But ONE of them...hopefully picking the RIGHT one...gives the 2026 pen another solid LH arm

    Ideally, the budget allows for a couple solid, decent RH arms with some experience. I've heard mention of Devin Williams after a down season on a "make good" 1yr deal for $5M. That would be outstanding. But I don't see that happening. 

    The list of possibilities is at least a page long. So I really have no clue who would really be a good target, or two, but even another Tyler Clippard or Sergio Romo type...preferably 2 of them...for around $3-4M could go a long way to just a decent, viable, experienced arm, or 2, to add depth, experience, and place holding while a couple other young arms develop throughout 2026.

    Of course you also bring in some invites on MILB deals. That's how the Twins got Stewart, Thielbar, and others in the past. Some helped for a season. Some helped more than that.

    But just as a reminder, Aguilera, Guardado, Trombley, Duffy, Duran, Jax, and Varland are only a handful of past and near present former "failed" starters who became excellent RP for the Twins. For some it happened immediately. For some it took a little longer.

    Will this pen be built overnight to something strong? That would be almost impossible. But with the arms on hand, 2 or 3 $3-4M FA, a flier or two, and working with the younger arms just begining their conversions to the pen, it's still possible to have a decent/solid pen for 2026.

    IMO.

    tony&rodney

    tony&rodney 16,875

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    There are arms to choose from within the organization and there will be opportunities to add an arm or two via trade or free agency.

    Line them up and find out who wants a job. There are guys like Topa, Sands, Adams, Ohl, and Funderburk who can fill in the back side of an eight person bullpen. Maybe a couple of guys like Raya, Morris, and Klein step forward to grab a role. I do believe putting Prielipp in the bullpen would not be an automatic end of his career as a starter and he might learn quite a bit in the major leagues as a reliever. Festa might be a clean transfer to the pen. It should not be impossible for the Twins to add an arm or two via free agency or trades. I don't think anyone should expect the Twins to spend much money on relief pitchers. 

    If the Twins field well and hit enough perhaps the bullpen weakness heals faster.

    soyouresayingtheresachance

    soyouresayingtheresachance 92

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    Another lefty option, my pick is Tielbar, and someone to be the closer as FA signings.

    The rest of the bullpen, I feel, can be filled decently from within and see who works out. There are so many internal options, but nobody to close out games. Funderburk showed something at the end of the season, but im not ready to trust him as the only LH option. 

    Obviously some signings with Spring Training invites need to happen, as well. Depending on availability, might be able to find a decent arm in the Rule 5 draft, too. So many options. 

    jorgenswest

    jorgenswest 10,625

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    I think they need to put the best 12 arms on the major league roster with Adams/Ohl/Laweryson in the 13th spot.

    I hope they will not be fixed in a role. In a different thread I looked at the starters chosen for the last two All Star games and several had spent time as relievers. Some shifted from reliever to starter midseason. I see 9 arms that were starters in 2025 that are in the majors or reasonably ready for the majors. I would put four in the bullpen. Ryan, Lopez, Ober, Woods Richardson, Matthews, Festa, Bradley, Abel and Prielipp all need a spot if they are the top 12 arms. Roster them. Give Raya a shot to win a spot.

    Doctor Wu

    Doctor Wu 4,337

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    11 hours ago, DocBauer said:

    But just as a reminder, Aguilera, Guardado, Trombley, Duffy, Duran, Jax, and Varland are only a handful of past and near present former "failed" starters who became excellent RP for the Twins. For some it happened immediately. For some it took a little longer.

    Some good examples there. Some of our borderline starters certainly CAN make that transition and it won't take multiple seasons. 

    stringer bell

    stringer bell 25,775

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    Of the players named in the OP, I think Matthews should stay in the rotation for at least half of the 2026 season. He showed the ability to go deep into games and still dominate. He was wildly inconsistent, but many younger inexperienced starters are like that. Sands was mostly good in the second half of the season except for a brutal week in September (9/12-17). Funderburk was excellent and even thrived in high leverage situations after the bullpen selloff. I wonder if the Twins will even keep Topa--he seems more of a middle innings guy than a late-innings high leverage reliever. Thielbar had a fine season with the Cubs and I would expect that if the Cubbies want to keep him he will stay there. If not, he might want to come home to Minnesota. 

    LeatherAntenna

    LeatherAntenna 179

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    Isn’t there a bigger picture here?  Does ownership really care about the bull pen? Or wining? Their gutting at the trade deadline of the bullpen, unlike the non bullpen pen players didn’t appear to be about salary cutting.  For whatever reason it was done, and maybe will be done again.  Thought I remember Jax was traded because he asked to leave, but giving up the others under team control was something all together different.

    jmlease1

    jmlease1 15,196

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    20 hours ago, DJL44 said:

    Varland had zero experience with higher leverage roles and now he has the record for most appearances in a postseason.

    Well, that's not entirely true: He'd seen some higher leverage use when the Twins first tried him in the bullpen, and they gave him a lot of opportunities in 2025 as well after starting him out a little more slowly. And it could definitely work out that way with any of the myriad array of starters they could shift into relief roles (though expecting all of them to immediately be Varland is unrealistic), but it still means you're starting the season with no real experience in high-leverage roles outside of Sands.

    Even adding a former closer looking for a last good season in the sun probably makes an impact as someone who can handle the 9th without everyone needing a stress ball through June...

    I do think moving Raya in makes sense and I'd like to see him competing with Ohl & Adams for a job. And I certainly wouldn't object to Prielipp taking it on, because I do agree that he could be a top-tier option in the bullpen, and it might be the best way to use him and keep him on the field. (But I do have dreams about seeing what that guy could do as a LHP option in the rotation...)

    DJL44

    DJL44 16,520

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    12 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

    it still means you're starting the season with no real experience in high-leverage roles outside of Sands.

    Tha'ts fine. Experience is free. Find someone with talent, put them in high leverage and give them the experience. Either they grow into the role or they don't. Ronny Henriquez didn't have any high leverage experience until the Marlins gave it to him. The whole point of the 2026 season is to find out which talented, young players can succeed at this level. That means they will take some lumps in April and May.

    TopGunn#22

    TopGunn#22 4,201

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    With the exception of David Festa (who I think can make a Griffin Jax like transition) I don't really want to see a young Twins SP moved to the bullpen.  Matthews, Bradley, and Abel ALL need to stay as possible rotation pieces.  Raya is a possible BP move.  But I'd like to give Prielipp just a little more time to see if he can be a legit SP.  (But I agree with the idea that he could be a really interesting "impact" BP arm).   

    But no matter how they build this "new" bullpen, it is absolutely essential to spend a little money and bring in a veteran Closer looking to rebuild his value.  The 2 best guys to consider in my opinion are Ryan Helsley and Devin Williams.  Each has been an elite Closer, and each had a rough year in 2025. 

    Helsley was actually pretty good for the Cardinals until he was traded to the Mets at the deadline to be the set up guy for Edwin Diaz.  It flopped in spectacular fashion for the Mets, costing them a playoff spot.  Closers need to CLOSE.

    Williams started off pretty well but ran into all sorts of problems trying to hold on to the Yankees Closer role.  I just think he's much better than he was in 2025 and a trip back to the Midwest might be just what gets him back on track.

    Each of these guys may sign a contract with what appears to be a non-contender (like the Twins) with the opportunity to prove they can once again anchor a bullpen.  The Twins should be willing to offer a $5-$7 million dollar deal for the opportunity to close games for them.  

    It's more than the Twins are accustomed to spending on a Closer in the Falvey era, but there are several scenarios that could play out.

    1.  Vet Closer fails terribly and the Twins are left holding the bag.  (I don't think this is likely).

    2.  Vet Closer does quite well and is top five in the A.L. in saves leading up to the All Star break.  The Twins however are struggling to stay 10 games under .500 and sell Vet Closer off for a decent prospect (or 2).

    3.  Vet Closer is "Lights Out" and the Twins pitching is surprisingly pretty good.  The lineup also sees some bounce back from key hitters like Lewis and Jeffers, and solid seasons from Buxton and Keaschall.  Some kid named Jenkins also makes his debut and early returns look promising.  The Twins are lurking about 5 games out for the Division lead, but in the mix for a Wild Card.  Vet Closer can still be sold to the highest bidder, or offered an extension.

    But nothing will matter with rebuilding our BP unless we have a guy that wins the 9th inning.  If the Twins don't have that guy, no matter what else happens, it will look like August and September blowing save opportunities right & left.      



    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...