Bullpen May No Longer Be The Twins Number One Need

The Twins’ bullpen has been an obvious weak spot since before the season even began. Even a few weeks ago, the hope was that the team could stay in contention long enough to acquire several relievers at the trade deadline. While acquiring at least one more reliever may be wise, after acquiring left-handed reliever AJ Minter on Friday, it can be argued that it’s no longer the Twins' number one priority.

The Twins prided themselves on their ability to find relievers internally or without spending much after trading away much of the controllable bullpen at last year’s trade deadline sell-off. It took some time, but we’re seeing some signs of this. Yoendrys Gomez has been a savior in the closer role after being claimed off waivers. Andrew Morris has been as good as any reliever in baseball over the last month. Recently acquired Tommy Nance has served as a setup man, and lower-level relievers such as Travis Adams and Jack Anderson have started to show flashes.

Add in Minter, who is arguably now the third-best reliever in the bullpen, and things are starting to look up. The Twins are still in the bottom five in bullpen ERA in baseball, but things are trending in the right direction. If another deal like the one for Minter presents itself, they should jump at the opportunity. Perhaps that shouldn’t be the team’s number one priority, however.

On the flip side of the bullpen, the starting rotation is suddenly riddled with enormous questions. Bailey Ober is struggling to hit 87 mph on his fastball in the middle innings of starts. Zebby Matthews does not look like the pitcher who shot through the minor leagues a few years ago and has been blow-up-prone lately. Connor Prielipp has already surpassed his career high in innings pitched in a season. Joe Ryan’s historical second-half struggles suddenly appear front and center. Perhaps the Twins’ number one priority should be starting pitching.

The level of starter the Twins look to acquire can be flexible. If the market for playoff-caliber starters is too costly, even a back-end arm to ensure they have the innings covered the rest of the way could make all the difference. If they find a deal they like for a starting pitcher with multiple years of team control, they could certainly benefit from another rotation member beyond 2026 as well.

There is no shortage of options when it comes to starting pitchers currently on the trade block. While even uninspiring options will cost more than a good reliever, there are plenty of realistic arms that can be brought in. Someone like Robbie Ray would be incredibly cheap if the Twins were willing to eat the remainder of his contract (approximately $8.3M for the rest of 2026) as they did with Minter. The same could be said for someone like Dustin May or Brady Singer if the Twins are concerned with filling innings.

If they choose to pursue the more expensive route in search of arms that can help beyond 2026, several names should be available. The Twins have long been rumored to be interested in Angels LHP Reid Detmers. The Mariners have been telling teams Emerson Hancock is available amidst a breakout season. The prospect capital would be higher, but the Twins need MLB-ready rotation options both now and into 2027.

Whatever path the Twins take, if they’re buying, they should strongly consider adding to their rotation that appears to be on the brink of the wheels completely falling off. Perhaps grab another reliever, but make sure the team has the starting pitching to turn the ball over to an improved bullpen with a chance to win.

Do you agree? Got some other names the team should target? Let's hear them in the comments. 

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