Did We Just Witness Jeremy Zoll Implement a Change in Roster Construction Philosophy?

As the Minnesota Twins gear up for their season opener in Baltimore, the major-league roster continues to be trimmed down to its appropriate 26-player size. Friday, two recognizable veteran relievers, Andrew Chafin and Liam Hendriks, were granted their release after being informed they wouldn't make the team.

Considering the depleted state of the Twins bullpen after the trade deadline sell-off, this seems like a strange move and one that should invoke panic. It may instead be the exact opposite: a move that signals a lesson learned from past roster mistakes. 

Hendriks, at the outset of camp, was a leading candidate to be the top right-hander at the back end of the bullpen, vying for save opportunities. Coming off injuries and a cancer battle, the Twins needed to see Hendriks regain form closer to his 2022 self. While Hendriks was able to ramp up to the mid-90s in velocity, general manager Jeremy Zoll stated they didn’t see the consistency they had hoped to from their reliever. 

The most recent of those inconsistencies was on display Thursday evening as the Twins visited the Red Sox. Hendriks, in his one inning of work, gave up two hits, two walks, threw a wild pitch, and allowed one run. Evidenced by his release the next day, it was not what the Twins and Zoll were looking for in the veteran. 

Chafin came to the Twins with a similar good veteran track record, offering continued hope for the rebuilding bullpen. When the left-hander was at his peak of success, he was able to throw 93 mph with his sinker. As Chafin worked through spring, he was never able to touch 90 mph and sat at only 86 mph in Monday’s outing. It's a continued negative trend from his 89 mph average in 2025. 

Moving on from those two veterans represents a shift from what we have traditionally seen from the Twins. The club is giving a chance to an unproven group that may have upside, rather than potentially watching some name-worthy veterans continue to trend in the wrong direction. This means that now the likes of Cole Sands, Zak Kent, Eric Orze, Dan Altavilla, Matt Bowman, Trent Baker, and Cody Laweryson will have a shot at being the arms that rebuild the Twins bullpen. 

It may be too early to call this a full-on change in philosophy, but it is a positive sign that there may be one in process. Twins fans have had to endure watching the Twins hang onto veterans of the likes of Joey Gallo way beyond their usefulness. Instead, we will get to see if one of these low-wattage additions can have the sort of success the team desperately needs for the sake of the bullpen. It should be a welcome change from the post-deadline stretch in 2025 when veteran placeholders got most of the innings rather than anyone with much future potential. 

It wasn’t too long ago that the Twins had both Danny Coulombe and Jeff Hoffman in camp and released them just before they had great success elsewhere. While Derek Falvey is gone, others like Zoll have been part of a leadership that has been able to identify good arms, but hasn't held onto them long enough. Just a fraction of that sort of success from one of the group of relievers still in camp would be great development for the 2026 roster. 

If this is a true signal of a renewed willingness to move on from veterans sooner rather than later, it could be a significant advantage on the positional side as well. Right now, the Twins will have an exciting group of outfield prospects in St. Paul to start the season, including Emmanuel Rodriguez, Gabriel Gonzelez, and Walker Jenkins. If the likes of James Outman or Trevor Larnach struggle out of the gate, fans can be hopeful that a Zoll-led front office may be willing to move on with appropriate timing, paving the way for this exciting group of prospects ready to hit the majors. 

What do you think? Did the Twins make a grave mistake by letting go of two proven veterans, or do you have faith that this is a sign that the tide is turning in Minnesota in how the front office handles veterans?