Twins Video
The Twins rightfully gave Louie Varland another chance to start this year, after an uneven season in 2023. Though he’s struggled mightily at times, Varland has been pitching much better lately, and is currently in St. Paul as their next man up, should another starter struggle or get injured. Unfortunately, the current rotation issues are hypothetical, whereas the current bullpen concerns are very real. It may be time for the Twins to sacrifice their rotation depth to keep the bullpen afloat, despite the obvious risks of that approach.
It’s no secret that the Twins bullpen is coming apart at the seams. Just this week, they’ve turned two almost-certain wins into losses. First, Jorge Alcalá entered a 4-0 game against Texas on Sunday in the 7th inning and blew the lead in impressively little time.
Then, Steven Okert entered a 5-3 game Tuesday against San Diego in the 8th inning and allowed four earned runs while recording one out. These losses--and the specter of more similar ones--give the Twins every reason to throw caution to the wind regarding future rotation depth and give Varland a chance to save the bullpen.
The top issue with the Twins bullpen right now is obvious: They don’t have enough trustworthy options. The Twins chose to add to the pen only on the fringes this offseason, as they often do. It left them vulnerable to the situation they’ve currently found themselves in.
High-end options with injury risks (like Brock Stewart) have had the worst-case scenario play out. Jhoan Durán has also taken a step back, after being the backbone of the bullpen for the last few seasons. Justin Topa, acquired for Jorge Polanco, likely will not throw a single pitch for the Twins this year. Caleb Thielbar has finally looked his age for much of the season, while several of the Twins' offseason acquisitions, such as Okert and Jay Jackson, turned out to do more harm to this roster than good. Rocco Baldelli manages in a minefield every night when he calls down to the bullpen. Varland would be an immediate facelift for this group.
It’s also worth pondering the worst-case scenario should the Twins shift Varland into the bullpen and another injury occur in the starting rotation. Taking Varland out of the mix for the rotation would likely leave Randy Dobnak and Caleb Boushley as the next in line, should the need arise. While those are unexciting options, so is the starter version of Varland’. Having seen his struggles, the Twins will surely handle Varland in the rotation like they’d handle Dobnak or Boushley. It’s unlikely to see any of these names facing a lineup more than twice through.
If any of these names are in a rotation spot, is the difference all that significant, when they’ll be handled so carefully and Varland has shown so little upside as a starter? The Twins wouldn’t ask for much more than filling a handful of innings out of that rotation spot. Rather than put Varland in such a low-wattage role, why not use him in a way that can make a much more significant impact on their chances of winning?
The Twins were stingy in the offseason and, despite several green and yellow flags turning bright red, doubled down on their lack of impact additions at the trade deadline. The same patience that paid off for them so handsomely at the 2023 trade deadline has them headed for disaster in 2024.
They’re wary to pull the last lever they have at their disposal, and they should be. Their pitching depth is dangerously low, but more so on the bullpen side. Rather than saving Varland for a “what if” scenario in the rotation, they need to recognize the situation that’s actively playing out now. The Twins need to stop the bleeding in the bullpen, and Louie Varland is the best (and maybe only) way to do it. Will we see them make the move soon?
Recommended Comments
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 accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now