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The Minnesota Twins headed into the 2026 season with gaping hole at the back end of their bullpen. Trading away Jhoan Duran, Louis Varland and Griffin Jax left them deprived of proven options for the late innings. In the early going, it hurt them.
Though the course of the year, the Twins did establish some solid options to handle high leverage for 2027. Andrew Morris and Yoendrys Gómez thrived in the setup and closer role for much of the year before nosediving down the stretch. Jeff Hoffman looked brilliant after being acquired at the deadline, but ended the year sidelined by a forearm injury.
There's much more to work with now than there was a year ago, but that's not necessarily saying much. If the Twins want to invest boldly and aggressively this offseason, as Tom Pohlad insisted in a year-ending press conference on Tuesday, one of the most obvious places to do so is by spending on a late-inning arm, and perhaps even a closer who can push everyone else down the pecking order.
There are a number of options in this year's free agent class who fit that billing, including Bryan Abreu, whom the Twins nearly acquired at the deadline. But there's another name that really stands out as a fit, in part because of his connection to Minnesota's manager.
David Bednar emerged as an All-Star closer under Derek Shelton's watch in Pittsburgh, posting a 3.01 ERA with 146 saves over four-and-a-half seasons with the Pirates. Bednar was traded to the Yankees at last year's deadline, and played out his final year of team control in New York this year, notching 35 saves with a 2.47 ERA as closer.
Dating back to his breakout season in 2021, Bednar ranks fourth among MLB relievers in fWAR, trailing only Emmanuel Clase, Josh Hader and Duran — three of the best closers in this generation. He's got the fifth-most saves, and his record of success was interrupted only by a random down year in 2024, from which he's bounced back fully.
At 32, Bednar will be one of the top relievers on the market. There will be plenty of teams vying for his services, including the Yankees who've experienced his excellence first-hand. Outbidding the field will require the Twins to pony up, and in that regard, would be a strong follow-through on Pohlad's big talk.
It would surely make Shelton a happy camper. Not many things went right during his time in Pittsburgh, but Bednar played a big role in any success they had, ranking behind only Paul Skenes and Bryan Reynolds in Win Probability Added over Shelton's managerial tenure. He was not shy about his
"When you have stability at the end of the game when you have the opportunity to win, it's something that you lean on," Shelton said in 2022. "We've leaned on David … But that stability at the end of a game is extremely important for a young club.”
Last year, when Bednar was traded from Pittsburgh to New York, Shelton gave a scouting report to C.J. Nitowski of MLB Network Radio and praised the right-hander's elite makeup and overpowering arsenal.
I don't know how much Shelton's history with Bednar should really factor into the equation of targeting him as a free agent, but the reality is that he stands out as an ideal pickup even with that aside. He checks every box in the Twins should be looking for with a big bullpen splash:
Proven track record of success and durability? Check. Plenty of closing experience, including in the postseason? Check. A big enough name to satisfy the standard of ambition and aggressiveness that Pohlad promised? Check.
Bednar won't come cheaply, and that's kind of the point. If the Twins are serious about wanting to invest, this is the caliber of free agent they should be pursuing: established, durable, dominant and capable of immediately upgrading a clear area of need.
The Shelton connection only makes the fit cleaner. He already knows what it feels like to hand Bednar a late lead and trust that the game is going to end there. Bringing that certainty to Minnesota would strengthen the bullpen, clarify everyone's role and give Pohlad a meaningful early opportunity to put some substance behind his promise of a different kind of offseason
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