Twins Bullpen Depth Survives Non-Tender Deadline; Relief Questions Persist

Projected Opening Day Bullpen
There are three pitchers currently in the big league bullpen picture who are out of options: Brock Stewart, Michael Tonkin and Ronny Henriquez. Scott Blewett is also out of options, but since he’s not currently on the 40-man roster, we’ll consider him on the outside looking in. Taking options into account, here’s how I would currently project the Opening Day bullpen (listed in alphabetical order by handedness):

RHP: Jorge Alcala, Jhoan Duran, Ronny Henriquez, Griffin Jax, Cole Sands, Brock Stewart, Michael Tonkin
LHP: Kody Funderburk

Even though I would personally rank Justin Topa slightly above Tonkin and Henriquez, the fact that Topa still has options is working against him. I would prioritize keeping all three of them in the org over putting Topa in the active bullpen and risk losing either Tonkin or Henriquez. 

Feel free to share your thoughts on that, but keep in mind it’s likely this decision will be made in the trainer’s room. There’s not much of a chance this entire bullpen unit is all healthy at any given time, so this hypothetical battle for the final couple spots in the pen will likely work its way out naturally. Either way, this is a good situation to be in. There are more MLB arms in this org than there are spots in the big league bullpen.

In addition to being the odd man out in my hypothetical pen, Topa is also the only other reliever currently on the 40-man roster. Still, there’s no shortage of other arms that could either provide length or even convert into a relief role. Matt Canterino, Louie Varland and Travis Adams fall into that category. With the left side of the pen looking like a soft spot, converting Brent Headrick to relief full time could also make some sense. 

The aforementioned Blewett and Daniel Duarte, who were both recently signed to minor league deals, are among the depth options not currently on the 40-man roster. Lefty Jovani Moran is also still in the org and could return to the big leagues once healthy.

Even without making a single addition yet, this looks like a sturdy bullpen foundation. If things break right, this should be a very solid bullpen with a narrow path of being one of the best in baseball.

Duran and Jax is an elite combo. There has been some chatter of Jax possibly converting back to a starter, but it’s been pretty weak language used around that speculation. I don’t think it’s worth overreacting to some people with the Twins saying they’d be open to that possibility. Duran hasn’t been as invincible since his remarkable 2022 rookie year, but Jax surging since then keeps this duo flexing.

Beyond those two in the back end, there’s plenty to like about the supporting cast of Stewart, Sands and Alcala. There’s plenty to like about the right side of this bullpen. That box is checked. The left side is a big question mark at the moment.

Bullpen Needs
This appears to be the current left-handed pecking order: 1) Kody Funderburk, 2) Brent Headrick, 3) Jovani Moran. Those are the only three southpaws with MLB experience in the org, and each one of them feels like a better supporting southpaw than the go-to guy. 

Some of the left-handed options in the high minors include Jaylen Nowlin and Christian MacLeod, but they’re not on the 40-man roster and have little relief experience. Connor Prielipp is an exciting possibility, but that feels more like a pipe dream.

The biggest need for this Twins bullpen is a reliable, proven left-handed reliever. In fact, that might be the biggest glaring need on the entire roster. Ideally, we would see Funderbruk start the year in St. Paul and an external addition taking his spot in the Opening Day bullpen. Beyond that, is there really anything else to add to the bullpen wishlist?

You can never have too much pitching, but I like the look of the rest of both the big league bullpen and the depth options at the moment. This is a familiar-looking unit, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Twins ranked fifth in reliever fWAR last year, though the ERA estimators viewed this unit in a much kinder light than its actual ERA. Despite ranking in the top seven in FIP, xFIP and SIERA, the Twins bullpen ranked 19th in ERA.

Potential Targets
Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of supply when it comes to established left-handed relief pitching. Earlier this offseason, Nick Nelson relayed seven free agent lefties that stood out as capable of filling a prominent role with the Twins.

Another arm added to the mix this week is Colin Poche, who was non-tendered by the Rays. He’s pitched to a 3.27 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 174 games with Tampa Bay the past three seasons. Poche, 30, was projected for a $3.4 million salary through arbitration.

The Twins front office could also turn to the trade market again to try to land a lefty. Either way, they need to nail this. If the guy they bring in performs similarly to how Steven Okert pitched this past season, dreams of this bullpen reaching its ceiling go up in smoke.