Who's Left? The Remaining Southpaw RP Market

What Terry Ryan has done is assemble a group of intriguing arms with non-guaranteed commitments to go along with the (altogether decent) in-house options.

Fernando Abad, who has been quite effective for the A's over the past three seasons, becomes the most established player in the mix, and appears to be the leading contender at this point for top lefty in the bullpen.

He'll be joined in spring training by some other outside guys that offer intrigue. Buddy Boshers, inked to a minor-league contract in December, is coming off an eye-opening season in independent ball. Mike Strong, claimed off waivers from the Marlins on Friday, has piled up a lot of strikeouts in the minors.

And then you have Ryan O'Rourke, Taylor Rogers, Pat Dean, Aaron Thompson, and maybe Tommy Milone. If that's the group that the Twins want to take to camp, they'll probably be able to head north with one or two adequate southpaws to complement closer Glen Perkins.

But this is a collection that ultimately lacks experience in a very evident way. Aside from Abad, none of the pitchers competing for these important roles has made more than a few dozen relief appearances in the majors. And for those that have, the results haven't been there.

As for Abad, while he looks fine on paper, there's a reason that no other club wanted to give him an MLB contract, so he is a gamble in his own right.

Given their aspirations for this season, it would be surprising if the Twins didn't add one more veteran lefty. They are known to value the qualities that such a player brings to the table, and with Antonio Bastardo off the market, any remaining free agent can likely be had on a one-year deal. Here's a look at those remaining options, with a quick glance at the pros and cons for each.

Matt Thornton

Pros: Shuts down lefty hitters year after year. Held them to 484 OPS in 2015. Familiar to Twins, having spent many seasons with the White Sox. Tall, sturdy specimen at 6'6" with a long track record of durability (10 straight seasons with 60+ appearances).

Cons: Turned 39 in September. Velocity has been declining along with his strikeout rates. Last year he averaged a career-low 5.0 strikeouts per nine innings – not exactly what this K-starved bullpen needs.

Neal Cotts

Pros: Spent time with the Twins last season, delivering solid performances down the stretch. Steady vet with 3.03 ERA over the past three years. Not overly vulnerable to right-handed hitters.

Cons: Limited upside. He's had one season in the last decade (2013) that would truly be considered a stand-out. Occasional control problems. Turning 36 in March, he's not as old as Thornton, but he has seen a similar downward velo trend.

Randy Choate

Pros: Has been used as a true lefty specialist, making 196 appearances over the last three years with St. Louis and recording only 296 outs. He has been effective in that capacity, with a 1.12 WHIP and only four home runs allowed during that span. Fits the bill for experience; has played with six different teams, has pitched in the playoffs five times, and has led the league in appearances twice.

Cons: At 40, he's the oldest player on this list. And while he has been very good as a lefty one out guy, do we really expect Paul Molitor to use him that way? The manager didn't really show a propensity for doing so last year.

Franklin Morales

Pros: He was the No. 1 lefty option last year in a bullpen that helped carry the Royals to a World Series title. Held left-handed hitters to a .192 average. At 30, far younger than the names listed above him here.

Cons: Very inconsistent track record. Terrible against right-handed hitters. Has averaged more than four walks per nine innings in his career. Represented by Scott Boras.

Sean Marshall

Pros: From 2010 through 2013, he was one of the National League's finest left-handed relievers, posting a 2.44 ERA and 253/60 K/BB ratio in 221 innings. Would carry substantial upside on a minor-league deal.

Cons: Recurring shoulder problems limited him to 16 appearances in 2013, 15 in 2014 and zero in 2015.

Manny Parra

Pros: Has been mostly effective in Cincinnati for the past three years.

Cons: He's been fairly mediocre since a career year in 2013, and last year he battled elbow and bicep issues.

Eric O'Flaherty

Pros: Consistently exception from 2009 through 2014. During that span, he never posted an ERA above 3.04 or a WHIP above 1.25. Sharp command and very tough to hit.

Cons: His 2015 was a disaster. In stints with the A's and Mets, O'Flaherty posted an 8.10 ERA and allowed 47 hits in 30 innings. He has generally had a hard time staying healthy in recent years.

Craig Breslow

Pros: Very fine reliever for many years after leaving Twins in 2009. Effective against both righties and lefties when he's on his game.

Cons: He hasn't been very good over the past couple seasons and, at age 35, do we really expect that to turn around?

Brian Duensing

Pros: Drafted and developed by the Twins. Has held lefty hitters to .238/.289/.325 in his career. Turning 33 in a month, not as old as many others on this list.

Cons: He was bad in 2015, even against lefties, and he has always been a liability against righties.

Who would you choose from this group? Or would you be more comfortable sticking with what the Twins have?