Cody Pirkl

Image courtesy of © Nick Wosika-Imagn Images The Twins gutted the roster at the trade deadline in surprising fashion. It’s a move we’ve seen plenty in baseball history, as a bad team looks to turn the page to a new era in aggressive fashion. The way the Twins did it, however, shows how confident they are in themselves. Perhaps more confident than they should be. The most surprising development of the Twins' trade deadline was their willingness to deal away players with significant team control. The rentals were always guaranteed to go, but the assumption was that if controllable players were on the table, they would likely cost so much in capital that few if any would be moved. Instead, the Twins completely emptied their bullpen, one of the few consistent bright spots for the team over the last few years. Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Brock Stewart, and Louie Varland were shipped out. Trading two of these arms would have left the team with at least some path to fielding another high-end bullpen in 2026. Trading away all four almost completely eliminates this possibility. The roster lost its top five relievers at this deadline. While they now have the rest of the season for auditions, the bullpen may go from being one of the best in baseball to one of the worst in 2026. Punting on the 2026 bullpen to load up on future potential core players who can grow and develop together is a defensible strategy for a struggling team. The problem is that it’s hard to make that argument when looking at what the Twins did. The best prospect brought in was 18-year-old catcher Eduardo Tait, who may be 3+ years away from MLB action in the best-case scenario. Aside from him and a handful of other prospects they got for the rentals, who will slot into the mid levels of the farm system, the front office chose to target some eyebrow-raising profiles. Many of the bigger pieces the Twins brought in are players who have already debuted at the MLB level and have seen their stocks decline. A change of scenery or a different coaching staff and program can help turn them around, as they all have talents that once made them more valuable than they are now. The intention seemed to be to target different levels of distressed assets that have already seen MLB time, as if they can make the necessary adjustments, they can be immediate contributors. For this to pay off for next season, the Twins are making two significant assumptions. First, they have to be able to field a competitive bullpen despite completely tearing their once-feared relief corps down to the studs. Second, they have to make the adjustments to the players they acquired that their previous organizations couldn’t make. On the bullpen front, the Twins have had great success in identifying and developing elite relievers. They did trade four of them after all. The issue is that it still takes years. They could take some current starting pitching candidates like Zebby Matthews or David Festa and put them in a one-inning role and watch them dominate. It’s unwise to do so, however, until they’ve proven they won’t hold up to a role in the rotation. The bullpen is likely to be a mess next season, because that’s what you have to expect when you do what the Twins did at the trade deadline. Regarding the adjustments needed for the players the Twins brought in, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. They’ve done well in this department for pitchers, and Mick Abel and Taj Bradley certainly have the upside to be impact starters if they take off. Next year’s rotation isn’t currently in question, however. A big reason the Twins disappointed this season was on the offensive side. So many once-promising players disappointed, and some have been trending that way for some time. The Twins have not developed their bats particularly well, which makes the idea of them acquiring talented but unfinished position players and fixing them seem like a pipe dream. How much faith can we have in them identifying and implementing offensive adjustments to players like Alan Roden and James Outman when we’ve seen so few successes in players they drafted and oversaw throughout their entire professional careers? There’s no doubt that the core of the Minnesota Twins required change. It’s just odd that the front office chose to shake up one of the more successful parts of the team, and did so in such a strange way. It seems the front office hasn’t pivoted off of their intentions to compete year in and year out, which you have to admire to some degree. That being said, the front office’s confidence in itself was on full display this deadline. Trading away essentially the entire bullpen, which was the boon of the roster, is not easily fixed. Relying on making adjustments to players that other organizations struggled to make is a tall task, particularly for an organization that has struggled with player development itself. I guess you have to respect this regime’s creativity and trust in itself, but it’s hard to blame anyone for being extremely skeptical at this point. View full article

Image courtesy of © Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Everything was coming up Twins during the 2022 MLB Draft. Several players were picked unexpectedly high in the top seven, leaving the Twins with one of the better position players by consensus, in Brooks Lee. While he lacked superstar upside and loud tools, he was as much of a sure thing as any draft pick can be to be an impactful player. Unfortunately, three years later, this assessment has yet to play out. Lee was billed as a switch-hitter whose contact-oriented approach and plate discipline would more than make up for his lack of standout power. Defensively, he held his own at shortstop, but had the potential to be an elite defender anywhere else in the infield. While we’ve seen flashes of the latter, Lee’s offense has not come around as hoped thus far. Brooks Lee Homer.mp4 In just under 500 plate appearances, Lee is slashing .240/.279/.351. He’s been 26% worse than a league-average hitter (according to wRC+) in that time. Defensively, after a decent debut last season, he’s been a poor fielder at every position by Defensive Runs Saved this season, and Outs Above Average paints a similar picture. As a result, he's been a replacement-level overall player. In short, Lee has not lived up to expectations so far. While it's still early in his career, there’s reason to be concerned, even if it may not be time to panic. Lee’s struggles defensively are probably the most surprising development. With a lower-ceiling offensive profile, the hope was that good defense would still make him a very valuable regular, even if the bat left something to be desired. Lee has been flexible defensively, but the metrics don’t show a player who can be carried by his glove. Young players often struggle with the bat early on, but defensively, Lee’s struggles have been almost equally pronounced. Offensively, 500 plate appearances are hard to draw too much of a conclusion from. The concerning part about what we’ve seen from Lee is his complete abandonment of the plate approach with which he previously succeeded for his entire baseball career. His discerning eye at the plate has been nowhere to be found; he's walked less than 5% of the time in his career. While he’s struck out less than 20% of the time, this can be attributed to his lack of plate discipline and ability to make contact. Lee is often flailing away at pitches outside of the zone and bouncing them in play for outs. Brooks Lee has looked completely overmatched at the plate for almost his entire time at the big-league level. Even his white-hot June looks like a mirage more than an actual development, fueled by an unsustainable .431 batting average on balls in play. He’s followed that month up with one of the worst of his career so far, showing that he hadn’t made any strides in his plate approach. For a floundering Twins team lacking offense, Brooks Lee has undoubtedly been part of the issue. The question, at this point, is where the Twins go from here. The Twins are set to sell at the trade deadline, making the rest of the season a wash. On one hand, Lee can continue to get everyday playing time and potentially figure things out. On the other hand, Lee has made very few strides offensively at the highest level so far, and it’s worth asking whether his broken plate approach can be fixed more easily against lesser competition. Depending on where Luke Keaschall is in his elbow rehab, he’s set to return in the coming weeks and will be deserving of a spot on the roster. While there are other candidates to be demoted, such as DaShawn Keirsey Jr., swapping these two out wouldn’t open up much playing time. The Twins may see an opportunity to give Lee a reset and try to bring him back in 2026 with a more competitive offensive approach. Lee was expected to be a near lock for everyday playing time by now, and a demotion would be another disappointing chapter in his career. Unfortunately, it appears to be a real possibility. While there is still plenty of time to turn things around, Lee doesn’t have an endless amount of time to cement himself as a core starting player on the Twins roster. Between the sale of the team and another failure of a season, the regime that drafted him could be on their way out. Another group may not look at him in the same light as the one that took him at such a high place in the first round. In addition to Keaschall, Kaelen Culpepper continues to surge up the organizational infield ranks. The team also drafted Marek Houston in the first round this year. Houston's defensive reputation surpasses Lee’s, and he'll likely be a valuable regular if he’s able to hit at all. Maybe Lee could flip a switch and fix whatever is broken, making all of these logistics a non-factor, but it’s time for him to start showing some progress. Whether it comes in the Warehouse District in Minneapolis or Lowertown in St. Paul, the Twins need to determine the best way to help him turn things around. This version of Brooks Lee isn’t the one drafted eighth overall, and the further we get from that draft, the more worrisome it becomes. View full article

They certainly can, but they have nothing else behind him in the system. Worst case scenario they both can hit MLB pitching and they figure it out.

Where are these prospect grades from? France was a 34th round pick and wasn't listed in the Padres top 50 prospects in 2017. I find that really hard to believe if he had grades similar to Long, who MLB.com has as #11 in the Padres system.

Ty France has always been a contact oriented first baseman who uses all fields. Long is a dead pull hitter with 60 grade raw power. I don't see much similarity in their game aside from Long's high BABIPs at his last few stops in the minors. Matt Wallner did the same, but that doesn't mean Matt Wallner is the same type of player as Ty France. And for what it's worth, if the Twins traded any of their rental players for Long who went on to have multiple years with a 125+ OPS+ like Ty France did at his peak, that deal would be a slam dunk.

Absolutely, and I've come around on Sabato quite a bit. I still think that he's a longshot to be a meaningful contributor to the MLB team at this point. Long is something of a dart throw himself having not debuted, but he's younger and has much more sustained success in professional baseball. Even if we want to say the odds of either becoming an MLB caliber 1B are low, I like Long's odds significantly more, and I think having two of those lottery tickets is better than one.

They did try Julien and Miranda there at the end of last season and in this offseason, but I'm guessing it became apparent it just wasn't going to work. Maybe they'll still try moving one of the OFs there, but they're both in their late 20s and I question whether both or either are in their long term plans.

I think trade return expectations for all of the rentals, Castro included, need to be tempered a bit. The big returns on those guys in recent years have usually been on pitchers. Last year Jesse Winker had a 128 wRC+ at the deadline and it only cost the Mets their #17 prospect. Willi has more flexibility defensively, although his metrics are way down, and he switch hits, though teams will likely prefer to use him mostly against RHP. He would be a great addition to just about any competing team, but he's not the type of player that will significantly increase their postseason chances.

The Twins likely aren't going to trade for a cost controlled impact 1B though. Those players cost in both trade capital and likely salary. They went digging in the bargain bin this winter for Ty France and I expect they'll try to do some version of that again. Acquiring a young controllable 1B ripping up Triple-A is likely the best case scenario for cheaply patching together 1B. Maybe they'll try to move someone on the current roster there, but there hasn't been any indication of them doing it so far.

I'll be honest, I don't think Ty France has any value to a competing team. The other 29 organizations didn't even want him for the $1m the Twins gave him, and they've been proven correct in their assessment since then.

That's the kind of risk/reward profile I'd want for a rental player who will otherwise be gone for nothing. Especially one like Coulombe who is solid but doesn't push the Cubs bullpen into elite territory.

Image courtesy of © Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Cubs are poised to make some significant additions at the 2025 MLB trade deadline, with a competitive 26-man roster and a farm system rich with solid position players in the upper levels of the minors. They’ve been consistently linked to some of the most impactful players who are potentially being traded, both because of their place in the standings and because they have the currency to make it happen. For the Twins, who sit two games under .500, it’s hard to envision leaning too far into a complete fire sale at the moment. Fortunately, the Cubs have one player in particular whom the Twins can target, regardless of which direction they choose. The Twins have a long-term problem at first base. Jose Miranda and Edouard Julien haven’t taken to the position as the team had hoped, and Ty France is an impending free agent who may not make it through the entire 2025 season with the team if his struggles persist. Kody Clemens is the only player on the 40-man roster under medium-term team control who can be considered anything close to a first baseman. Aaron Sabato is having a resurgent season for the Saints at age 26, after the former first-round pick’s prospect status has tanked, but his future remains in question. The Twins have very little reliable depth long-term at one of the lowest positions in the defensive spectrum, and as we’ve seen in 2025, completely winging it at such a premium offensive position has consequences. This is where the Twins and Cubs can mutually benefit. No, the Twins should not trade for budding superstar Michael Busch—he's unavailable, anyway. Rather, the first baseman who’s stuck behind him makes a good target. Buried in Triple-A, Jonathon Long has earned a call-up, but is unlikely to get it in Chicago. The right-handed slugger is currently slashing .323/.401/.514 for the Iowa Cubs, with 14 homers and a sub-20% strikeout rate. The worst season-long OPS of his minor-league career is .851, and he’s never walked less than 10% of the time. Long is far from a perfect prospect. He’s likely limited to first base, where he isn’t a standout defensively. He isn’t considered to be particularly fleet of foot. There are questions about his ability to make impactful contact when he reaches the majors consistently, but the power is real. His profile is very similar to that of Sabato, but Long is three years younger and has never struggled offensively in his professional career. Long’s profile makes him acquirable for a relatively reasonable price, especially from a team with a long-term first baseman in place and who are looking to win now. The Cubs will likely at least inquire about players such as Willi Castro and Danny Coulombe, each of whom could make up a significant portion of the package the Twins would need to offer to get Long to Minnesota. Most outlets rank him in the 11-20 range of Cubs prospects, so even if the Twins had to throw in a bit more, it wouldn’t be much. Acquiring Jonathon Long is a deal the Twins could make to thread the needle. They’re missing offense at the first base position, and Long could immediately step in to at least create potential improvement in that area. Whether they’re planning to acquire more, sell off bigger pieces, or otherwise stand pat, Long can get his feet wet in the majors down the stretch with minimal downside, and the Twins would have a full docket of team control over him for future seasons. Perhaps the Twins still do believe in Sabato, but if the asking price on Long is as reasonable as one should expect, there’s nothing wrong with adding some competition. After all, the rest of the organization is devoid of any up-and-coming options at that position. Long has plenty of upside, and that’s exactly what the Twins need at first base. View full article

Simeon Woods Richardson hasn’t been quite the same pitcher so far in 2025. With an arsenal featuring a few good, but not great weapons, he’s struggled to retire hitters and pitch deep into games consistently. With the league adjusting to how he attacks opposing hitters, it’s time to adjust back, and it appears he’s doing just that. One of Woods Richardson’s most highly touted offerings as a prospect was his changeup. Last season, when he was rolling, it was his third-most-used pitch, allowing a .327 xwOBA overall. That mark jumped up to .398 in September when Woods Richardson struggled mightily, and sits at a devastating .519 so far in 2025. Both Woods Richardson and the Twins seem aware of the problem, as his curveball has jumped ahead in terms of usage despite never being an effective pitch for him, and he’s stopped throwing the changeup altogether. It has left him with just two pitches to turn to: the slider and the fastball, which have been inconsistent in terms of velocity. It appears Simeon Woods Richardson is slowly working on a solution to this problem. On May 14th, Statcast identified that Woods Richardson threw a splitter 5.7% of the time. He’s very slowly increased the usage of it in a handful of outings since, though it’s stayed under 10%. We’ve seen Twins pitchers such as Joe Ryan go this route before when struggling to find a consistent changeup, and we may be watching it again. In a tiny sample, this pitch looks like it could be the next step in Woods Richardson’s development. At just over 1000 RPMs, it has less than half the spin of anything else he throws. It’s allowed a .143 xBA, .205 xSLG, and .148 xwOBA. The whiff rate doesn’t jump off the page, but it has a 25% putaway rate, indicating that it could become a trusted pitch to retire opposing hitters. Splitter.mp4 It’s fair to wonder whether we’re in the early stages of Simeon Woods Richardson taking a noteworthy leap as he continues to develop a new tool in his arsenal. Building confidence in a splitter is tricky and can take time, but even with the moderate usage so far, it’s worth asking whether we’ve already started to see some results. In his last four starts, Woods Richardson has allowed only four runs in 21 innings. It’s easy to forget that Simeon Woods Richardson is still just 24 years old. He’s younger than David Festa and Zebby Matthews. Pitching development is rarely linear, and after a great start to his career, it’s possible that it just took a bit of time to react to the adjustment the league made partway through last season. It may not be a coincidence that we’re seeing Simeon Woods Richardson be more successful now that he has a more well-rounded pitch mix. With a lack of competition in the Twins rotation and likely no hard innings limit, Woods Richardson has a chance to once again cement himself in the back end of the rotation for 2026 down the stretch this summer. His new splitter may be the pitch that helps get him there. View full article

Image courtesy of © D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images Heading into 2025, Matt Wallner was arguably the Twins’ second-best hitter. Despite periods of significant struggles (and even a demotion to begin last season), the left-handed slugger had posted a .254/.371/.515 line in 2024, good for 49% above league average. He looked the part while posting an .847 OPS this March and April, before pulling a hamstring. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been nearly as productive since returning. In 78 plate appearances since being activated off the IL, Wallner is slashing .155/.231/.394. He’s shown some power, but not much else. The lack of consistency has contributed to the Twins’ struggling offense, and the subsequent nosedive in the team’s outlook for the rest of the season. As we know all too well, this offensive profile is tough to watch when it’s not clicking. We’ve seen Wallner completely lose the ability to make contact in the past. While it may feel like it, whiffs aren’t Wallner’s issue since returning from the IL. He has maintained a strikeout rate under 30% for the season and during the stretch since his return, which is an improvement over the 36.4% rate he posted in 2024. Instead, the issue seems to be with the contact Wallner is making. Matt Wallner has the worst batting average on balls in play in June, and a .150 mark since being activated. For reference, Wallner’s career mark is .336, as (despite his flyball tendencies) the way he punishes baseballs when he makes contact helps them find the grass at an above-average rate. The issue during his current rough stretch is his nearly 30% infield flyball rate. Not only is he getting under the ball, he’s hitting it straight up in the air, where there’s no chance for it to fall for a hit. Matt Trueblood wrote about this Monday; the change in trajectory comes from a flatter swing path. Even taking this into account, though, it’s probably safe to say that bad batted-ball luck is still playing a part in such a low BABIP. As a whole, Wallner’s profile is only a slight step below his 2024 season and, in some ways, it actually looks better. His expected batting average is nearly identical, and his expected slugging and xwOBA are just a few points off of his elite 2024 marks. His hard-hit rate is still over 50%, and he’s striking out less and walking more. Twins fans seem to have soured on Wallner’s plate approach, after watching Miguel Sanó and Joey Gallo types in recent years. His swing-and-miss, high-power profile is a necessary complement to the rest of the Twins’ lineup, though. The Twins have transitioned to a team that makes a lot of contact, and it hasn’t gone particularly well. The entire lineup (save Byron Buxton) is doing next to nothing lately. While Wallner’s struggles are the ugliest to watch, he’s also likelier than just about anyone else to turn a corner and help carry the offense when he’s locked in. We’ve seen Wallner at his lowest, when he’s completely lost at the plate. His recent struggles are nothing like that. We know he's struggling with some mechanical issues that are causing all of the infield fly balls, with some bad luck mixed in along the way. His timing is also off, perhaps as a result of the injury-inflicted layoff. The Twins have also faced a gauntlet of left-handed pitching, and he’s been consistently left in the lineup in those matchups for the first time in his career. It may not be enjoyable to watch right now, but Wallner will be just fine. While it’s unfortunate that his struggles are occurring in tandem with the rest of the lineup, his numbers look close enough to 2024, when he posted a near-.850 OPS. There’s no reason to believe he won’t be back to himself shortly. View full article

Image courtesy of Matt Krohn-Imagn Images The Twins have posted a .669 OPS against left-handed pitching so far in 2025. As a result, opposing teams have begun to throw whatever southpaws they have on their roster with little to no repercussions. There may be no legitimate answer to this problem within the organization, but the Twins' refusal to even try something different is becoming questionable. Carson McCusker can’t be considered a prospect or a likely remedy to the Twins’ ailments against left-handed pitching, but there’s at least a chance he can help. The 27-year-old outfielder has posted a .927 OPS in St. Paul overall this season and a .981 OPS against left-handed pitching. He received minimal opportunity in his brief call-up to the MLB and has admittedly not been as dominant since being demoted. McCusker has always been a long shot to be an impact MLB contributor. His career path from the Independent Leagues is fun, but it rarely leads to MLB success. His swing-and-miss tendencies raise plenty of red flags, and even in a best-case scenario, he’s unlikely to contribute in any categories other than the power department. The Twins are skeptical, which is fair, but the bar to clear is currently extremely low. After Royce Lewis was placed on the IL, the Twins lost one of their few potential impact options against left-handed pitching. They opted not to bring up fellow right-handed third baseman Jose Miranda due to his continued struggles since being demoted. Instead, they called up DaShawn Keirsey Jr., another left-handed hitter who is serving as a defensive fill-in and pinch runner. The Twins roster already included Jonah Bride, who has made more of an impact pitching in mop-up duty than he has as a position player in recent weeks. As their offense continues to flounder, the Twins continue to dedicate the back end of the roster to players who have little chance of helping turn things around. We’re also likely to continue to see at least one of Larnach and Wallner play regularly against left-handed pitching. Ironically, the team has waited until the supporting cast on offense is at its weakest this season to give these two regular at-bats against same-handed pitching after years of platooning them. McCusker being on the roster and receiving regular playing time against southpaws would undoubtedly be an act of desperation. Unfortunately, with the rash of injuries and the struggles from the lineup, this is the point we’ve reached. The downside of McCusker being overmatched isn’t much of a risk at all, given the current struggles from the lineup. The upside of something clicking and him being even a league-average option in those matchups would be massive. Unfortunately, it seems the Twins are so confident in their assessment of McCusker that they’re not willing to take such a modest gamble. The status quo from the Twins’ lineup simply isn’t getting the job done against left-handed pitching. There’s little reason to expect an improvement from their current roster, and it’s hard to imagine them acquiring an impact bat at the trade deadline. They have a lever to pull in St. Paul that carries minimal risk. Carson McCusker should be getting an opportunity right now. View full article

Image courtesy of © Dennis Lee-Imagn Images After losing Pablo López, the Twins' starting rotation is far from full strength. There was plenty of hope for Zebby Matthews, until he went down himself. Meanwhile, the lineup remains mired in mediocrity, with several positions that could stand an upgrade. Despite these needs and the Twins remaining in the middle of the playoff hunt, however, it may not be worth it for fans to get their hopes up at the trade deadline. The last time the Twins operated like a team that wanted to compete for a championship at the trade deadline was 2022. Unfortunately, their attempts are not fondly remembered. The Twins acquired Tyler Mahle, Jorge López, and Michael Fulmer. Fulmer was a valuable setup man, but the other two acquisitions turned out to be painful reminders of how going “all-in” can backfire. Even if the prospects the Twins gave up in 2022 haven’t developed into superstars, the Twins' gamble at that deadline turned out to be a painful one. The team fell out of contention, and the team control of the Mahle and López turned out to be worth very little. It’s fair to wonder whether the brutal return on the 2022 trade deadline continues to influence their decision-making to this day. In 2023, the team found itself in need of a right-handed hitter, as usual. They could also have used relief help, after the previously acquired Jorge López imploded and Brock Stewart suffered a setback on his IL stint, making the future of his season murky. Instead, they made one sole move, flipping López for Dylan Floro, who was a non-factor down the stretch. The team was proven correct in their assessment of the roster, as they went on to make the playoffs and break their postseason win drought. In 2024, the story was much of the same. The roster had sustained several injuries, including Joe Ryan, Byron Buxton, and Carlos Correa. Still, the team remained afloat and in contention into mid-August, when it all finally fell apart. Despite their needs, the Twins acquired Trevor Richards as their lone addition, then designated him for assignment before the end of the season. This time, their faith in the roster didn’t pay off. The 2025 trade deadline will be a completely different animal for the Twins. Their roster has some very real needs, but the organizational context will play a huge part. Like last season, the payroll will be a limiting factor in whom they can even consider acquiring. The Pohlads’ days are (hopefully) numbered in the ownership role, and they likely don’t see much personal benefit in taking on money for the stretch run. It could be argued that winning would raise the asking price of the team, but unless they think they’re winning the World Series, their finish to the 2025 season will likely carry very little weight in a $1.5 billion sale. The orders may be more along the lines of “don’t shake things up too much.” Depleting the farm system in pursuit of impact big-league players could carry too much risk, depending on the stage of the sale process. If the front office misses on big swings involving top-end prospects while negotiations are ongoing, the perception of the team’s future success could become a negotiating chip. The Pohlads may simply inform the front office that impact additions are not an option this year. Given this front office’s risk-averse nature at the last two deadlines and the state of the payroll and ownership, it’s hard to imagine the team acquiring impact players at the 2025 trade deadline. Doing so would require either taking on salary or overpaying in prospect capital to avoid adding millions to the ever-growing debt the Pohlads have found themselves in. Perhaps the team will surprise us and see an opportunity to add to a roster that is already very capable of competing. However, there is no shortage of reasons to be skeptical. Do you think the Twins will make meaningful additions to the roster at the deadline for the first time in three years? Let us know below! View full article

Image courtesy of © Chris Tilley-Imagn Images The Twins added Marco Raya to the 40-man roster a few offseasons ago, to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. It was well known that he was likely still a reasonable distance away from the big leagues, but it was a small move to make to ensure opposing teams didn’t snatch him away. Fast-forward to 2025, and Raya, the starting pitcher, does not look poised to make an impact on the big-league roster. It may be time for a change. Raya was drafted out of high school in 2020 during the shortened draft and received mixed reviews from scouts. He wasn’t able to burnish his resume much that spring, due to the pandemic. He then suffered a shoulder injury during his first full season of pro ball in 2021, and the Twins have handled him very carefully during his ascent through the minor leagues ever since. Because of Raya’s limited workload, his ability to become a big-league starting pitcher has been in question for some time. He has showcased the talent that led to his original selection, but has yet to integrate it as a starting pitcher above A-ball. As his time on the 40-man roster adds up and Raya’s inconsistencies continue, it’s approaching time to try something new. The 2025 campaign has been a particularly trying one for Raya. His ERA is over 10.00 for the St. Paul Saints, and he’s walked 20 in 26 innings pitched. He’s also struck out 38 and has mixed in some outings that were downright dominant along the way. Unfortunately, this isn’t enough to feel good about dropping him into the Twins rotation. Even with the recent injuries the big-league roster has sustained, it’s hard to imagine Raya getting the call ahead of someone like Randy Dobnak. Raya’s prospects as a big-league starter are currently murky, to say the least. In the best-case scenario, it’s hard to see a path this season, given how he’s started. Because of this, it may be worthwhile to consider moving him to the bullpen. Raya’s mid- to high-90s fastball and range of secondary pitches should play incredibly well in short stints. It’s possible that his walk issues aren’t physical or mechanical, and that a change in role could help resolve them. He’s already only a nominal starter in most of his outings due to his short leash, which could make a shift to a multi-inning relief role relatively smooth. Such a change is far from a sure thing, but Raya appears to have stalled out with the current plan for him, and it may be worth shaking things up. The Twins need a role player like this. Travis Adams was recently promoted (and promptly demoted) to fill a multi-inning relief role. With several question marks in the rotation, a reliever who can throw more than one inning at a time is extremely valuable. While the Twins could use Adams to fill this spot, Raya has the upside to not only fill innings but dominate opposing lineups while doing so, if all goes well. While it may seem odd to transition a starter to the bullpen while the Twins' rotation depth dwindles, such a gamble could be the best move for all parties involved. The clock is ticking on Raya, who has yet to make an impact on the MLB roster. His innings are going to be limited this season anyway, and moving him doesn’t need to preclude him from starting games in the future. The Twins would also benefit from an added dimension to their bullpen mix, and Raya represents the most intriguing potential suitor. While Raya hasn’t panned out yet as a starting pitcher, his ability to become an impact pitcher for the big-league roster remains, even if the Twins need to get creative to find it. Should Marco Raya make a move to the bullpen? View full article