Yardbarker
x
The Twins' free agent bullpen options are dwindling quickly
Aug 6, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Minnesota Twins relief pitchers walk out to the bullpen in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Twins' free agent bullpen options are dwindling quickly

Originally posted on Minnesota Twins on SI
By Will Ragatz  |  Last updated Jan 13, 2026 11:43 AM ET

How exactly are the Twins planning on rebuilding the bullpen they tore down to the studs during last year's trade deadline? They have a lot of work to do in order to put together a competent relief corps for the 2026 season, and yet, with pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training in about a month, they've barely done anything on that front.

More than two full months into the offseason, the Twins' only bullpen addition has been trading for Eric Orze from the Rays back in mid-November. Orze is a solid pickup with some intriguing upside, but he's also only pitched a grand total of 43.1 innings at the MLB level.

Every winter, dozens and dozens of quality relievers are available on the free agent market. But that supply doesn't last forever. Most of the good ones have found new homes by now, as noted by The Athletic's Aaron Gleeman below. The high-leverage options are dwindling quickly for the Twins, who have signed one single MLB free agent this offseason: 1B/DH Josh Bell on a one-year, $7 million deal.

With most of the top free-agent relievers off the board, these are some of the notable names who are still available to be signed:

  • RHP David Robertson (age 41)
  • RHP Seranthony Dominguez (31)
  • RHP Liam Hendriks (37)
  • LHP Taylor Rogers (35)
  • RHP Tommy Kahnle (36)
  • RHP Paul Sewald (35)
  • LHP Justin Wilson (38)
  • RHP Michael Kopech (29)
  • RHP Jonathan Loaisiga (31)
  • LHP Danny Coulombe (36)

All of those players have had some previous success in the big leagues, but they also all come with questions around their 2026 outlook. Many of them are in the back half of their 30s.

The Twins are inevitably going to end up counting on returning relievers (Cole Sands, Justin Topa, Kody Funderburk) and young pitchers who either haven't yet debuted in MLB (Connor Prielipp, Marco Raya, John Klein) or are candidates to transition from starter to reliever (Mick Abel, Taj Bradley, David Festa, among others) in 2026. Most great relievers were once starters or starter prospects who didn't pan out in that role. But the Twins will also understandably be hesitant to diminish their starter depth or give up on young starters with potential until it's clear that they have to.

The issue is that if you put together a bullpen right now using only players on the Twins' 40-man roster, you get a group that is extremely reliant on projection and theoretical upside. There may be a little bit of a ceiling if everything breaks right. The (realistic) floor is that something like this might be the worst bullpen in the entire league:

  • Cole Sands
  • Justin Topa
  • Eric Orze
  • Connor Prielipp (LHP)
  • David Festa
  • Kody Funderburk (LHP)
  • John Klein
  • Travis Adams

The Twins absolutely need to add at least two proven MLB relievers, and ideally more, if anyone is going to feel remotely confident in their bullpen heading into the spring. In theory, they should be able to do so even while working within well-documented, self-imposed payroll restrictions. But at this point, it's unclear what exactly they're waiting for when it comes to addressing their roster's most glaring need.

This article first appeared on Minnesota Twins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.