This offseason the Minnesota Twins need to rebuild their bullpen. That’s the byproduct of a situation that was created by dealing nearly 40% of the roster during last summer’s trade deadline.
Derek Falvey hasn’t done much of the heavy lifting in relief yet, but he started things off by adding veteran first baseman Josh Bell. Despite the cash infusion from the new minority owners, payroll shouldn’t be expected to increase.
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That means Minnesota will build their bullpen back up how they always have. Cheap external options, and transitioning internal options will be the focus. That process started on Wednesday.
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Dan Altavilla signs with Minnesota Twins
Over the years Derek Falvey has shied away from spending handsomely on relievers. Addison Reed is the only player he ever gave a substantial contract to, and that went up in smoke. There have been far more success stories initially joining on minor league deals, and the Minnesota Twins would love Dan Altavilla to be the next one.
Last season Altavilla threw 29 innings for the Chicago White Sox. Despite the division rival’s ineptitude, he was a bright spot owning a 2.48 ERA. The problem is that it could largely be smoke and mirrors as his 5.45 FIP and 21/15 K/BB are horrendous.
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Altavilla is 33 years old and has pitched eight seasons in the big leagues. He has never thrown more than 46 2/3 innings (2017 with Seattle) in a single season, but has routinely been given opportunities to prove himself.
The career 9.4 K/9 is plenty to work with, but the 4.7 BB/9 is problematic for a reliever. He’s a sinker and slider pitcher that Chicago had introduce a changeup last season. After virtually never throwing the pitch previously, he used it 23% of the time in 2025.
There are no guarantees that Altavilla makes Derek Shelton’s 26-man Opening Day roster. However, he’s signing a minor league deal with a team that has virtually no bullpen, and he’ll be given every opportunity to crack the group during Grapefruit League play.
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