The Twins finally made a significant addition to their bullpen last week, reuniting with free agent lefty Taylor Rogers on a one-year, $2 millon deal. They traded for righty Eric Orze earlier in the offseason, but they still could certainly use another upgrade or two in that area.
We’re just under two months away from Opening Day, when the Twins will play the Orioles in Baltimore. This weekend, franchise executive chair Tom Pohlad was asked about Minnesota’s plan for the rest of the offseason, and it sounds like another bullpen addition is in the cards.
“Yeah, we’re going to continue. The clock doesn’t stop until Opening Day, right? For better or worse, Derek (Falvey) and Jeremy (Zoll) have a history of adding pieces late,” Pohlad said, via Aaron Gleeman. “I’m sure you are going to continue to see that. We know that we have to continue to improve the bullpen. And we’re going to continue to be opportunistic about creative pieces that can improve this team across the field.”
I asked Tom Pohlad if he anticipates increasing the Twins’ current ~$105 million payroll to add further roster help.
Pohlad’s full response: pic.twitter.com/yYD2Awbyhi
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) January 23, 2026Subscribe: Sign up to receive the free Twins on SI newsletter
It’s the last week of January, so the question then becomes, who’s available? 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 Liam Hendriks (37)RHP Tommy Kahnle (36)RHP Paul Sewald (35)LHP Justin Wilson (38)RHP Michael Kopech (29)LHP Danny Coulombe (36)
As for options currently on the roster, the Twins may have to rely on returning players (Cole Sands, Justin Topa, Kody Funderburk) and young pitchers who either haven’t yet debuted in MLB (Connor Prielipp, Marco Raya, John Klein) or candidates to transition from starter to reliever (Mick Abel, Taj Bradley, David Festa, among others) in 2026. Adding Rogers and Orze is a step in the right direction, but they still need more help.
Current projected bullpenTaylor Rogers (LHP)Cole SandsJustin TopaEric OrzeConnor Prielipp (LHP)David FestaJohn KleinTravis Adams
Reuniting with another former player like Coulombe could be an on-brand move for the Twins, but they may not need another lefty. Taking a swing at a high-upside right-hander like Hendriks or Kopech could be a more calculated risk to improve their bullpen outlook in 2026. One or two more additions would significantly improve their depth in an area where there seems to be more questions than answers with the regular season right around the corner.
Twins news, rumors and analysis