There’s still a lot to be determined about the Twins’ bullpen in 2026. But after a couple recent additions, an area of the roster that loomed as a glaring weakness might just wind up being solid enough to not sink Minnesota’s hopes of contending for a playoff spot this season.
This week, as pitchers and catchers were reporting to spring training in Florida, the Twins signed righty Liam Hendriks (to a minor-league deal) and traded for lefty Anthony Banda from the Dodgers. Both will likely slot into the back end of Minnesota’s bullpen, with the caveat that Hendriks — who has hardly pitched over the last three years — will have to prove that he’s healthy. The Twins also added to their competitive depth in camp by bringing in righty Julian Merryweather.
Hendriks and Banda join Taylor Rogers and Eric Orze as notable bullpen additions for Minnesota over the course of this offseason. Pair those four with returners Cole Sands, Justin Topa, and Kody Funderburk, and you can start to see the outline of what could be a semi-decent group of relievers.
And that’s before talking about a very important piece of the puzzle, which is that the Twins have a number of younger starting pitchers or starter prospects who could make the move to the bullpen. That list includes David Festa, Taj Bradley, Connor Prielipp, Marco Raya, and plenty of others.