Minneapolis – The Minnesota Twins’ bullpen has more uncertainty than any other part of their roster entering next season.

After the Twins traded away five of their eight relievers at the trade deadline on July 31, they were left with only Cole Sands and Justin Topa. Topa ended the season on the IL with an oblique strain, and Sands pitched to a 5.19 ERA in 26 innings through August and September.

Although he didn’t pitch as well as he did last year, Sands joins Kody Funderburk as the only two relievers who have locked themselves into guaranteed roles for the 2026 season. Topa could enter free agency if the Twins don’t pick up his team option.

They’re likely to let waiver wire pick-ups, Genesis Cabrera, and Thomas Hatch walk. Michael Tonkin has one year of arbitration left, but could retire. Travis Adams and Pierson Ohl probably will need to compete for roles in spring training next year.

On Tuesday, the Twins held their end-of-year media session. Still, they won’t disclose their payroll limitations until MLB approves their new limited partners to join the ownership group. Operating as is right now, the front office will need to look internally at starters who haven’t flourished in the minors as bullpen options next year.

Cory Lewis and Marco Raya are the first two who come to mind.

“Guys who don’t quite make the leap from minor league starter to major league starter can end up being really effective in the bullpen,” said Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll. “Whether we’re talking about Griffin Jax or Cole Sands, Louie Varland, Jhoan Duran was a starter in the minor leagues, etc. So it’s definitely a topic for a number of those guys that you mentioned, and others.”

Lewis and Raya are just two of the latest starters in Minnesota’s farm system who could transition into effective relievers in the majors. Both finished 2024 with their Triple-A debuts, making excellent first impressions. However, those first impressions didn’t last long in 2025. They both had their worst seasons of their professional careers.

Lewis lost command of his fastball, which led to a 7.27 ERA and 68 walks allowed in 73 innings over 24 appearances. Raya faced mental hurdles on the mound for seven straight starts in May to June and saw his ERA reach 6.02 and a 1.62 WHIP through 98 ⅔ innings across 30 appearances.

The Saints used Raya and Lewis in relief roles down the stretch. Raya’s last nine appearances came out of the bullpen, and Lewis pitched nine of the last 10 in relief. It’s a role both are adjusting to, but it helped bring confidence back to the stuff they lost earlier in the year.

“Given all the trades and all that happened this year, I kind of know and I understand the situation I’m in and the position I’m in,” said Raya. “Going into the off-season is basically just the same thing as any other off-season. Just kind of working toward next season, preparing myself and whatever role the team needs me in next year.”

“I definitely had to manage the mental side of the game,” said Lewis. “I feel like it kind of took a toll on me earlier this year, but learning how to battle that and get over that hump and just being okay with the results and just working on the daily work that comes with it a bit.”

The roles are still new to Raya and Lewis, but they have helped the pair finish their down years on a good note. Noah Cardenas caught both of them and took note of the improvements they made from the beginning of the year to the end.

“When I got here, just knowing from catching them last year, they’re really talented guys,” said Cardenas. “I think there’s a lot of excitement in both of them with Marco’s arsenal and just his pitch ability, and how he’s learning how to do that at this level is super cool.

“And the same thing for Cory. I think the main thing sometimes is you get caught up in the numbers and things like that, and sometimes we have to peel back and see what are the little things that we can do to continue to improve, getting in the zone.”

So, what were some of the lessons Raya and Lewis learned this year that will help them this off-season to make their cases as bullpen candidates next spring?

For Raya, it’s not letting himself slip on the mental side of the game. Lewis said it’s trusting his best pitch, the knuckleball, to do the work, and mixing in his off-speed and fastball in the right match-ups.

“I got into a little groove, went on a little run, and once again had a rough start here and there,” said Raya. But ultimately, I feel great just about what I’ve accomplished this year within myself and within my own game.”

“I think it’s just continuing the work I’ve been working on these past two weeks and keeping that feel through my delivery and staying linear,” said Lewis. “I think that’ll put me in a better spot. Obviously, just working on getting stronger, through harder and whatnot. And for this whole year, probably just flushing it and seeing what I can do next year.”

Lewis’ knuckleball can be a devastating weapon, especially if it can top off closer to 90 MPH. If he uses it effectively, it will be even more challenging for hitters to hit off than it is for Cardenas to catch it.

“Oh my gosh, I literally pray every time, ‘Lord, please give me vision,’” said Cardenas. “Because I’ll tell you, the key is usually, it’s most likely going to go down, but I’ve had a couple of times this year the umpire gets hit in the mask and I go, ‘It’s supposed to go down. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with that.”

The most encouraging signs for Raya and Lewis to be bullpen candidates this next spring are Raya reaching 100-plus strikeouts for back-to-back seasons and staying healthy all year, and Lewis limiting walks allowed to three or fewer in his final four starts.

However, for now, they will enter the off-season as usual. Come the new year, when the roster is more complete for 2026, the front office will then make its commitment to their long-term roles as relievers.

“A lot of that can be decided at really a much later date,” said Zoll, “once we have a full handle on what the full roster looks like, what we need from different depth considerations, both starter and reliever. But it’ll definitely be a topic, and you don’t think some of those guys can really contribute in that role if we do make that choice.”