It’s been just over a week since Derek Falvey announced that he had mutually parted ways with the Minnesota Twins. GM Jeremy Zoll has taken over as the head of Baseball Operations for the club, and he’s already been busy upgrading the roster.

However, if there wasn’t an announcement the week before about Falvey’s departure, these small moves did not appear any different than how things were when he was in charge. First, Jon Heyman reported Tuesday morning that the Twins inked a minor league deal with RHP Eduardo Salazar, who has spent parts of the last three seasons in the majors.

Later in the day, the Twins announced they claimed RHP Jackson Kowar off waivers from the Seattle Mariners. Finally, on Thursday, Darren Wolfson reported the Twins brought back catcher David Bañuelos on a minor-league deal. Bañuelos was in the Twins farm system from 2018 to 2023, but spent the last two years in the Baltimore Orioles organization.

All small moves on the surface, but these three add up to a constant in Minnesota’s plan to always have a strong floor at the bottom of their depth chart, both in the majors and at Triple-A St. Paul.

“I think we’ll continue to be quite active in that area over the next couple weeks,” Zoll said during the Twins media luncheon on Jan. 23. “We might add a little a couple more guys internally, but to get to the kind of numbers we need, there will be a number of external NRIs that we come to agreement with.”

Salazar and Kowar join the long list of names in spring training battling it out for the back end of the Twins bullpen. Bañuelos will also be in camp as a non-roster invitee. He will most likely be added to the Saints’ catching depth with Noah Cardenas and Patrick Winkel, if he is not cut during spring training.

But how much do Salazar and Kowar help raise the floor for Minnesota’s bullpen depth chart?

Salazar had a rough 2025. He posted an 8.38 ERA, 2.17 WHIP, 15.3% strikeout rate, 10.7% walk rate, .359 opponents’ batting average, and seven home runs allowed in 29 innings across 30 relief appearances. Kowar fared better with a 4.24 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 21.1% strikeout rate, 9.9% walk rate, .222 opponents’ average, and four home runs allowed in 17 innings over 15 relief appearances.

Salazar and Kowar’s upside comes from what they offer in their pitch mix. They have higher fastball velocities than anyone else currently slotted for the Twins bullpen going into camp. Salazar averaged 95.3 MPH on his fastball in 2025 and offers a sinker, slider, and changeup alongside it. Kowar looks like the flamethrower. His fastball averages 97.3 MPH, which can touch up to 100 MPH, and features the same additional arsenal as Salazar.

Despite the difference in their track records, Salazar and Kowar will be interesting storylines to follow in spring training. Salazar is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 season. Meanwhile, Kowar is looking to build on a strong 2025, with limited opportunities after missing all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery. The Tommy John recovery contributed to a lack of command of his stuff in 2025, and he will also be looking to showcase better control over the strike zone to have a chance to join the Twins on Opening Day.

They both fit the bill for Minnesota’s scrappy pickups in any off-season where they see upside and want to offer opportunities. Still, does this mean Zoll won’t jump at the chance for a bigger splash in free agency or a trade to help the 2026 roster?

No.

Even with Falvey’s departure, Tom Pohlad still made it clear that Minnesota intends to add to its payroll, which is around $105 million. And with the Twins making a habit of singing and trading players as spring training opens, there’s a good chance Zol could make his first big impact move by the time pitchers and catchers report on Thursday.

“We lucked out with Jeremy Zoll being in this position right now to be able to kind of have the continuity and stability in our baseball department,” Pohlad said on Jan. 30. “He strikes me as aggressive, decisive, very competitive. I think the personality that he has combined with the experience working under Derek for the last however many years, and the balance of Derek, who is somebody who is process-oriented and thoughtful, relationship-oriented, and highly intelligent.”

With Pohlad’s full confidence behind Zoll, the Twins could add up to an additional $10 million in payroll between now and Opening Day. The first week in the big chair came with some moves, though minimal, but even after Falvey’s departure, the Twins still seem willing to improve their roster and give them some chance at competitiveness in 2026.

“Yeah, we feel like we still have an opportunity to add from a financial perspective,” Zoll said on Jan. 23. “I think Derek has said this plenty and Tom as well, but Tom has been clear that he wants us bringing any and all ideas in that regard, and making sure that we’re being opportunistic where appropriate there.”

“Yeah, we’re going to continue,” said Pohlad on Jan. 23. “The clock doesn’t stop until Opening Day, right? 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.”