{"id":537635,"date":"2026-01-25T14:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T14:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/537635\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T14:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T14:08:14","slug":"the-twins-updated-bullpen-puzzle-is-still-missing-pieces-twins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/537635\/","title":{"rendered":"The Twins\u2019 Updated Bullpen Puzzle is Still Missing Pieces – Twins"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tFor months, the Twins bullpen has felt less like a plan and more like a collection of possibilities. That changed this week. The Twins made an important move on Thursday by reportedly reuniting with former All-Star reliever Taylor Rogers<\/a> on a one-year, $2 million deal. It is a step in the right direction for a team that desperately needed bullpen help after trading away its top five relievers last summer. More work is needed, but Rogers is a meaningful addition, even if he is not the pitcher he was during his first stint in Minnesota.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThis move finally gives Minnesota a foundation. While not dominance or certainty, it\u2019s a framework to build upon, a departure from the question marks that plagued this group. The bullpen now has a starting point, but not yet a solution.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tAs things stand right now, here is a realistic snapshot of the current bullpen picture.
Locks: Rogers, Cole Sands<\/a>, Justin Topa<\/a>
On the fence: Eric Orze<\/a>, Kody Funderburk<\/a>
Wild cards: David Festa<\/a>, John Klein<\/a>, Travis Adams<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWith the Rogers addition, Connor Prielipp<\/a> gets bumped out of the projection. It seems unlikely that the Twins will elect to carry three lefties. Prielipp could certainly take the place of one of the wild cards, but roster math alone works against him.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThat does not diminish the upside. Prielipp, Twins Daily\u2019s No. 6 prospect<\/a> and reigning minor league pitcher of the year, seems like a long shot for Opening Day but a very real bullpen factor in 2025. Injuries limited him both at Alabama and early in his pro career, but he stayed healthy enough last year to throw 82 2\/3 innings and strike out 98 batters. Already 25 years old, he profiles as a potential high-impact bullpen arm if his health finally stabilizes. Derek Falvey has already mentioned both Prielipp and Marco Raya<\/a> as candidates for bullpen transitions this winter, indicating the organization is open to internal conversions.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tRaya has been one of the team’s top pitching prospects for multiple seasons. Minnesota pushed him aggressively up the organizational ladder with him reaching Triple-A during his age-21 season. However, his workload has been monitored and controlled by the organization’s development staff. Last season, he struggled in St. Paul with an ERA north of 6.00 with a 22.6 K% and a 12.6 BB%. His pitch mix and dominant curveball could make him an intriguing bullpen option.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\tBeyond the prospect group, it feels increasingly likely that at least one of the Twins\u2019 young starting pitchers will be shifted into a relief role. That list includes Festa,\u00a0Simeon Woods Richardson<\/a>, Zebby Matthews<\/a>, Mick Abel<\/a>, and Taj Bradley<\/a>. Festa feels like the cleanest fit right now, given his shoulder issues last season and how his stuff could play up in shorter stints, but Bradley also stands out as a logical candidate. With nearly 400 major league innings already on his arm, the starter evaluation phase may already be complete, and a power relief role could unlock a new version of his value.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tFor the long relief side, Pierson Ohl (if he clears waivers) and Travis Adams<\/a> feel like the most natural mop-up options, with Andrew Morris<\/a> also fitting that profile if needed. These are the innings eaters, the bridge arms, the guys who make the rest of the bullpen functional, even if they are not headline names.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThe bullpen is now more coherent than before, but it\u2019s not yet dependable. That gap is what the Twins must close if they want real stability. If you squint, you can see the outline of something workable. To improve the bullpen, add a legitimate late-inning right-hander and replace one or two fringe arms. Doing so would make the group resemble a true eight-man bullpen rather than a developmental experiment.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThat is why, even after these moves, free agency still matters here. Fortunately for Minnesota, veteran options remain available on the free agent market. David Robertson<\/a>, Liam Hendriks<\/a>, Paul Sewald<\/a>, Michael Kopech<\/a>, Scott Barlow<\/a>, Hector Neris<\/a>, and Ryan Brasier<\/a> all represent different levels of risk and upside. Each would bring something the current bullpen lacks: experience and a track record of handling leverage.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tNone of these names is perfect. Some come with age, some with injury risk, some with volatility, and some with all three. But the Twins do not need perfection. They need someone competent and reliable who can pitch the seventh or eighth inning without making the game feel fragile.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tOutside of free agency, Minnesota should consider trading one of its surplus left-handed hitters for a controllable bullpen arm. This targeted move addresses both roster imbalance and bullpen needs while preserving top pitching prospects and keeping payroll steady.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tAt the end of last week, Twins radio broadcaster Kris Atteberry was part of a Winter Caravan group that stopped in Fargo, ND. At this stop, a fan asked Glen Perkins<\/a> about who was going to be the closer for the 2026 Twins. Perkins responded with a few names, like Sands and Rogers, without overcommitting to one name. However, Atteberry interjected that the current bullpen picture isn\u2019t complete. He told the crowd that the Twins will have multiple other bullpen options on the roster before the team heads to Fort Myers next month.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tAdding one veteran reliever or trading for a proven arm is the difference between a bullpen that\u2019s a liability by default and one that can support Minnesota\u2019s rotation all season. Rogers is the start, not the finish. Real functionality demands another move.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Twins now face a crucial decision: settle for a bullpen with fragile upside or take clear steps to build a group strong enough for contention. The structure is emerging and the challenge is to finish it.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tHow will the Twins complete their bullpen? Leave a comment and start the discussion.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For months, the Twins bullpen has felt less like a plan and more like a collection of possibilities.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":537636,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2388],"tags":[5,9707,6969,7883,4576,7666,15636,822,60,3190,4,6922,148],"class_list":["post-537635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-minnesota-twins","tag-baseball","tag-cole-sands","tag-connor-prielipp","tag-eric-orze","tag-justin-topa","tag-kody-funderburk","tag-marco-raya","tag-minnesota","tag-minnesota-twins","tag-minnesotatwins","tag-mlb","tag-taylor-rogers","tag-twins"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115956134943804958","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=537635"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537635\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/537636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=537635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=537635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=537635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}