The Minnesota Twins bullpen could be quite the crowded party as we head into Grapefruit League action. The Twins have firepower at the back end of their relief corps with two of the best arms in the game, and they have a slew of intriguing set-up and depth options. Some might even say they have too many guys gunning for limited roster spots.
Still, no matter how plentiful these assets seem in February, longtime followers of the club know that you can never have too many good pitchers.
That’s why the initial roster decisions that come out of camp could have major ramifications. Not only is the club tasked with determining their best performers come Opening Day, but they need to balance the risk of possibly losing some key names altogether.
A handful of players are out (or very nearly out) of minor league options. If the Twins remove them from the 26-man roster, other clubs can claim them for nothing. Assuming the bullpen will have eight spots (possibly nine if they go with a four-man rotation to start the year), the club should have three openings for someone to claim this spring.
Assuming they are healthy, Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Cole Sands, Danny Coulombe, and Brock Stewart will be in the bullpen. Below are the candidates who could have a leg up on earning one of those final spots in the big league bullpen.
No More Options
These players have exhausted their minor league options. Therefore, they must make the club out of spring training or find their way to the injured list. Otherwise, another team could swoop in and claim them.
Aside from Coulombe and Stewart, Michael Tonkin and Eiberson Castellano would fall into this bucket. Tonkin signed a one-year, $1 million deal in his first payday as an arbitration-eligible player this off-season. He’s coming off a year that included two different stints with the Twins and some time with the New York Mets and New York Yankees. He finished the season with a respectable 3.63 ERA with a solid 25% strikeout rate in mostly low-leverage innings.
On the other hand, Minnesota selected Castellano from the Philadelphia Phillies in the Rule 5 draft. He isn’t out of options, but the Twins would have to offer him back to his original club should they remove him from the 26-man roster during the 2025 season. The clubs could also try to work out a trade to avoid this scenario, but that’s hardly a given.
Intriguing Names On the Outside Looking In
The Twins would be wise to do whatever they can to retain control of as many of their promising arms as possible. However, a few players could force the team’s hand if they have a standout spring. Remember, it’s almost certain that someone will end up on the shelf before Opening Day, which could help delay the decision. Still, if everyone remains healthy, these following few players must show that they’re too good to be left off the initial roster rather than not quite good enough to be locked in.
Jorge Alcala technically still has a minor league option remaining, but only for about the first week of the regular season. After that, he’ll have accrued five years of service time, meaning he could reject an outright assignment and elect free agency should Minnesota remove him from the roster. Therefore, the Twins will probably have to option him immediately, or not at all.
It should be noted that he doesn’t need to elect free agency in this scenario because it would forfeit the rest of his remaining $1.5 million on his contract.
Justin Topa is another intriguing name with minor-league options remaining. Still, he probably would be one of the better mid-leverage arms in the group if he can replicate his production from 2023, where he had a sterling 2.61 ERA across 69 innings pitched. Expect him to get plenty of big-league opportunities throughout the year, likely starting on opening day.
Then there’s Sweet Louis Varland. While there is yet to be any sort of announcement stating that the 27-year-old will be transitioning to a relief role for the upcoming season, all evidence suggests he will have more success in that capacity. And there’s plenty of optimism that he could be a weapon in that role. In 29 career innings pitched out of the bullpen, Varland owns an eyebrow-raising 30.4% strikeout rate compared to his 20.5% rate as a starter.
The stuff clearly plays, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets an extended look in a set-up role.
Kody Funderburk is the only other left-handed pitcher on Minnesota’s 40-man roster. It’s unlikely that the Twins would require a second lefty at the expense of a higher-ceiling righty arm, but you never know. Regardless, he should eventually get more opportunities, especially if Coulombe’s injuries return.
So there it is, that’s 10 names for roughly eight spots. It’s a crowded party in the Twins bullpen, and we haven’t even seen who shows up fashionably late.
