MN Twins’ Chances Hang on Bullpen Effectiveness

The hot stove has gone cold at this point in the offseason. The Minnesota Twins skipped Christmas shopping altogether and haven’t made a roster move since signing Josh Bell.

There’s been no shortage of commentary pointing to the need for bullpen reinforcements. Derek Falvey gutted the unit at the trade deadline, and Derek Shelton will be hard-pressed to piece together consistent game plans with the group currently in place.

Bullpen Pieces Remain the Key for Minnesota Twins

Shelton inherits a relief corps filled with more questions than answers. Cole Sands, Justin Topa, and Kody Funderburk are serviceable arms, but none should be operating in high-leverage roles. Those pitchers were moved, and ESPN’s David Shoenfield sees bullpen reconstruction as the defining factor of the Twins’ the 2026 season.

The Twins ranked 28th in the majors in bullpen win probability added — better only than the Arizona Diamondbacks and White Sox and an explanation of why the Twins went 4-11 in extra-inning games. Overall, the Twins ranked 27th in bullpen ERA, 23rd in strikeout rate and 28th in batting average allowed. Now for the bigger issue concerning 2026: Jhoan Duran (2.01 ERA), Louis Varland (2.02 ERA), Brock Stewart (2.38 ERA) and Griffin Jax (72 strikeouts in 46 innings) were all traded in the deadline dump, leaving Justin Topa, Cole Sands and Kody Funderburk as the top holdovers.

Successful bullpens can often materialize out of nowhere and in a winnable AL Central, that’s what will have to be the case with the Twins. Maybe some of the pitchers who don’t make the rotation — David Festa, Taj Bradley, Mick Abel, Marco Raya — end up as relievers. Sands has a five-pitch mix, including a plus splitter and curveball, that could make him an effective closer, but the Twins lack guys who throw in the upper 90s. The Twins have a potentially good rotation and a sleeper lineup with some top prospects on the way. The bullpen might tell the story of where the 2026 team ultimately finishes though.

David Schoenfield – ESPN

Minnesota did sign 33-year-old veteran Dan Altavilla to a minor-league deal, and he will certainly push for an Opening Day roster spot. Altavilla posted a 2.48 ERA over 29 innings with the White Sox last season, though his 5.45 FIP paints a more modest picture of that performance.

It’s possible that one of the converted starters, someone like Marco Raya, David Festa, or Connor Prielipp, could eventually approach something close to Griffin Jax-level effectiveness out of the bullpen. Expecting any of them to step into that role immediately, however, would be poor planning.

Falvey has shown an ability to build effective bullpens in the past. Outside of the Addison Reed contract, he has rarely spent heavily in that area. Both factors suggest there’s a reasonable path forward if the front office chooses to act.

The MN Twins lost 92 games last season. It would be deeply disappointing to see the rotation and lineup rebound, only for the bullpen to once again provide nothing of substance. If Minnesota wants its turnaround to be real, it’s time to start making additions.