Former MLB GM Reveals Twins’ Top Priority This Offseason

On Tuesday the Minnesota Twins introduced new manager Derek Shelton as their 15th in club history. He will be tasked with turning around a team that finished 70-92. Rocco Baldelli ultimately took the fall, but Derek Falvey will need to rebuild a roster he turned over at the trade deadline.

No part of the roster was more gutted than the bullpen. It was basically open tryouts down the stretch, and Shelton will need to decide what to make of that group. Former general manager Jim Bowden has already highlighted the area as an offseason priority.

Bullpen a point of emphasis for Minnesota Twins

Thursday November 6th is the official beginning of free agency for Major League Baseball. Players won’t start flying off the shelf like they do in football, but Jim Bowden wants the Twins to target relief arms.

At the trade deadline, the Twins dealt practically their entire bullpen, including closer Jhoan Duran and set-up relievers Louis Varland, Griffin Jax, Danny Coulombe and Brock Stewart. Now they’ll spend the offseason focused on completely rebuilding that bullpen to be more competitive next year.

Jim Bowden – The Athletic

It’s pretty straightforward to suggest that Minnesota needs new arms in relief. They sent almost the whole group packing, and the only guaranteed arm to return will be Cole Sands.

Shelton will be tasked with tabbing someone for his closer role, and it will be interesting to see how he handles the group in comparison to Baldelli. Before Spring Training starts though, Falvey will need to make some moves that take a bit of pressure off just the untested holdovers.

37 different players through pitches for the Twins last year. There are a lot of innings that will need to be eaten up, and there aren’t a ton of clear-cut internal options. Converting former starters is an option for a couple of names, but the reality is that the group has to be supplemented as a whole.

MN Twins have built strong bullpens

If there’s a positive when it comes to the Minnesota Twins offseason outlook it’s that bullpens are a strength of Derek Falvey’s. He has assembled strong groups previously, and he has done so without spending much money. That’s something the Pohlads love to see as well.

The Twins aren’t going to be key players on the top names, but they can find future iterations of Danny Coulombe and Brock Stewart. Being right on castoff veterans allows for the unit to be competitive while not leveraging a significant portion of the roster.

Over the past couple of years Minnesota has waited out the relief market. They may opt to do that again this season, but Falvey will need to find more than one or two diamonds in the rough. Minnesota kicks off Spring Training action on February 20, 2026 with the first Grapefruit League action taking place on the 21st.