Minnesota Twins Signing Old Friend to Fill Bullpen Void

Danny Coulombe - Minnesota Twins (formerly Baltimore Orioles)
Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Sometimes, as the saying goes: If you love someone enough, you must simply let them go. If the love is true, they will find their way back to you. Welcome to the Minnesota Twins and Danny Coulombe love story.

When we all woke up on Tuesday morning the Twins bullpen — which is projected to be among the best in baseball — was looking like one of the better sections of their baseball team. The one thing they needed, however, was a lefty specialist.

Well, that isn’t the case anymore, Danny Coulombe should bring the exact veteran southpaw presence that the Minnesota Twins reliever core desperately needed. Better yet, he’s already familiar with the organization, which should make his transition seamless.

Danny Coulombe rejoins the Minnesota Twins

Out of all the holes left to fill in the Twins roster, this sort of deal seemed most inevitable. Coulombe is an affordable free agent who fills an exact need for the MN Twins. Coulombe will make $2.5 million in 2025. This is the first major league deal of Minnesota’s offseason… which ends in two weeks.

After three years with Minnesota, Coulombe spent a couple of years in Baltimore. His career was largely a mixed bag through the first five years. He joined the Twins in 2020 and unfortunately got hurt. He rebounded nicely in 2021 and took off from there.

Coulombe posted a 3.67 ERA with 33 strikeouts across 34 1/3 innings for the 2021 Twins. He’s a guy that doesn’t give up walks or home runs. Although Coulombe is best against lefties, he doesn’t have to be a strict LOOGY (lefty one out guy). The Twins have already signed plenty of those to minor league deals, anyway.

In two seasons with the Orioles, Coulombe threw 81 innings and compiled a 2.56 ERA. He had 90 strikeouts and allowed just seven home runs. He did deal with some injury concerns last season, and his durability is not necessarily the greatest.

Related: Top Projection System Says Minnesota Twins Win Division

Coulombe joins a loaded backend for Minnesota in the bullpen. Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran should shut down games late. The lefty takes over for Caleb Thielbar but offers more predictable production.

If Minnesota can keep the bulk of their relievers healthy, they have a strong group with a good mix of skills. Baldelli should feel a relative sense of comfort when needing to rely on that unit.

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