Minnesota Twins Lose Promising Reliever to Waivers

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Scott Blewett, Minnesota Twins
Credit: Chris Tilley-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins Opening Day roster included Randy Dobnak because the front office had to think through how they would make early-season moves. The bullpen options dwindled with Brock Stewart and Michael Tonkin both beginning on the injured list.

Someone like Scott Blewett would have made a bunch of sense to round out the bullpen, but he is out of minor league options. Dobnak doesn’t have options either, but he has a contract no one else is willing to claim. That played out to their advantage when Dobnak was designated for assignment, went unclaimed, and cleared a 40-man spot.

The goal for Derek Falvey and Rocco Baldelli was to use Blewett in a spot where he could be long for the roster. The starting rotation all but negated that with their performance. The manager pulling the wrong levers in relief didn’t help either.

Scott Blewett claimed from MN Twins by Baltimore Orioles

You could say they blew it, but that would be an entirely too cheesy was to make fun of the Twins latest roster debacle. The 29-year-old threw 4 2/3 innings across two games while giving up four hits, a run, and striking out five. Baldelli needed yet another fresh arm and that led to his DFA. It was unlikely he would go unclaimed, and now that has come to fruition.

Despite having arguably the worst last name in sports, Blewett is a competent pitcher. He threw 20 1/3 innings last season for Minnesota and posted a 1.77 ERA (4.00 FIP). The track record isn’t long, but his 3.79 ERA at Triple-A in more than 50 innings last year substantiated the results.

Minnesota was hoping to get Brock Stewart back quickly and not need to make a move for quality depth relief talent in Blewett. Unfortunately, as has typically remained the case, Stewart suffered a setback.

Related: MN Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli Sitting on Top of Hot Seat List

The Twins didn’t have to designate Blewett for assignment, but they have become extremely insistent on always having long-relief or mop-up options. This cost Blewett his current job with Kody Funderburk being the latest arm to shuttle across town from St. Louis.

Funderburk made his 2025 debut on Saturday against the Detroit Tigers. In two innings of work he allowed a pair of runs on a dinger. Blewett’s transaction gets finalized with him going from a 5-11 team to one with a 6-9 record. Maybe Minnesota finishes better than Baltimore, but the Twins are probably already considering what their next relief swap will be.

Minnesota Twins pitching needs offensive help

The starting rotation has been a bright spot for the Minnesota Twins over the past week. They were seen as a dark-horse candidate to be a key cog of this squad. Unfortunately, despite them showing up, the rest of their teammates failed to follow suit.

Ultimately it doesn’t matter how well the Twins pitch if they aren’t going to score runs. They rank 24th in offensive fWAR. That’s because they are bottom-five in average, on-base percentage, wOBA, wRC+ and walk rate. They are also 24th in slugging.

This team doesn’t play defense either. They give up a bunch of errors, can’t turn ground balls into outs, and have too many limited defenders in premium positions.

Related: MN Twins Trying to Send Message with Brooks Lee Activation, Corresponding Demotion

On one hand you’d hope the nightmare start would end. The bats certainly could afford to pick up (for the umpteenth year in a row). If the defense isn’t more engaged too though, nothing they do on the mound will matter.

At some point it would be great to establish a bullpen that doesn’t simply have a revolving door as the final spot in the group.

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