Twins reliever surprisingly claimed by Yankees

But on Tuesday, a surprising move out of New York caught Twins reporters and fans by surprise. Apparently, the Twins had recently designated Brent Headrick for assignment too, though it was not reported on or inputted into the league’s transaction log. We only found out because Headrick was claimed by the Yankees today.

LHP Brent Headrick has been claimed by the Yankees.

— Phil Miller (@MillerStrib) February 11, 2025

This offseason, the Minnesota Twins have been trying to find left-handed options to replace Caleb Thielbar in their bullpen, after the Minnesota native signed with the Chicago Cubs earlier this offseason.

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Ultimately, the newly signed Coulombe fills that role, but depth behind him is questionable, which makes the Headrick DFA even more head-scratching. Again, no mention of Headrick being designated for assignment was reported on prior to him being claimed by the New York Yankees.

It turns out the Twins did have another move in the works, to help explain the Headrick DFA. Tuesday afternoon, right after the former reliever was claimed by the Yankees, Minnesota signed former Seattle Mariners first baseman Ty France.

Goodbye Brett Headrick…

The former 9th round pick made his big league debut in 2023 and threw 25 2/3 innings. He allowed seven home runs in that stretch and needed to figure things out a bit more at the Triple-A level.

The injury bug bit Headrick early last season. He wound up throwing just 19 1/3 innings because of it. Three of those came in a single outing for the Minnesota Twins. He gave up a home run while striking out five against the Red Sox during a late-September game in Boston.

#MNTwins LHP Brent Headrick gets his first MLB strikeout! 2 up, 2 down for Headrick in his MLB debut. pic.twitter.com/v7uc8pOFqu

— Talkin' Twins (@TalkinTwins) April 20, 2023

Headrick profiles as a back-end starter or long-relief option out of the bullpen. It’s curious that the Twins would move on from him with no official announcement. He looks like ideal organization depth, and has been someone that elevated himself into the major league conversation.

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We will have to wait and see if another move is coming. That would certainly make more sense of the situation. Minnesota has been rumored to be looking for big league infield depth.

Headrick isn’t necessarily a loss that will shock the system, but the implications here suggest that the Twins are confident in Coulombe and Kody Funderburk. There is not another left-handed option present on the 40-man roster right now.

Marlins claim Minnesota Twins Ronny Henriquez

After the signings earlier this week the Twins needed to shuffle their 40-man roster. That meant putting Ronny Henriquez on waivers. He was part of the return in the Mitch Garver trade with the Texas Rangers. Now he’s headed to Miami.

Bienvenido Ronny Henriquez 🫡 pic.twitter.com/RMhX0qUtMs

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) February 11, 2025

Henriquez returned to the big leagues last season after only pitching in the minors during 2023. He threw 19 1/3 innings with a 3.26 ERA. Definitely a fringe reliever, he has been sent off the roster by Minnesota multiple times previously.

The Marlins should provide a greater opportunity for him to stick in the bullpen. At just 24 years old, there’s still plenty of reason to believe he could blossom into a valuable piece.

Brent Headrick is back in the big leagues for the Minnesota Twins

Brent Headrick made his major league debut last season for the Minnesota Twins. The former ninth round pick pitched 25 2/3 innings working entirely out of the bullpen. As a starter in the minor leagues, he was able to provide Rocco Baldelli length. He also has the benefit of being a southpaw.

We have made the following roster move: pic.twitter.com/LRoDrpuQ6y

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) September 21, 2024

The Twins used Ronny Henriquez in high-leverage spots the past couple of nights. He was rewarded with a ticket across town. Henriquez owns a 3.26 ERA this season in 19 1/3 innings. Headrick was a two-pitch pitcher at the big league level last season. The fastball sits in the low 90’s and he pairs it with a slider. His changeup is a pitch he has really only used at the minor league level.

Big night for Brent Headrick and Ronny Henriquez punching tickets🥊🎟️

Those two combined for 11 K's, 0 BB's as they did not allow a baserunner from the 4th inning on👏 pic.twitter.com/saW7lsYMd2

— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) May 19, 2023

Headrick has missed most of the season due to a forearm injury. He worked his way back to health and has a 2.00 ERA across 18 innings with Triple-A St. Paul. His 23/6 K/BB is impressive, but he does have a slight tendency to get burned by the longball.

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The Twins bullpen is in a proverbial state of dice rolling for Rocco Baldelli right now. Griffin Jax is the only consistent reliever on a nightly basis. Jhoan Duran is struggling through confidence issues and hasn’t put together a clean stretch for quite some time. The decision to add Cole Irvin and send Jorge Alcala packing was an odd one.

There is no reason to believe that Headrick will operate in high leverage. Headrick almost immediately becomes the best left-handed option in relief. Caleb Thielbar has been a mess this season, and Irvin hasn’t been tested at all since being signed.

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Minnesota sits a game behind the Kansas City Royals, and one ahead of the Detroit Tigers, with regards to the wild card standings. Their current playoff odds are 79.3%.