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.

Selling off impending free agents is one thing. If Derek Falvey wants to really shake things up and generate a sizable return, then controllable assets are the focal point.

Joe Ryan is arguably the best asset potentially on the trade block. Relievers Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax aren’t far behind. According to a new report, contenders have Falvey’s phone ablaze in their pursuit of everything the Twins have to offer.

Teams circling Minnesota Twins trade candidates

The hope was that the Minnesota Twins could be good this season. That hasn’t happened and it’s why they are sellers. That doesn’t mean they don’t have good pieces and former general manager Jim Bowden says top contenders are coming for everyone.

The #RedSox #Yankees #BlueJays #Phillies and #Mariners are speed dialing the #Twins at an annoying level with continued interest in Joe Ryan, basically their whole bullpen, Willi Castro and Harrison Bader. Twins could end up being the headliner at the deadline as talks heat up…

— Jim Bowden⚾️ (@JimBowdenGM) July 29, 2025

Bowden mentions the Red Sox, Yankees, and Blue Jays which is virtually the entire competitive group in the AL East. The Phillies and Mariners also have significant hopes on competing for a World Series this season.

He’s not alone in suggesting the Twins are continuing to work on moves. MLB Network insider Jon Morosi lists additional teams calling on different pieces from Minnesota.

The Twins are not done making trades, after yesterday’s deal with the Tigers.

The Cubs, Blue Jays and Dodgers have checked in on the Minnesota bullpen arms.

Harrison Bader is a popular name today, too.@MLBNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 29, 2025

Those teams could use any number of the assets the Minnesota Twins have on the table. Falvey is in an interesting position because his best assets cover virtually any need for a contender. There is starting pitching, leverage bullpen arms, and impending free agent bats.

Related: Former GM Calls for Twins to Complete Blockbuster

Prior to talks heating up Bowden suggested the Los Angeles Dodgers should pull off a blockbuster with multiple Twins players going out west. We have seen Harrison Bader mentioned as a candidate for the Dodgers as well.

When there is this much smoke regarding so many of Minnesota’s players it’s hard to think that a multitude of them won’t change teams. Falvey could have a really busy Thursday if more deals aren’t done before deadline day.

MN Twins must control the market

When fielding calls on expiring contracts there isn’t much control a team can have. That said, Bader, Willi Castro, and Danny Coulombe all look like premier options as rentals. Minnesota should be out to try and extract the best return possible.

Regarding either Duran or Jax, teams have to have amped up their efforts in the wake of Emmanuel Clase’s suspension. The Guardians closer is not a trade candidate any longer, and that puts an even greater target on the Twins top two arms. The front office should be asking for the moon and watching someone pay in the stars.

Jhoan Duran, 101mph Fastball and 98mph Splinker, Overlay.

Good luck. 😯 pic.twitter.com/NeJkELwvUd

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 26, 2025

I hesitate to think that trading Joe Ryan is a great idea. He would unquestionably net the MN Twins a massive return. His acquisition was also the best move this regime has ever made on the trade market. However, Ryan could be part of the next competitive team. His return could also work out like the two top 100 prospects Minnesota received for Jose Berrios (Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson).

Related: Minnesota Twins Trade Veteran Starter to Division Rival

At the end of the deadline, Minnesota is going to have more than just Paddack having changed allegiances. They can’t look back at the results and be happy that they cleared salary for ownership though. It has to mean more, especially with this much interest.

Worse yet, injuries are starting to pile up yet again, this time in the starting rotation, thanks to the Orphan A’s temporary mound at Sutter Health Field in Sacramento sending two starters — ace Pablo Lopez and youngster Zebby Matthews — to the 60-day injured list.

Given the financial restrictions placed on team president Derek Falvey over the past couple years, how much moving and grooving the Minnesota Twins will able to do over the next month or two, prior to the MLB Trade Deadline, remains to be seen. They definitely have some well-informed doubters out there.

Minnesota Twins searching for lefty bat at MLB trade deadline…

Nonetheless, according to former MLB GM turned insider for The Athletic, Jim Bowden, the Twins still consider themselves to be trade deadline buyers. How does he know?

Well, Bowden recently spoke with some of his old decision-maker friends in place across the league, including those in Minnesota, who revealed to him exactly what the Twins are shopping for, as we inch closer to July 31.

The Twins have reportedly told Bowden that they are searching for a lefty bat. The former MLB GM suggests three different 27-year-old outfielders they could be targeting — Cardinals, Lars Nootbaar and two Marlins, Kyle Stowers and Jesus Sanchez, tagging Stowers as his favorite.

Minnesota Twins

Biggest need: Left-handed hitter

Possible targets: Lars Nootbaar, Cardinals; Kyle Stowers, Marlins; Jesús Sánchez, Marlins

Favorite target: Kyle Stowers

The Twins are searching for a left-handed hitter and their two best realistic options could end up being Stowers or Sánchez of the Marlins. Stowers is having a breakout season, slashing .280/.347/.479 with eight doubles, 10 home runs, 33 RBIs and a 127 OPS+. He can play either outfield corner and won’t be arbitration-eligible until 2027. The prospect price would be costly, but might be worth it if the Twins can find the right match with Miami.

Jim Bowden – The Athletic

After this Kyle Stowers walk-off grand slam (his second homer today), here is Stowers’ slash line this season:

.324 BA
.392 OBP
.552 SLG
.944 OPS

Stowers has the ninth-highest OPS among qualified MLB hitters. pic.twitter.com/Itvs89mN8S

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) May 3, 2025

One thing is for sure. The Minnesota Twins could certainly use more offense. At 4.25 per game, they rank 18th in Major League Baseball for runs scored. Still, this sudden need for a lefty is interesting, being Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walkers Jenkins are coming up through the system and both play outfield and bat left-handed.

Both Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner bat left-handed too. So, we will see if Bowden’s information is any good, once we start hearing more over the next month or so, regarding who the Twins are trying to pursue.

If not Kyle Stowers, what about Lars Nootbaar and Jesus Sanchez?

All three of Nootbaar, Sanchez, and Stowers have multiple years of team control remaining. As Bowden alluded to, each of them will require a sizable prospect return, to pry out of their current organization. Among the trio, only Nootbaar (1,426 AB) has displayed any level of consistent big league success.

Jesus Sanchez is batting .262/.342/.402 this season. His career 100 OPS+ makes him exactly league average. Expectedly, his .753 OPS against righties is better than the .696 mark against lefties this year. Stowers owns a career-best 127 OPS+ despite a 92 OPS+ career mark. He is batting .280/.347/.479 while owning neutral splits.

Lars Nootbaar is in his fifth major league season and has a 113 OPS+ while being better than league average each year. In 2025 he’s hitting .237/.341/.379 to generate what would be considered the worst season of his career. He has a .746 OPS against righties with just a .679 OPS against lefties.

Noot Noot!

Lars Nootbaar cracks his 8th homer of the season 💥 pic.twitter.com/WJstOohDoa

— MLB (@MLB) May 27, 2025

Related: Twins Scoop: Zebby Matthews Injury Details and Return Timeline Revealed

Whether it’s a lefty bat, righty bat. bullpen arm or more starting pitching help, the Minnesota Twins should 100% be looking to add before the deadline. They’ve tried to get by with underwhelming moves in recent seasons, and it has proven itself to be a fruitless strategy. Last year’s lone acquisition of reliever Trevor Richards, for example, was a complete failure.

Ownership is still working through the early stages of a sale process that they claim could be complete by the end of the year. They cannot let that stop them from getting better between now and the MLB Trade Deadline. In order to get back to the postseason, and make any sort of playoff noise, the Twins need to upgrade their roster.

After taking two of three against the Boston Red Sox over the weekend, the Twins have extended that win streak to four back at Target Field this week against the Red Sox’ AL East rival, the Baltimore Orioles. On Wednesday, the now 16-20 Twins will go for a sweep in that series.

Let’s not get too optimistic here, but the Minnesota Twins scored nine runs on Tuesday, behind a 3-for-4 night (HR, 3 RBI) from Carlos Correa that raised his season average to .233. Royce Lewis and Willi Castro have rejoined the team, as well. And Byron Buxton is on fire.

BUCK TRUCKING HIS WAY TO HIS 8TH HOME RUN pic.twitter.com/DQbEzSObZf

— Twins.TV (@twinstv) May 7, 2025

Jim Bowden ready to pull the plug on Minnesota Twins season

But don’t tell that to former MLB general manager, Jim Bowden, who’s ready to pull the plug on the 2025 MN Twins season. On Monday, the GM turned writer/insider at The Athletic wrote about ‘five trades he’d like to see’ happen.

In his No. 1 trade proposal, not only did Jim tell the Twins to blow it all up before the MLB trade deadline, but implores them to do it sooner than later… like this month. So, who should be first to go, according to Bowden? One of their top organizational assets, 28-year-old starter, Joe Ryan.

The Trade: Orioles acquire RHP Joe Ryan from Twins for LHP Cade Povich, 1B Coby Mayo and RHP Michael Forret

The Orioles need an ace if they want to contend in the American League East and return to the postseason. Enter [Joe] Ryan, who can step into that role for them.

The Twins did little this past offseason. It’s time for a roster reset.

In return, the Twins would get back [Cade] Povich… [who] needs to improve the command, control and finish on all his pitches, but he should develop into a solid mid-rotation starter. He won’t be arbitration-eligible until 2028.

The Twins also would get [Coby] Mayo, who made his major-league debut last year and was just recalled by Baltimore. Mayo, 23, can play either infield corner, has home run power and is major-league-ready.

The sleeper in this trade proposal is [Michael] Forret, 21, a 14th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft…This year, he’s been a full-time starter at High-A Aberdeen, tallying a 1.66 ERA over five outings with 29 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings.”

Jim Bowden – The Athletic

Joe Ryan is a big chip for Minnesota Twins

Joe Ryan was acquired back in 2021 for the ghost of Nelson Cruz and and, as Bowden mentions, he’s under contract through 2027. He holds a 2.93 ERA with 47 strikeouts and only 5 walks through seven turns in the rotation. Joe’s 40 innings pitched are far and away the most on the Twins staff so far.

Joe Ryan was solid for the Twins today as he got five strikeouts in his first start of the season. pic.twitter.com/DYrVyecyra

— Ted (@tlschwerz) March 29, 2025

Ryan’s ceiling is that of a Cy Young pitcher. Yes, the Twins will have to pay him in the next couple of years. But they can worry about that when new owners roll in, which should happen way before the 2027-28 offseason.

Related: Glen Taylor Won’t Talk About His Interest in Buying the Minnesota Twins… For Now

The blueprint for Bowden’s proposed trade is a weird one. Why would the Orioles, who have now lost two-straight to the Twins and sit at 13-21 on the season be buying right now, while we sell? And why in the heck would they take back Cade Povich as the featured return asset?

Povich — who Minnesota dealt to Baltimore in a trade for Jorge Lopez in 2023 that now looks like a mistake — has a 5.55 ERA and 5.02 FIP across his first 23 major league starts. On Tuesday, though, he made Bowden look really bad when he allowed 5 earned runs on 6 hits (6 IP) Tuesday night in a blowout loss vs his former team.

Watch it fly, Carlos! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/hksqFUqyof

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) May 7, 2025

Since making his MLB debut in 2024, Cade Povich hasn’t been the same guy as he was down on the farm, in either the Minnesota Twins or Orioles organizations. At the minor league level, Povich posted an 11.7 K/9 ratio. In the big leagues, that has dropped to a 7.3.

Cade Povich… and Coby Mayo to the MN Twins, you say?

If you want to believe in this deal having legs, then — like Bowden — you have to really love Orioles prospect Coby Mayo, who currently owns a .087/.192/.087 slash line in his first 52 major league plate appearances.

While he’s off to a slow MLB start, the 23-year-old third baseman proved himself as a prospect, posting a .286 batting average and .918 OPS in the minors. Mayo entered the 2025 season as a top-15 prospect, according to multiple national lists. His long-term position is expected to be first base.

It's an extremely small sample size, but Coby Mayo has DESTROYED lefties in AAA so far this year.

In 17 AB: .529/.579/1.471, 4 HR, 9 RBI 🔥

If Brandon Hyde gives him consistent playing time, we could see a breakout season from Coby Mayo in the majors 👀pic.twitter.com/LRNkZvPm3m

— Baltimore Sports Fan (@88OriolesFan88) May 3, 2025

But let’s be real. Digging themselves out of what is still a 6.5 game gap between the MN Twins and AL Central leading Detroit Tigers will require a herculean effort the rest of the way. It’s certainly still possible, but it will be anything but easy.

If the Minnesota Twins opt for a shake up…

Though I don’t like the proposed Bowden deal at all, that doesn’t mean the Minnesota Twins roster doesn’t need change. Derek Falvey opted against doing so this offseason, but things can’t continue to trend like this. If the Twins decide to open up shop as trade deadline sellers, Pablo Lopez is way more likely to go than Ryan. Bailey Ober, too.

It could be hard to find trade value for negative assets like Christian Vazquez and Carlos Correa, but Jhoan Duran or even a resurgent Chris Paddack would likely interest buyers. Oh, and here are some highlights of Michael Forret, who Jim Bowden called “the sleeper” in his proposed deal.

Top 50 Orioles prospects countdown:

#8) RHP Michael Forret: A 14th round pick out of the JUCO ranks in 2023, Forret has quickly established himself as one of the top prospects in the system.

Full episode: https://t.co/kxv8gh7Q8g pic.twitter.com/xJoXVFQy2J

— The Verge- An Orioles MiLB Podcast (@TheVergePod) February 16, 2025

So far, health problems on the MN Twins’ pitching staff have remained in the bullpen. Neither (LHP) Michael Tonkin or (RHP) Brock Stewart will be available to manager Rocco Baldelli this weekend, but the bullpen as a whole has a ton of high-end talent and maybe even more depth.

But the relief core isn’t the only group within Minnesota’s pitching staff that has high aspirations. And without a doubt, the Twins’ starting rotation is not getting enough attention, as of Opening Day Eve. In fact, one might argue that the Minnesota Twins have one of the better rotations in baseball… and some are.

Minnesota Twins starting rotation should be a strength

The Minnesota Twins starting rotation has been set for a week and a half. Pablo Lopez is the ace and he’ll get the ball on Opening Day. Saturday, he’ll be followed by a combination of Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober, then into Simeon Woods-Richardson and Chris Paddack round out the group.

The top half could be really good, if Lopez is himself and the Ryan + Ober combo prove what their early career numbers show, which is two of the best young pitchers in all of baseball. The depth, from there, are all guys who hold top-3 starter talent — Paddack, SWR, Matthews, Festa.

The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman is all in on the Minnesota Twins rotation, too. When he looks at the team, as a whole, it’s the starting staff that stands out to him as the possible difference-maker in 2025.

“The Twins, like the Jays, have a solid rotation with López, Ryan and Ober able to match up with most teams’ top three starters. López had 15 wins last year and logged a 4.08 ERA over 185 1/3 innings. Ober won 12 games with a 3.98 ERA in 178 2/3 innings, and Ryan went 7-7 with a 3.60 ERA. Woods-Richardson and Paddack both have more potential — can they offer more production this year than they’ve delivered so far in their major-league careers?”

Aaron Gleeman – The Athletic

You could certainly call Gleeman a homer, as someone who has covered the Twin as a fan for two decades. Nonetheless, he is always fair in his assessments, just like we are here, at Minnesota Sports Fan. Not only that, but nobody is more plugged into what the Twins are doing at all levels of the organization than Aaron Gleeman.

Thus, his opinion on the matter holds a lot of weight. As does, in a much different way, his colleague over at The Athletic — former MLB general manager, Jim Bowden. Unfortunately, Jim is not on the same page as Aaron, when it comes to Minnesota’s starting staff.

The Joe Ryan Experience: It was good. pic.twitter.com/z6TW4XGgmd

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) September 2, 2023

In his starting rotation rankings, which dropped Wednesday, Bowden placed the Minnesota Twins starters at No. 16 (out of 30), below average compared to the rest of the league.

“Much like in 2023, the Twins’ starting pitching will carry them this season. Led by a strong front three of Pablo López, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober, with Triple-A reinforcements Zebby Matthews, David Festa and Andrew Morris waiting in the wings as high-upside in-season depth, the Twins’ rotation will have a top-five ERA in the AL after ranking 11th last year.”

Jim Bowden – The Athletic

16th in baseball is a wildly low ranking, when considering everything mentioned above. Lopez earned Cy Young consideration during his first season with the Twins, and some projections have him vying for the same award this season.

Pablo may not be Tarik Skubal, Detroit’s ace, who most currently consider the best starting pitcher in baseball (the Tigers finished ahead of the Twins in Bowden’s rankings). But beyond Skubal, I’d take the Twins’ starting rotation any day of the week.

And if the bottom-half of their rotation lives up to the higher-end of expectations, this team could have the best 1-5 staff in the AL. Simeon Woods Richardson has proven that he can hang in the big leagues and Chris Paddack has the talent to be a front-rotation starter.

Chris Paddack, 80mph Hammer. ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/tFunTNYgzM

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 10, 2024

Fangraphs writer Ben Clemens can’t help but drool at what he sees in the MN Twins rotation, which he has as the 5th-best in baseball. Paddack and SWR don’t have to do all of the heavy lifting on their own. David Festa and Zebby Matthews both pitched at the big league level last season. Each will begin at Triple-A, but their talent is endless.

“This is the first team on the list that I don’t give much chance of ending the year as the best rotation in baseball. The Twins succeed with depth more so than dominance; their top eight options are all solid, which gives them plenty of insurance against injury, but they don’t have a run-vaporizing ace or two to kick things up a notch…It’s a deep group of arms, even if it’s not as top-heavy as your average top five rotation.”

Ben Clemens – Fangraphs

Minnesota Twins rotation depth is in a great spot

After his first two blowup outings last summer, Festa returned to the big leagues with vengeance, posting a 3.81 ERA across 54 1/3 innings. Then, there’s Zebby Matthews, who made his debut last season too. He probably needs more seasoning, but was exceptional this spring, with a 12/1 K/BB and no runs allowed in 9 1/3 Grapefruit League innings.

Zebby Matthews in his final Spring Training outing:

4 IP / 2 H / 1 R / 0 BB / 6 K

He averaged 97 MPH on 20 FBs and topped out at 98.1 MPH on the day ⛽️#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/rKO13UywBr

— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) March 25, 2025

Beyond that tandem, the St. Paul Saints will have an very good group. Marco Raya, Andrew Morris, and Cory Lewis are all expected to make starts. Then there’s recently added to the 40-man roster Travis Adams. If Minnesota is forced to shuffle the rotation, they have ample options.

Insider names a trio of starters for Minnesota Twins

If Rocco Baldelli’s team is going to win the division, and make noise in the postseason, then they’ll need a jolt in the pitching department. Depth in the starting rotation was questionable coming into the season.

That hasn’t changed. With Chris Paddack going back on the injured list, the group needs some help. Former general manager Jim Bowden fielded a question about Minnesota’s pitching at The Athletic, and he came with specifics.

The Twins have always been willing to trade from their strong farm system and I could see them acquiring a starting pitcher like Yusei Kikuchi of the Blue Jays, Austin Gomber of the Rockies or Tyler Anderson of the Angels.

Jim Bowden – The Athletic

Yusei Kikuchi is a name that has been connected to Minnesota multiple times. The other two names are newer links, but both certainly hold some intrigue.

Austin Gomber (30 y/o) – Colorado Rockies

Austin Gomber playing on a $3.15 million contract for the Rockies this season. Although he is under team control through next year, he could be a non-tender candidate. With a 4.70 ERA and 4.87 FIP, Gomber is a relatively unexciting option.

Austin Gomber's 2Ks in the 1st. pic.twitter.com/k8S0F46JiN

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 23, 2024

He doesn’t strike many batters out (just 72 in 105.1 IP), and he doesn’t have a great track record. Despite pitching in elevation at Coors Field, he also has a worse (5.61 ERA) at home than on the road (3.83).

Tyler Anderson (34 y/o) – Los Angeles Angels

Tyler Anderson would be an odd fit in that he is playing on a $13 million salary this year, and is owed the same amount in 2025. Minnesota hasn’t been keen on adding payroll, and it doesn’t seem like that will change any time soon.

Related: Minnesota Twins Linked to Blue Jays Starting Pitcher

He’s also a prime candidate for regression. Despite owning a 2.91 ERA, Anderson owns a 4.44 FIP. He has owned a FIP below 4.00 just twice during his nine year career, and the low strikeout numbers don’t match up with the Twins typical process.

Tyler Anderson's 2Ks in the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/2LxyVpf8Al

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 23, 2024

Related: Passan: Money Issues Continue to Hinder Twins in Trade Talks

Yusei Kikuchi (33 y/o) – Toronto Blue Jays

Among the names Bowden mentions, it’s Kikuchi that remains the most logical and straightforward fit. He is in the final year of his deal and is having one of the better seasons of his career.

Kikuchi’s 3.58 FIP is a career best, and he’s striking out double-digit batters per nine. The Blue Jays should have plenty of suitors for his services, but the Toronto starter would be a great addition for Minnesota.

A career-high 13 strikeouts for Yusei Kikuchi ✅

He was +2800 to be the daily strikeout leader @FDSportsbook pic.twitter.com/JDhzJTuyZ3

— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) July 10, 2024