From there ownership was convinced to completely burn things to the ground. They paid the Houston Astros to take Carlos Correa off their hands. Controllable talents like Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax were moved as well.

Right before the bell hometown kid Louie Varland was packaged with Ty France and sent to Canada. That move was jarring, and it hit home for the lifetime Minnesotan.

Louie Varland crushed by MN Twins

In 2019 the Minnesota Twins took Louie Varland in the 15th round out of Concordia St. Paul. He was overlooked as a Division II product, but not long later was pumping 100 mph cheddar. Pushed to the bullpen this season, he owned a 2.02 ERA (2.90 FIP) with 47 strikeouts in 49 innings.

Effectively one of the best, and most-used (51 appearances) relievers in baseball, the trade shook the Minnesota native.

Varland was devastated, leaving Twins players seething and rivals GMs dumbfounded as to why the Twins would actually trade a valuable reliever (2.02 ERA, 47 strikeouts in 49 innings) with five years of control. My God, he was born and raised in St. Paul, with his wife and a family coming to virtually every home game. This is the way you treat him?

USA Today

As Bob Nightengale points out, the move for Varland was earth-shattering. He grew up with this organization. He transformed himself with this organization. Varland became a dominant big league pitcher wearing a Twins jersey.

He also knows, having been a fan of the franchise while growing up, how bad the Pohlad’s are as an ownership entity. Derek Falvey said the moves were “not geared toward the financial flexibility component of it.” Nightengale eloquently stated, “Believe it or not, those words were uttered with a straight face.”

Louie Varland on teammates barking in the dugout after his highlight play: “It’s the dog kennel because there’s a bunch of dawgs in there. No pups, that’s for sure.” pic.twitter.com/oZHMB4uRO4

— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) May 8, 2025

Varland is under team control through the 2030 season and makes little more than the league minimum. He is not set to hit arbitration until 2027, and couldn’t be more of a player you’d want to build around. That didn’t matter to the Pohlad’s or Falvey though.

Related: Confirmed: Cheap Pohlads Ordered MN Twins’ Deadline Demolition

When a player like Louie Varland is being pieced out in an effort to shed a prorated portion of Ty France’s $1 million salary, you know rock bottom has been reached. It’s something Varland felt in the moment, and a reality he now must move forward with.

This looks so weird. He was always supposed to remain here. pic.twitter.com/PpYNVjqe0V

— Ted (@tlschwerz) August 2, 2025

No matter what the return ultimately brings down the line for Minnesota, July 31, 2025 is a day that will forever live in infamy. The Pohlad family can’t cease to exist in an ownership capacity soon enough. They took everything from the fanbase, and they took everything from a kid that turned into a big league and was right where he belonged.

Having already made a plethora of moves, the Twins president of baseball operations sent two more relievers packing as the clock struck zero.

Griffin Jax and Louie Varland both have new homes. That means Minnesota sent out a whopping five of their eight relievers to new teams prior to the deadline.

Griffin Jax goes from MN Twins to Tampa Bay Rays

It was expected that Griffin Jax could be traded along with closer Jhoan Duran. The latter went first to the Philadelphia Phillies. The former was held onto until the waning seconds, but he’s now headed to the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Minnesota Twins are getting Taj Bradley in the Griffin Jax deal, per source,

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 31, 2025

Jax is 30 years old and under team control through 2027. He is making just $2.37 million this season, and despite a gaudy 4.50 ERA, he owns a 2.00 FIP and has been as dominant as ever.

With a 1.5 fWAR, Jax has the best mark among Twins relievers, and is actually above the 1.3 fWAR owned by Jhoan Duran. The tally makes him the 5th-best reliever in baseball by fWAR.

The Rays sent Taj Bradley to the Minnesota Twins. He’s a former fifth round pick (2018) and was a top 25 prospect in baseball as recently as 2023.

Taj Bradley's 7th K pic.twitter.com/EDk6q7Z559

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 12, 2025

Bradley has made 69 appearances (67 starts) across three seasons at the big league level for the Rays. The numbers haven’t worked in his favor yet, though. He owns just a 4.70 ERA (4.33 FIP) and his 9.6 K/9 has been watered down by a 3.3 BB/9 and 1.5 HR/9.

Related: Twins Move Lefty Reliever Danny Coulombe to Texas Rangers

Minnesota will look to push his development towards the player that owns a 2.90 ERA across 366 1/3 minor league innings. Bradley is not arbitration eligible until 2027 and is under team control through 2030.

Blue Jays grab Varland and France from MN Twins

It wasn’t just Jax that was traded up against the deadline. Louie Varland and Ty France both found themselves headed elsewhere, and they’ll need their passports to get there.

LHP Kendrys Rojas and OF Alan Roden are going to Minnesota, per source. #BlueJays https://t.co/7oB4MSdbli

— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) July 31, 2025

The Varland inclusion is an interesting one. Toronto was in the market for a leverage bullpen arm, and after missing out on other options, they apparently approached Minnesota about the remade starter. Ty France had little value as a first baseman with an 86 OPS+, but his $1 million contract was easy to throw in.

It’s jarring to see the Minnesota-native Varland, who’s under team control through 2031, leave. He owns a 2.02 ERA (2.89 FIP) this season and has been used a ridiculous 51 times already. A true development story, that one should sting a bit.

Kendrys Rojas is a left-handed pitcher and the fifth best prospect in the Blue Jays organization per MLB Pipeline. The 22-year-old Cuban reached Triple-A this season. He has 11 appearances (10 starts) across four levels in 2025 and owns a 3.46 ERA. In 252 2/3 minor league innings he has a 3.31 ERA with a 10.6 K/9.

Related: MN Twins Shock the World: Carlos Correa Back to Astros

Alan Roden is a Wisconsin-native that made his big league debut this season. He was third-round pick out of Creighton in 2022. The left-handed outfielder has a .204/.283/.306 slash line in 43 big league games this year. In 32 games with Triple-A Buffalo he owns a .918 OPS, and he has an .866 OPS across 298 total minor league games.

As long as guys like back-end staples like Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax enter the regular season healthy, Minnesota should have one of the best bullpens in baseball. And if the Twins can get above-projected production out of another reliever or two — on top of the usual from their established All-Stars — this bullpen could prove to be a devastating late-inning weapon.

Brock Stewart could add even more bulk to Minnesota Twins bullpen

Once a highly-touted prospect, Brock Stewart debuted with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016, but his early MLB career did not go as planned. In 105.2 big league innings pitched between 2016 and 2019, most of which came as a starter, Steward posted a 6.05 ERA, 70 ERA+, 6.25 FIP and 1.599 WHIP.

Related: Minnesota Twins Provide a Bunch of Injury Updates

By 2020, he was pitching in the independent league, where he resurrected his career… until Tommy John surgery wiped out both his 2021 and 2022 seasons. Finally, Brock Stewart resurfaced in the big leagues as a Minnesota Twin in 2023 as a completely different dude, striking out 39 batters in just 27.2 innings (12.7 SO/9) — good for a 0.65 ERA, 2.21 FIP and 1.084 WHIP.

Unfortunately, the now 33-year-old’s body continues to fail him. In total, Stewart — a former 6th round pick out of Illinois State University — has thrown just 43 1/3 innings the past two seasons. But man, the numbers sure are impressive.

John Bonnes (Twins Daily) pointed to possibilities with Stewart on the most recent episode of the Gleeman and the Geek podcast, which he co-hosts with The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman. It may seem far-fetched to consider him among the Twins best relievers, but that’s exactly what the numbers suggest.

“[Brock Stewart] is not somebody that a lot of Twins fans think about right now, in terms of oh we could have a dominant bullpen right now, because he’s been out of sight, out of mind for most of the 2024 season. He missed a good chunk of the 2023 season. He was arguably the Twins best, or second-best reliever when he was healthy last year. He could arguably be the best, or second-best reliever again this year.”

“I heard back in October, right after that surgery, before we knew [Brock Stewart’s] velocity was going to come back, before anything else, Twins officials saying off the record, like, ‘we think we figured out what was going on with Stewart for the last two years and we think this surgery in particular [is going to clean it up]’.

Like, there’s something about the diagnosis or about what they found in there when they did the arthroscopic shoulder surgery and handled this, that made them really optimistic about how he was going to come back and how healthy he would stay when he came back.”

John Bonnes – Gleeman and the Geek

Brock Stewart, 97mph Two Seamer (18 inches of Run) and 85mph Sweeper (20 inches of Break), Overlay

😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/RJwcRWaFaW

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 25, 2024

If (and that is a big “if”) he can stay healthy, there’s a really good possibility Brock Stewart quickly proves himself to be yet another devastating option in the Twins’ bullpen. His stuff is right up there with Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran.

In his first 13 appearances last season, Stewart picked up seven holds and struck out 17 batters across 13 1/3 innings. I know there are darkhorse talents in every camp, across MLB Spring Training, but most of them do not have the immediate upside that Brock does, something that is being overlooked, as we move closer to Opening Day on March 27.

Louie Varland’s role with Twins revealed…

While the Minnesota Twins haven’t made anything official, and Louie Varland has only commented on his name, the transition to relief is real. He has made five appearances during Grapefruit League action, and each of them have been for just a single inning. The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman has taken note as well.

“Louie Varland, as you said, has thrown one inning four times, hasn’t come out for a second inning, hasn’t warmed up for a second inning. He comes in like in the fifth inning, he pitches the fifth inning, he leaves, he goes home. He talks to you guys, gives short quotes, gets annoyed that you guys keep asking about his name, and he goes home. And so, you can connect those dots fairly easily.”

Aaron Gleeman – Gleeman and the Geek Podcast

Minnesota apparently wants to avoid announcing anything on Varland in case there is an emergency need for a starter. The reality is that, at this point of Spring Training, there isn’t runway for him to be stretched out as a starter. The Twins also have depth options in the form of David Festa, Zebby Matthews, Cory Lewis, and Andrew Morris.

Related: Minnesota Twins Prospects Revealed for Exclusive MLB ‘Spring Breakout’

Varland owns a 5.51 ERA in the big leagues, but has been utilized in both starting and relief roles. His 6.44 ERA as a reliever is actually higher than the 5.27 mark as a starter. However, Varland can now settle into a set position and simply let it fly when coming out of the bullpen.

Louie Varland, 98mph ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/P5MKMRzZdx

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 2, 2024

When the season starts it’s likely that Varland will be used in middle-relief. By the midway point it wouldn’t be shocking if he has been elevated to high leverage as a byproduct of his performance.

The injury to Justin Topa opens the door for Varland or someone like Eiberson Castellano to make the Opening Day roster. The more pitching talent that Minnesota can harbor going into the season, the better they will be positioned to handle the setbacks that are sure to pop up along the way.

Louie, or Louis, Varland isn’t going to let that deter him, though. Not only is he not worried about the talk of him “changing” his name, but he’s going to pitch in whatever role that the Minnesota Twins need him in.

Varland to the pen makes sense for Minnesota Twins

Right now it stands to reason that the starting rotation doesn’t have an opening for Louie Varland. He moved out of that role last year, and was only called upon to start when injuries necessitated it for the MN Twins. The Athletic’s Dan Hayes doesn’t see him going back, either.

“Varland began the 2024 season in the starting rotation because the Twins were short-handed on starters before they ultimately shifted him to the bullpen. Manager Rocco Baldelli hinted as early as January that Varland could be a reliever this season, but wanted to wait to see if he’d be needed in the rotation again before committing. Varland has an idea what role the Twins want him to pitch in this season, but Baldelli has asked him to refrain from saying it.”

Hayes on Varland (The Athletic)

It shouldn’t be shrouded in some veil of secrecy that pitching in relief makes more sense for Varland. He has a fastball that can touch triple digits in that capacity, rather than starting, where it may lose a mph or two as the outing goes longer. Also, the starting pitching depth is now flush with arms like David Festa, Zebby Matthews, Andrew Morris, and Cory Lewis.

Related: Minnesota Twins Sign Another Lefty to Compete at Spring Training

The Minnesota Twins obviously want to make sure they get through Spring Training healthy first, however. Chris Paddack and Simeon Woods Richardson are in line for the final two rotation spots, if healthy. The former was hurt down the stretch last season, and needs to show that he’s good to go before they rule Varland out.

Louie Varland, 98mph ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/P5MKMRzZdx

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 2, 2024

Louie Varland actually has a worse 6.33 ERA as a reliever during his career. That said, the numbers are inflated by a couple of particularly bad blowups. He owns a 38/6 K/BB rate across 29 1/3 innings, which among relievers in the past two seasons is 10th in the entire MLB (min.20 inn). Granted, we have a pretty small sample size for Varland as a reliever, but those numbers are not something to deny. His .727 OPS allowed is also more than 100 points lower than the .851 OPS he has surrendered in a starting role.

“I’ve found some success, some failures. But it’s been fun. It’s fun coming out of the pen.”

Varland on relieving (The Athletic)

Michael Tonkin and Jorge Alcala are currently the front runners to grab the last couple of bullpen spots, however. Varland could certainly overtake either of them with a strong spring, and it wouldn’t be a big shock to see him on the Minnesota Twins Opening Day roster.

No name change for MN Twins Varland either

Plenty has been made about what exactly you should address Varland as this spring. He is still Louie, and is simply having his government name displayed on printed materials.

“It’s not like I’m changing my name. It’s my real name and I decided just to do it because maybe my mom and grandparents would like it because I’m named after my uncle…Call me Louie. On the scoreboard it will say Louis. That’s it. Plain and simple. Everybody’s freaking out about this for no reason.”

Varland on his name change (The Athletic)

As Louie Varland has suggested, the entire discussion has gotten significantly more interest than was ever intended. Nothing is changing with how he is to be addressed, though. When coming out of the bullpen, or announced throughout the stadium, Louie should still be the expectation.

Related: Minnesota Twins Flamethrower Has a New Pitch

There is a decent chance that Varland elevates himself to a prominent role sometime over the summer. And no matter what you call him, it’s probably best to get familiar with his game.

This offseason wasn’t exactly the busiest one for the Twins, but they did make a plethora of moves. Harrison Bader is taking over a roster spot as an additional outfielder for Manuel Margot, who is now in Spring Training with the Milwaukee Brewers. Ty France is replacing Carlos Santana at first base, who signed a nice deal to return to aforementioned Cleveland. And, Danny Coulombe returns as the bullpen lefty, as Caleb Thielbar left for Wrigley Field to play for the Chicago Cubs.

The Twins have plenty of returning talent, so there aren’t a ton of roster spots up for competition. However, there are still a couple that should be your focus during Spring Training action.

Who is the Minnesota Twins fifth starting pitcher?

Rocco Baldelli already has three starting pitches written in ink. To no surprise, Pablo Lopez is the Opening Day starter, who held a 4.08 ERA last season. Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober are locks to join him as key members of the rotation, as they held 3.60 and 3.98 ERA’s respectively. From there, things get a bit more interesting.

Chris Paddack was a main candidate to draw trade interest this offseason, while the Twins were supposedly shedding more cap. A deal surely would have opened salary flexibility for the Minnesota Twins. However, he is still on the roster, and will work as the fourth starter if he can maintain the spot. Paddack is another year removed from his second Tommy John surgery, so the bar for him to provide a level of value is not very high.

That leaves just the fifth spot in the rotation, and right now, Simeon Woods Richardson is the frontrunner to grab it. Last season, Woods Richardson started 28 games as a rookie in the Bigs. He posted a 4.17 ERA and struck out 117 batters across 133 2/3 innings. That sort of production is just fine from a back-end starter, especially when one would expect him to continue improving as he gets more experience.

It’s worth wondering what Woods Richardson’s ceiling looks like, though. His velocity took a jump last year as he averaged 93.1 mph on his fastball, up from around 91 the year prior. That made a huge difference, as his arsenal played better and ultimately helped him get more batters out. That still is on the low-end of what top big league arms are providing, however, so how SWR’s velocity plays this year will be something to watch.

Related: 2025 Minnesota Twins Opening Day Roster Projection (1.0)

Minnesota has nice starting pitcher depth in the form of David Festa and Zebby Matthews. Both made their major league debuts in 2024, with varying results. Festa is highlighted as a breakout candidate to keep an eye on in 2025. It’s an uphill battle to think he could surpass Woods Richardson out of the gate, but he is the one to watch. Matthews had his toes dipped in the MLB water, and owned a 6.69 ERA over 37.2 innings pitched. During his minors time last year, Matthews owned a much better 2.60 ERA across 97 innings pitched.

David Festa’s my favorite undrafted fantasy SP this season. 24yo who’s 6’6” 185lbs with 3 pitches led by a fastball around 95mph

4.90 ERA last season in 14 outings but a 3.58 SIERA and xFIP along with a 19.5% K-BB. Could be this year’s Hunter Brown.pic.twitter.com/RQRqDL5rS7

— kev mahserejian (@RotoSurgeon) February 21, 2025

Across 64 1/3 innings Festa owned a modest 4.90 ERA. After two tough outings and a recall, Festa then returned for 54 1/3 stellar innings with a 3.81 ERA, 3.15 FIP, and 69 strikeouts. That’s more along the lines of what the Minnesota Twins believe they have in the former top prospect.

It’s most likely that Festa (and Matthews) begin in St. Paul, with a rotation that all could impact the big league team if and when they are called upon. That would mean Woods-Richardson is Minnesota’s 5th starting pitcher. If the Minnesota Twins do pull a surprising move in the rotation, though, a strong spring would be what makes it happen.

MN Twins could make changes to the bullpen

The Minnesota Twins are projected to have one of baseball’s best bullpens, as they did last year. The high-leverage combination of Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax are plenty to get excited about, as they are projected to have ERA’s of 2.36 and 3.21, each. Coulombe and Cole Sands will get back-end innings as well, and there are other familiar names in the Twins bullpen.

Of the eight expected spots in relief, the only other that should be guaranteed goes to Justin Topa. That leaves Jorge Alcala and Michael Tonkin as the fringe candidates. The former was optioned multiple times last season and had an up-and-down year. The latter was designated for assignment but was brought back and got a $1 million deal for 2025.

15. Eiberson Castellano: 23, SP (A+/AA)

Rule 5 pick-up. He pitched 103 innings to a 3.99 ERA, 31.3% K%, 6.7% BB%, 1.14 WHIP and kept opponents to a .226 BAA. Mid-90's fastball and mid-80's changeup are plus. Curveball in development. RP for now, likely SP in future. pic.twitter.com/TivEp2GMbV

— LouisAnalysis (@LouisAnalysis) February 1, 2025

There are a few arms behind that main pairing that could also push for consideration. The Minnesota Twins took Eiberson Castellano in the Rule 5 Draft this year. That means he must remain on the big league roster for the entirety of the season, or be offered back to the Phillies. The worry with that? He hasn’t pitched above Double-A, but he has 291 strikeouts in 238 minor league innings. Named the Philadelphia minor league pitcher of the year last season, Castellano had a 3.99 ERA across 103 2/3 innings at High-A and Double-A. The Twins are obviously hoping that success continues at the MLB level.

Related: Time for Twins Pitching Prospect to Sink or Swim

Louis Varland will work as a reliever this season, if the starting rotation arms get through Spring Training healthy. We have seen his high-octane stuff play well out of the bullpen, and he touched 98 mph during his first Grapefruit League outing. He posted an 11/2 K/BB and 2.35 in his final five relief appearances last season, leaving plenty to be excited for.

The Minnesota Twins could also consider a second lefty if Kody Funderburk bounces back strong. He had a stellar debut in 2023 with a 0.75 ERA across 12 innings, but was knocked around last season. Don’t expect Matt Canterino to make the Opening Day roster, but his health should have him at Triple-A, and performance would make him an early option for the Twins.

Can someone shuffle Minnesota’s bench?

Almost all of the starting position roles in the lineup are accounted for. First base may have been a question mark up until a few weeks ago, but the addition of Ty France changed that. Second base is a spot the MN Twins would love to see Brooks Lee play, but he’ll need to earn it, as they nave other options if he isn’t performing up to standards.

Willi Castro is going to be on the roster, and will start plenty of games. Christian Vazquez is also going to make the roster, but he may cede a bit more playing time to Ryan Jeffers than last year. A final bench spot comes down to what sort of plan Baldelli is more comfortable with.

Brooks Lee needs to play every day, so if he’s not starting at second base with the big league club, then he should be with St. Paul getting at-bats. Austin Martin could be carried as an additional outfielder, but may be seen as sort of redundant with Harrison Bader in front of him.

Related: Brooks Lee May Not Join Twins on Opening Day

The most logical option right now could be to go with Edouard Julien. He had a great rookie season, and hit .263/.381/.459 in 2023 before turning in a putrid .199/.292/.323 slash line last season, which earned him a demotion. He does not need to play every day, but he would at least give Baldelli another second base option off the bench.

Veteran journeyman Mike Ford may have been a first base option as a non-roster invitee before Ty France showed up, but no longer. Luke Keaschall remains the most high-ceiling non-roster guy in camp, but he’ll be to Triple-A first.

There won’t be too much of a focus put on spring training numbers as a whole, but some of the fringe position players could really help themselves. By getting hot and riding that into the regular season, you never know who you might see come Opening Day.

Right now the group is projected to be among the best in baseball. That was thought to be the case last season, but things went belly up during Spring Training. There was talk of shuffling roles this offseason, but it looks like the group will remain status as is.

Money wasn’t worth a change for Minnesota Twins Griffin Jax

Ultimately it’s a fact that starting pitchers make more money that relievers. Griffin Jax entered the big leagues as a starter and he’s inching closer to free agency while earning arbitration salary bumps. A financial boost wasn’t worth threatening his performance though.

“When I tried to take it in that perspective and remove money as much as possible, I just found myself always gravitating back toward the bullpen. I’m sure part of it is because I failed as a starter at the big-league level, and found some pretty good success in the bullpen. But at the same time, I just feel like my personality just thrives in that back-end, late-inning role now. I almost just look at it as, ‘If it’s not broken, why bother trying to fix it?’”

Griffin Jax on staying in the bullpen (The Athletic)

It’s certainly a boost to the bullpen that Jax will be staying put. He took over the top relief arm last season from Jhoan Duran, and he was among the best pitchers in baseball.

Griffin Jax's Deadly 87mph Sweeper with 19 inches of Horizontal Break…and 3097 RPMs. ☠️⚔️

That's mean. pic.twitter.com/shxKKMVkSB

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 8, 2024

His 2.03 ERA was the lowest mark of his career and the 1.94 FIP was even better. Jax posted 95 strikeouts in 71 innings which was good for a 12.0 K/9. He walked only 15 batters and allowed just four home runs.

Related: Twins Sign Hard-Throwing Pitcher Who Blew Them Away at Recent Tread Pro Day

Jax owns one of the best pitches in baseball. His sweeper is a ridiculous weapon, and the fact that he has a starter’s arsenal in relief is beneficial. If Minnesota is going to own baseball’s best bullpen, then Jax will play an integral part.

Finally a set role for Louie Varland

The past handful of years the Minnesota Twins have utilized Louie Varland in both starting and relief roles. It’s hard to ignore just how hard he throws at max effort though. The Athletic’s Dan Hayes is reporting that Varland is likely to work out of the bullpen.

“Though it won’t be announced until some point in spring camp, there’s a growing sense Louie Varland will pitch in relief this season. The Twins need to first make sure the rest of their starters are healthy, and Varland could even be built up for several innings early in camp. But if all goes to plan, Varland looks like a fit in the bullpen.”

Dan Hayes on Louie Varland (The Athletic)

After Varland started all five of his appearances three seasons ago as a rookie, he has started just 17 games out of 33 appearances the past two years. He posted an ugly 7.61 ERA last season, and his bugaboo has been the longball. Across 143 2/3 major league innings Varland has allowed 32 dingers.

Four strikeouts in two scoreless innings for Louie Varland, who is consistently working at 97-100 mph out of the #MNTwins bullpen. pic.twitter.com/wxziEvxf9y

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) September 16, 2023

It’s possible that Varland could work in a long-relief role. The Twins shouldn’t just rely on him as a mop-up man though. He could also transition into a leverage arm, and that would be similar to the trajectory we saw from Cole Sands.

Related: When We Could See Top Minnesota Twins Prospects Debut in 2025

An ability to add another bullpen arm with triple-digit stuff is an exciting proposition. The Twins starting depth might be questionable, but they do have plenty of prospects ready to contribute when called upon.

Louie Varland gives Minnesota Twins bullpen a new look

Last season the Minnesota Twins pushed Louie Varland to the bullpen in September and he gave them another arm to lean on. Across seven outings Varland allowed just two runs, and both of them came in the same appearance. His 17/1 K/BB was impressive and the velocity ratcheted up. The bullpen experience made watching him go back to starting difficult.

Four strikeouts in two scoreless innings for Louie Varland, who is consistently working at 97-100 mph out of the #MNTwins bullpen. pic.twitter.com/wxziEvxf9y

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) September 16, 2023

This season Varland owns a 7.62 ERA across 39 innings while operating as a starting pitcher. He hasn’t been great in that role, but injuries to Joe Ryan and Chris Paddack forced him to remain as depth. Both Zebby Matthews and David Festa are now in the rotation. The Minnesota bullpen needs help, and Varland is capable of providing it.

Rocco Baldelli has relied heavily on Griffin Jax and Cole Sands this season. The former has been one of baseball’s best relievers, and helped to mitigate the decrease in Jhoan Duran’s velocity. Between that trio though, there is a very soft underbelly in relief and it has left the Twins dropping too many games.

Related: Just How Bad is the Minnesota Twins Bullpen Right Now?

Varland isn’t just a long man in the mop up sense. His stuff can get the best hitters out, and will do so for multiple innings if asked.

Why does Louie Varland work in relief for Twins?

As a starter this season Varland has averaged 95.8 mph on his fastball while utilizing it 38.4% of the time. He has thrown a cutter 26% of the time while also going to a knuckle curve (19.2%), and a changeup (11.8%). The curveball is potentially his worst offering. He has allowed a hit on the pitch nearly 10% of the time, including a home run to Cleveland’s Josh Naylor.

In the bullpen things get simplified for pitchers. There is less need to utilize a full repertoire of offerings, and velocity often ticks upwards. It’s easy to see how much Varland’s velocity jumped when going to the bullpen last year, and he also substantially tweaked his pitch mix. Although he possesses a starter’s toolkit, Minnesota asked him to become a two-pitch pitcher.

Once Varland simplified his plan of attack to straight heat, or a variation that broke just a little bit, he found himself dominating the opposition. The Twins need that sort of relief option in order to catch the Guardians down the stretch. He also lengthens the pitching plan for a rotation that will look different in October.

Related: Something is Wrong with Simeon Woods Richardson

Minnesota will need to ease Varland into the relief role as they did last year. If it works as it did last last time, then it may be hard for a second transition back to the rotation.

Here comes Louie Varland, but not for the Minnesota Twins bullpen

The Minnesota Twins are in Tampa, Florida this week for a four-game series with the Rays. The St. Paul Saints are at home against the Iowa Cubs. Louie Varland isn’t in Minnesota though. Instead, he reportedly has a locker at The Trop.

There is a Louie Varland locker and a Louie Varland present in the Twins’ clubhouse, as expected, ahead of their TBD starting pitcher slot for tomorrow’s game.

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) September 3, 2024

No move has been made official, but Varland’s addition to the big league roster is expected prior to Wednesday’s game. The St. Paul native last pitched for the Twins on August 14 against the Kansas City Royals.

It doesn’t sound like he will start, though. MLB.com has the Twins using an “Opener”, Ronny Henriquez, who’s expected to pitch the first one or two innings, then pass the ball to Varland.

For the Twins this season, Louie Varland has thrown 36 2/3 innings with a 6.14 ERA. Since his April demotion, however, he has made four appearances, posting a 3.60 ERA and 14/2 strikeout/walk ratio. Varland threw 149 2/3 innings across Triple-A and the majors, last season. He’s up to 100 innings, in 2024.

When will Minnesota Twins transition Varland to relief?

The Twins have 24 games remaining in their regular season. That means, at most, they will go through the rotation five more times. Whether he’s with the Twins or the Saints, it’s possible this is the 26-year-old’s final start of the season.

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At some point, Rocco Baldelli will move Varland into the bullpen, where he could be an important relief arm, come October. For now, though, he still serves as an emergency starting option, given the Twins lack of rotation depth.

Wednesday, he will give rookie starters Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa, and Zebby Matthews a much-needed extra day of rest. The Twins have used nine different starting pitchers this season. Outside of Lopez, Joe Ryan (now injured), and Bailey Ober, consistency has been tough to find.

Peep Louie Varland’s second to last pitch… 100 mph 👀

Bullpen role for the playoffs please #MNTwins
pic.twitter.com/yuIjL67F86

— Twins Talk (@LetsTalk_Twins) September 1, 2023

Last season, Varland showed he can dial it up in relief, hitting triple-digits on his fastball. Given the state of affairs for the Twins relief corps, that’s something the group could absolutely use right now.

Related: Why Aren’t the Minnesota Twins Calling Up Louie Varland?

With only a few more weeks in the regular season, the move from rotation to bullpen needs to happen soon. St. Paul finishes their season on September 22. It makes sense for Varland to get a turn or two out of the Triple-A bullpen, before jumping into the big league one.

Meanwhile, (IF) Brooks Lee and (RHP) Diego Castillo also got the call too, as part of the standard MLB September roster expansions. One surprising Saints player, who was not added to the Twins roster, was right-handed pitcher, Louie Varland.

This time, last year, the Minnesota Twins were converting Varland from a starter into a relief pitcher, for the 2023 stretch run. I know what some of you are wondering. Why would the Twins put Louie Varland into their bullpen for a playoff run, when he has pitched so poorly for them as a starter this season (36.2 IP, 6.14 ERA, 1.636 WHIP)?

Louie Varland was a different pitcher out of the Twins bullpen

Well… because he shoves. Even as a starter, the 26-year-old St. Paul native averages 96 MPH on his fastball. Louie’s cutter eclipses 90 MPH and his breaking balls look like frisbees. He has all the talent necessary to be a very good MLB starter. Unfortunately, his potential hasn’t blossomed into big league production yet… as a starter.

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But in a small sample size out of the MLB bullpen, the results have been completely different. In 12 innings pitched as a reliever in 2023, Varland posted a 1.50 ERA, 0.583 WHIP, .471 OPS against and 12.8 SO/9, all massively up vs his numbers as a 2023 starter, just like his velocity, which tipped 100 MPH multiple times.

Four strikeouts in two scoreless innings for Louie Varland, who is consistently working at 97-100 mph out of the #MNTwins bullpen. pic.twitter.com/wxziEvxf9y

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) September 16, 2023

Last year, Louie Varland made for the perfect addition to a Minnesota Twins bullpen that desperately needed a shot of late-season adrenaline… much like the 2024 team does. Looking at the numbers, there’s no denying he provided exactly that.

Why haven’t the Minnesota Twins made the call?

So… why didn’t he get the call, this weekend, instead of, say, Diego Castillo? The Twins need bullpen help and he has somewhat proven himself as being a high-end option for middle innings that the team doesn’t currently have. Not only that, but he could pitch one, two or five innings, if necessary.

The problem is not that the Minnesota Twins don’t trust or want Varland, as a bullpen option. Nor is it that he refuses to make the move. The real reason they can’t put him to the bullpen right now is their lack of big league caliber starters.

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With Joe Ryan out for the season, the Twins cannot afford to convert Varland, right now, in case they were to suffer an injury in the rotation. Baldelli told reporters Sunday that the plan is still to get Louie into the bullpen, eventually.

“We’ll let him keep pitching right now and make sure he’s lined up and can give us whatever we need from him. You’re one day away, one move away, from having to readjust all of your original plans. Louie is doing fine, My guess is that he’ll be contributing at the big-league level in September for us a good bit.”

Rocco Baldelli (via The Athletic)

In fact, there is a “TBD” in Minnesota’s pitching schedule this week vs the Tampa Bay Rays, and it’ll probably be Varland who gets the call-up for that start, according to Do-Hyoung Park (MLB.com). So as nice as it would be to start the bullpen conversion process with Varland, they can’t… at least not yet.

Many of those call-ups have been made in an effort to beef up a depleted version of what was one of the best starting rotations in baseball last season.

Andrew Morris may be next man up for Minnesota Twins

Top prospects David Festa and Zebby Matthews have made their big league debuts. Simeon Woods Richardson is a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate. Louie Varland has gone back and forth across the river, too.

But according to MLB.com, the Twins have yet another starting arm who could get his turn at in Minnesota’s September (maybe October?) rotation. Andrew Morris is a former 4th round pick out of MLB Pipeline tabs the former fourth round pick as a name to watch.

“It’s almost an art form the way the Twins find pitching talent in later rounds of the Draft, and they’ve already gotten help from David Festa (13th round) and Zebby Matthews (eighth round). Could Morris, a fourth-rounder in 2022, be next? He started the year at High-A and now he’s in Triple-A, leading the organization in ERA (2.16) to go along with a .214 BAA and 1.05 WHIP. The Twins’ staff is deep, but Morris looks ready to assist when called.“

MLB Pipeline on the possibility of an Andrew Morris promotion

Similar to Matthews, Morris would be ascending to the big league level in the same summer he started at High-A. With just two Triple-A starts (9 innings) under his belt, Morris owns a 4.00 ERA, and 1.00 WHIP.

He may need a few more turns to settle in, which seems like a nerves thing. He has already walked 5 batters, just two short of how many he walked earlier this season, at Cedar Rapids. His numbers, prior to landing in St. Paul, are undeniable.

Related: Minnesota Twins Could Still Luck into Pitching Help… if Pohlads Play Ball

Minnesota may not need another rotation arm the rest of the way, but Joe Ryan and Chris Paddack are both uncertain to return. His emergence has been invaluable.

Andrew Morris would unleash Louie Varland

If the Twins feel confident in Morris’ readiness to be the next man up, Louie Varland becomes a much more usable asset. He made a spot start, but then was sent back to Triple-A. Minnesota appears set on keeping Matthews in the rotation. That’s a fine stance, and Varland moving to the bullpen improves the roster as a whole.

Four strikeouts in two scoreless innings for Louie Varland, who is consistently working at 97-100 mph out of the #MNTwins bullpen. pic.twitter.com/wxziEvxf9y

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) September 16, 2023

Varland currently remains in the rotation as a depth piece. He worked out of the bullpen down the stretch last season, and can push triple-digits in that role. Varland has 87 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings at Triple-A this year. Rocco Baldelli’s bullpen has been awful in the second half, and he needs more good arms out there.

Minnesota pairing Varland with Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran as a high-quality reliever would be a huge boost. They aren’t getting Brock Stewart back like they did last year, and Varland has familiarity with this switch. It’s time to get the best talent on the roster, and Morris being next up in the rotation accomplishes that.

Related: Just How Bad is the Minnesota Twins Bullpen Right Now?

The Twins have just over a month left to chase down the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central.