Fast forward to the smoldering mess that was a 70-92 season with a since-fired manager, and starting pitching was a significant part of the problem. Sure, more than one key arm missed time, but 16 different players took the ball to open a game.

It remains to be seen which of them will have a pathway to playing time next season, but there are at least two holdover starters that may be watching the hourglass run out.

Getting late early for Bailey Ober and Simeon Woods Richardson

To say that Bailey Ober was bad in 2025 would be putting it lightly. He was historically horrific in June, and his 14 home runs allowed during that stretch aided into the final 5.10 ERA. On the flip side, Simeon Woods Richardson and his 4.04 ERA looked competent on paper, but the stuff tells a different story again. The Star Tribune’s Bobby Nightengale considered the outlook for both in 2026.

One of the Twins’ biggest disappointments. A hip injury messed with his mechanics, and he saw his velocity dip all year. He had a 5.10 ERA in 27 starts, giving up 30 runs in 30 innings during a hide-your-eyes June. Twins officials are confident he’ll rebound. There’s no other real choice than to give him another long leash in the rotation.

Bobby Nightengale (Star Tribune) – On Ober

Demoted to the minor leagues in mid-May after an ugly start to the season, the young righthander had a 3.54 ERA over his final 15 starts. He started throwing his splitter more in September, and he looked near unhittable. He will be out of minor league options. It’s sink-or-swim time, but his September should keep him in the rotation to start the year.

Bobby Nightengale (Star Tribune) – On Woods Richardson

No one is praying that Ober rebounds more than the Twins front office. They believed he was in line for a Joe Ryan-like trajectory, and right now you’d have to trade him for peanuts. His 90.2 mph average fastball velocity was a problem dating back to spring training, and even with his extension, he simply doesn’t work throwing that soft.

Ober is projected to get near $5 million in arbitration this offseason. That’s a modest amount even for an average pitcher. It’s not worth handing out if he pitches himself out of the rotation though.

On the flip side, Woods Richardson earned a leash because of his 2.33 ERA in September. That was fueled by splitter usage, and the change was necessary due to velocity concerns. He has pushed things forward from the 90 mph slop he had two seasons ago, but he doesn’t miss enough bats even at 93.2 mph.

Like Ober, Woods Richardson is going to make the 2026 Minnesota Twins roster. How long they last will depend on how quickly they can establish the best versions of themselves. A 50th percentile or worse is not an actual major league asset.

Rotation gets crowded for Minnesota Twins

There are two paths forward for the MN Twins in 2026 and neither of them are particularly heartwarming. Either the arms that should be approaching big league quality aren’t ready or don’t have a place. If that’s not going to be the case, then one or both of Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez will have been traded.

If Lopez and Ryan remain, then the rotation gets filled out with Ober, Woods Richardson, and Zebby Matthews. That puts both Taj Bradley and Mick Abel back at Triple-A, with David Festa, Andrew Morris, Kendry Rojas, and Connor Prielipp stuck there as well.

Taj Bradley continues the concerning trend of Twins’ deadline acquisitions that just aren’t missing bats pic.twitter.com/JTFRWudroX

— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) August 24, 2025

Yes, having that level of depth is a good thing, but we just saw how little it can be counted on. If the Twins are going to go young and cheap, then a host of those arms start at the big league level and immediately need to make it work.

Of note, Matthews has a pitch mix that could probably thrive in relief. It doesn’t matter after the coaching turnover, but a source suggested he generated the most belief from the last staff in a future as a starter among the young arms.

What the Twins rotation looks like in April should be fascinating to say the least.

Over the weekend the Twins promoted a pair of trade acquisitions to assume spots in the starting rotation. Neither Taj Bradley or Mick Abel fared well, but both made their Minnesota debuts.

On Wednesday, the “TBD” starter for Rocco Baldelli will turn into Simeon Woods Richardson.

Simeon Woods Richardson back for Minnesota Twins

Out since July 28, the Minnesota Twins welcome back Simeon Woods Richard to make a start against the Toronto Blue Jays. He made a pair of rehab starts at Triple-A for the St. Paul Saints and worked a total of 5 1/3 innings.

Pierson Ohl has been optioned to make room for Simeon Woods Richardson, who will start tonight’s game for the #MNTwins.

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) August 27, 2025

After a 34-pitch first outing, Woods Richardson was pushed to 64 pitches in his last outing against Round Rock. The Twins will get their young starter back on an additional day of rest as well, with Wednesday being the sixth day since he last toed the rubber.

How the rotation will be handled is interesting. Right now their are six starters on the roster, but Hayes says that Baldelli won’t operate with a six man rotation. There are certainly piggyback candidates, so that’s a possibility.

The option of Pierson Ohl is also somewhat curious. Of course the Twins don’t like to lose players for nothing, but there were options here. Brooks Kriske has allowed 10 runs in eight innings with a 9/5 K/BB. Genesis Cabrera has surrendered five runs (four earned) with a 3/4 K/BB in 4 2/3 innings. Sending either packing may be addition by subtraction.

Can Simeon Woods Richardson keep it rolling for MN Twins?

Across 80 2/3 innings this year, Woods Richardson owns a 4.24 ERA with a 4.72 FIP. He has 69 strikeouts and 35 walks. The right-hander was demoted in May with a 5.02 ERA. In nine games (43 innings) since his return, Woods Richardson owns a 3.56 ERA (4.21 FIP). His 34/21 K/BB is problematic, but he’s worked around the potential danger.

Simeon Woods Richardson's 6th and 7th Ks.

Thru 4. pic.twitter.com/ayBbru9Nic

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 26, 2025

Last season Woods Richardson was an unsung hero at the back-end of the rotation. While unspectacular, he was a steadying presence among the group. He’ll have ample runway to substantiate his rotation spot going into 2026 with five-or-so more turns before the calendar runs out.

The Twins wrap up a three-game set against Toronto on Wednesday night before returning home against the San Diego Padres on Thursday.

As for the Twins pitching, it’s in shambles. After trading away every worthwhile pitcher in their bullpen, before the deadline, no lead is safe right now. Minnesota’s new look, no-name bullpen blew leads in two of the Twins’ three losses against Detroit last week.

Unfortunately, the starting rotation hasn’t been much better. With a shotty defense behind him, even Joe Ryan struggled Tuesday, in the All-Star’s most recent outing, where he allowed 5 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and only stayed in the game for four innings.

Pablo Lopez, Simeon Woods Richardson ready to begin rehab assignments

But thankfully, some recently rumored pitching reinforcements officially began their way back to the Minnesota Twins’ starting rotation. According to multiple reports, both Pablo Lopez and Simeon Woods Richardson will make rehab appearances on Thursday for the St. Paul Saints.

Allen Roden is set to have season-ending thumb surgery.

Pablo López and Simeon Woods Richardson are both pitching at Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday night.#MNTwins

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) August 20, 2025

Related: Historic Girls Baseball Team a Success Story Thanks to MN Twins

Since the trade deadline on July 31, Minnesota Twins pitchers have been better than advertised, producing a 3.93 ERA and 4.60 FIP. Manager Rocco Baldelli has been working out walking between the dugout and mound more than any other time in his seven-year Twins tenure.

He’s deploying full-time and part-time starters, while trying to find a rhythm for the bullpen. But really, the season started going wrong for MN Twins pitchers after Pablo Lopez went down with his Teres Major strain on June 3.

Prior to that start, Lopez — now 29 years old — had pitched 55.2 innings to the tune of a 2.75 ERA and 2.99 FIP, to go with about 10 K/9 innings for the 2025 Twins.

What does 11 Pablo Lopez strikeouts look like? pic.twitter.com/dt3sumvjTk

— Ted (@tlschwerz) May 7, 2025

Minnesota Twins rotation will look much better with Lopez and SWR

At that time, the staff was thriving as a whole. While Pablo was healthy (March 27 to June 2), Minnesota sat near the top of the league in ERA (3.33), FIP (3.50) and held a nearly 4/1 K/BB ratio (524/144). Since his injury, the staff’s numbers have fallen through the floor — 4.47 ERA, 4.05 FIP.

Unlike Pablo Lopez, Simeon Woods Richardson had a difficult start to his 2025 season. From his first start on April 1 to the last one before he was demoted on May 14, SWR’s ERA ballooned to 5.02, which was better than his 5.29 FIP.

Related: Pohlads Avoided Sale of MN Twins to Have New Investors Pay Off Debt

The 24-year-old righty returned to the Minnesota Twins rotation on June 10, shortly after Lopez’ injury, looking like a different dude. In his last 9 starts, prior to hitting the injured list with a intestinal parasite, he produced a much more acceptable 3.56 ERA and 4.21 FIP (43 IP).

If he and Lopez can both return to form for the remainder of the season, while it won’t push the Twins back into the AL playoff picture, it should at least return their starting rotation to its above average status.

Losing three-fifths of your starting rotation, and then trading Chris Paddack, leaves Rocco Baldelli in quite a predicament. Someone still has to take the ball to start the game.

We knew what was wrong with Lopez and Festa immediately. That isn’t the case with Woods Richardson.

Illness turns nightmarish for Simeon Woods Richardson

On August 4th the Minnesota Twins placed Simeon Woods Richardson on the injured list. They gave no designation on the original announcement, and the transaction log simply listed “illness.”

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/Af4Fi4cQVi

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 4, 2025

The move was retroactive to August 1st, but Woods Richardson last pitched for the team on July 28th. He worked 4 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on seven hits. It was a pretty standard outing for what we have come to expect this season.

Related: Minnesota Twins Veteran Undergoes Serious Emergency Surgery

What followed has not been. Not only does no designation do a lacking amount of justice to the situation, but “illness” doesn’t begin to describe it either. No, Woods Richardson is not in WITSEC despite a lack of updates for more than two weeks. Instead he underwent surgery for a stomach parasite and lost a bunch of weight.

Buried into an article about first round pick Marek Houston, Phil Miller revealed the actual malady.

Simeon Woods Richardson’s “stomach issue” that wound up landing him on the 15-day injured list was a parasite, the righthander said Friday, perhaps introduced into his body by a seafood meal. He underwent a procedure to remove the organism from his digestive tract earlier this week, and said he feels fine now. Baldelli said Woods Richardson, who lost weight while battling the illness, will likely need some time on a rehab assignment to regain his strength before rejoining the rotation.

Star Tribune

That’s a pretty aggressive outcome to eating something from the water. Minnesota was home against the Boston Red Sox for Woods Richardson’s last start. They then went on a road trip to Cleveland and Detroit. Neither is located by an ideal body of water for seafood, so presumably something could have happened at a second-rate establishment.

When can SWR rejoin the MN Twins?

Despite not pitching since the 28th of July, Woods Richardson’s 15-day injured list assignment won’t end until August 15th. It’s unlikely he returns when first eligible though. The lack of throwing and weight loss almost certainly means he’ll need a turn or two with the St. Paul Saints.

An update provided by “X” (formerly Twitter) user @TCJ_612 suggests that Woods Richardson is working behind the scenes on a return.

My son is Twins camp and they were at TF today. SWR was working out in center field and throwing in the bullpen.

— TC (@TJC_612) August 14, 2025

There are just a couple of weeks left in August. Woods Richardson is probably more likely looking at a September return. He could factor into the plans for Baldelli alongside acquired arms like Taj Bradley and Mick Abel.

Related: Potential MN Twins Buyers SHOCKED by Pohlad Announcement

When he does get back to the mound, he’ll work on his 4.24 ERA (4.71 FIP) across 80 2/3 innings. After a tough start to the season, and a demotion, Woods Richardson owns a 2.58 ERA (4.31 FIP) across his last 12 games (11 starts 38 1/3 innings).

He played just seven games before being hit on the forearm with a pitch. On April 25 he fractured the bone and has been out since. Now ready to rejoin the team, things have changed immensely.

The team went through a 13-game winning streak and then were unstable towards the trade deadline. They completed and unexplainable selloff and the final stretch is all about the future. Thankfully Keaschall is still part of that.

Minnesota Twins ready Luke Keaschall for return

After making the trip to Detroit following another series loss against the Cleveland Guardians, the Minnesota Twins had a new player in the clubhouse. They needed to add a boatload of minor leaguers following the trade deadline selloff, but Keaschall is a top tier option.

#MNTwins will activate Luke Keaschall off the IL on Tuesday. Also adding pitcher Thomas Hatch.

DaShawn Keirsey and Noah Davis optioned to Triple A to make space.

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) August 5, 2025

Keaschall has been considered a top 100 prospect as he has ascended the ranks for the Minnesota Twins. He elevated himself to major league status this season, and looked like he belonged in the short time he was there.

Across just seven games with Minnesota, Keaschall went 7-for-19 with three doubles and five walks. He struck out just twice. Keaschall also set a Major League Baseball record with five consecutive successful stolen bases to start his career.

It would be unlikely to think he’ll return from an extended absence and be an immediate boost to the Twins lineup. However, Edouard Julien made a boneheaded play not running out a triple on Sunday, and his playing time has been diminished in multiple recent seasons.

Related: One Minnesota Twins Pitcher Devastated by Trade

Rocco Baldelli will give Keaschall all he can handle down the stretch. The infielder finished his 14-game rehab assignment with St. Paul going 13-for-49 with a double, triple, and 6/8 K/BB with seven stolen bases.

Despite appearing in 67 games for Minnesota, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. has just 85 plate appearances and only nine hits. Noah Davis, who blew Travis Adams’ first start on Monday night, is headed to Triple-A as well.

Simeon Woods Richardson out for MN Twins too

Keaschall is not the only change to the Minnesota Twins roster. Of course when you trade nearly 40% of it, that’s going to be the case. Starting pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson is now headed to the injured list as well.

Simeon Woods Richardson, who was pushed back from his scheduled start Sunday, was placed on the 15-day IL with an illness. He was battling a stomach issue, Rocco Baldelli said.

Darren McCaughan was called up from AAA.

— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) August 4, 2025

It has been rocky at points for the Twins, but Simeon Woods Richardson owns a 4.24 ERA (4.71 FIP) across 17 outings (16 starts). He has thrown 80 2/3 innings with a 69/35 K/BB. Woods Richardson had two ugly starts in June, but he posted a 3.22 ERA (5.66 FIP) in five July starts.

There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors to his production, but the Twins need him to be a steadying presence with so much youth in the rotation. Now on the shelf, Darren McCaughan comes up to take his place.

Related: Minnesota Twins Claim Yet Another Pitcher

McCaughan pitched earlier this season for Minnesota and generated a 1.69 ERA (1.42 FIP) across 5 1/3 innings in three games. He’s not a starter but did operate as one in 10-of-17 appearances for Triple-A St. Paul this year.

With the Saints McCaughan owns a 5.35 ERA and 66/25 K/BB across 72 1/3 innings. He’ll give Baldelli yet another option to simply put on the mound in hopes of generating outs.

Unfortunately Rocco Baldelli lost both Pablo Lopez and Zebby Matthews as starting options. Both could potentially be traced to adverse field conditions in Sacramento against the Athletics.

Rookie Travis Adams, promoted Friday, had his big league debut looming. A game opportunity never presented itself though, and he’ll have to accomplish that another time. Simeon Woods Richardson now must fill a hole that the Twins weren’t certain he could just weeks ago.

Pitching changes address Minnesota Twins injuries

When the Minnesota Twins placed Zebby Matthews on the injured list over the weekend they new the starting rotation was going to need another answer. They have made a move that paves the way for that to play out on Tuesday.

The Twins have optioned RHP Travis Adams to St. Paul.

His roster spot will likely be taken by Simeon Woods Richardson, who will start tomorrow night.

— Ted (@tlschwerz) June 9, 2025

Adams was optioned following Sunday’s 6-3 win against the Blue Jays. Adams was active for three days. That earned him just north of $12,000 which is a nice come-up for a minor leaguer making something like $50,000 at Triple-A. Unfortunately it didn’t coincide with a major league debut. Adams never appeared in a game.

With Adams optioned back to St. Paul the open roster spot will likely go to Simeon Woods Richardson, who should be expected to start on Tuesday against the Texas Rangers. As of Monday, the Minnesota Twins list their Tuesday starter as TBD. Woods Richardson was scheduled to start on Sunday for St. Paul but did not make that appearance.

Woods Richardson has made eight appearances (seven starts) for the MN Twins this season. He’ll return to a 5.02 ERA (5.24 FIP) with 35 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings. It’s a step backwards from the 4.17 ERA (4.12 FIP) that he posted last season in28 starts for Minnesota.

Simeon Woods Richardson's 6th and 7th Ks.

Thru 4. pic.twitter.com/ayBbru9Nic

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 26, 2025

After the demotion to Triple-A, Woods Richardson responded with a pair of six inning starts in which he allowed just three runs on nine hits while owning a 13/2 K/BB. His last time out was not good though as he gave up five runs on six hits, including three home runs, in just five innings.

The Twins absolutely need the steadying back-of-the-rotation presence that Woods Richardson represented last season. No one expects him to pitch at a Cy Young level, but with 40% of the current starting rotation on the injured list, Baldelli needs an arm he can rely on and one that won’t tax the bullpen.

Related: Minnesota Twins Blame A’s Ballpark for Injuring Star Players

Woods Richardson jumped his velocity nearly three mph to 93.1 the past two seasons and he’s been a better pitcher because of it. This is an opportunity to substantiate himself amongst a strong group of Twins starting depth.

What’s next for the MN Twins depth?

If Travis Adams never pitches in the big leagues he’ll have a career-arc more sad than Moonlight Graham. The odds of that aren’t good though, he’ll be back. Adams probably remains the top depth option for the bullpen, and with multiple young starters, length could be needed sooner rather than later.

We reckon Travis is happy to be in the Majors! pic.twitter.com/KzcdrYVw1V

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) June 6, 2025

Beyond Adams, the Minnesota Twins 40 man roster is getting tested again. The pitching options are down to just Kody Funderburk (recently optioned) and Marco Raya. Raya is a former top 100 prospect, but has a 10.46 ERA in 10 starts at Triple-A. He’s just 22, but it’s been ugly.

Non 40-man options are intriguing. Andrew Morris is a starter that could possess a Woods Richardson-like ceiling. Cory Lewis has also previously drawn excitement, but he’s currently hurt and had a 9.42 ERA across 28 2/3 innings. The ever-present Randy Dobnak remains as well.

For the bullpen Minnesota could turn to a veteran like Richard Lovelady. He has over 100 big league innings under his belt and pitched for the Blue Jays in 2025. Signed as a minor league free agent, Lovelady has a 1.47 ERA in 18 1/3 innings at St. Paul.

Related: Minnesota Twins Rotation Takes Another Hit

If the Twins want to get aggressive and go with the highest ceiling option, prospect Connor Prielipp enters the picture. He has thrown 31 2/3 innings at Double-A after an early-career of injuries. There is still high-level starting upside, but he could be an impact arm out of the bullpen right now. Prielipp has a 40/6 K/BB.

It’s beyond unfortunate the Twins are dealing with this many injuries all at once. Their rotation and bullpen have both been great though. If that’s going to continue, it will be be because they weather the storm.

Now above .500 for the first time all season and in the midst of a ten game winning streak, however, the Twins have decided to make the first major change to their rotation, outside of a quick injured list stint by Pablo Lopez earlier in the year.

Simeon Woods Richardson demoted by MN Twins

Minnesota knocked off the Baltimore Orioles in both games of their doubleheader on Wednesday, the Minnesota Twins optioned their late-game starter, Simeon Woods Richardson, down to Triple A St. Paul, after forced his offense to make up for the 6 earned runs off 8 hits (2 HR) and 2 walks, in just 4 innings of work.

Kody Funderburk, who was called up as Minnesota’s emergency 27th man for yesterday’s doubleheader, will now remain on the Twins 26-man roster. The 28-year-old worked 1 1/3 innings scoreless of scoreless work during Wednesday’s doubleheader.

We have made the following roster move: pic.twitter.com/NV43lQMkBC

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) May 15, 2025

Funderburk provides Baldelli a second lefty, pairing with Danny Coulombe, out in the bullpen. He has made three big league appearances this season and has thrown 5 1/3 innings. At Triple-A St. Paul Funderburk has appeared in 10 games with a 2.19 ERA across 12 1/3 innings. He has a 16/5 K/BB on the farm.

Related: 45-Year-Old Former Minnesota Twins Pitcher Signs With New AL Central Team

Minnesota would love Funderburk to put together a season that he has looked capable of from St. Paul. He allowed just a single run in 12 innings as a rookie back in 2023. Last season’s 6.49 ERA (4.55 FIP) across 34 2/3 innings wasn’t good. That’s also not reflective of what he has shown capable of.

What’s wrong with Simeon Woods Richardson?

Unfortunately for Woods Richardson, this week’s start was just the latest in a line of less-than-efficient outings for the young 24-year-old right-hander, ballooning his ERA up to 5.02 and FIP to 5.28.

Cedric Mullins got him for a grand slam, and Heston Kjerstad immediately followed with a solo shot. It was the culmination of a tough outing, and the 24-year-old goes back to St. Paul owning a 5.02 ERA for the Twins.

In his last five starts, Woods Richardson has pitched into the fifth inning just once. Although yesterday was the first time he had allowed more than four runs during a start, his last five turns have resulted in a 5.48 ERA (6.15 FIP). Opposing batters own an .871 OPS against him in that stretch as well.

The Entertainer has left the building!! pic.twitter.com/MWEY3208Ol

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) May 14, 2025

The reality is that Woods Richardson’s best outings haven’t been good enough to avoid making a change. Not when the Minnesota Twins have potential horses like David Festa and Zebby Matthews chomping at the bit, in St. Paul.

Last season, SWR owned a 4.17 ERA (4.12 FIP), which might have been the very best he has to offer, at this point in his career, especially considering he was able to thread the ERA needle while posting a 1.540 WHIP. That’s way too many men on base, no matter how many he was allowing to come in.

New starter coming for Minnesota Twins

The stay for Funderburk may be brief as Minnesota will need to replace Woods Richardson in the starting rotation, by the time his next start comes around. Star Tribune beat writer Bobby Nightengale is reporting that Zebby Matthews will be promoted and make the start on Sunday in Milwaukee.

“Zebby Matthews, who has posted a 1.93 ERA in seven starts for the St. Paul Saints, is expected to fill Woods Richardson’s slot in the rotation, the Minnesota Star Tribune learned. The Twins haven’t announced their starter for Sunday at Milwaukee.”

Bobby Nightengale – Star Tribune

Zebby Matthews, who’s been dealing for the Saints, has certainly earned this opportunity. Zebby currently owns a 1.93 ERA in seven Triple-A starts. His 38/9 K/BB follows the command and control profile he has become known for down on the farm.

Matthews has not yet appeared in the majors this season. Last year he posted a 6.69 ERA (5.71 FIP) across nine starts as a rookie. His 43/11 K/BB in 37 2/3 innings absolutely worked. It was the 11 longballs that did him in. Matthews’ 4th and 9th starts accounted for 15 of his 28 total earned runs.

David Festa, who hasn’t pitched since May 6th, was skipped during his last turn due to arm fatigue. He previously filled in for Pablo Lopez earlier this year. Festa is scheduled to start on Saturday for St. Paul.

Related: Origin of Minnesota Twins Spartan Helmet Celebration Revealed

The demotion isn’t a death sentence for Woods Richardson, by any means. Now, his job is to go down, and get better, then fight his way back, which won’t be easy, given the high-end talent that Matthews represents.

The rest of the Twins rotation could be pretty good as well. While some may be sleeping on the quality of the group as a whole, Minnesota’s depth should be a strength. If there is a question mark, it’s the pitchers that come after Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober.

If there is someone to worry about, it’s probably the injury prone Chris Paddack. Paddack had Tommy-John surgery in 2022 to repair a torn UCL. He returned last year, but was then diagnosed with a forearm strain which caused him to miss the rest of the season. Behind him, Simeon Woods Richardson could represent the greatest uncertainty of possible outcomes.

Simeon Woods Richardson may be Minnesota Twins pitching star

After pitching just a single game at the big league level each of the previous two seasons, Simeon Woods Richardson arrived in 2024. The Minnesota Twins rotation needed him, and he put together a stellar rookie campaign with 28 starts, 133 2/3 innings, and a 4.17 ERA.

His numbers didn’t jump off the page, but it was more than a solid starting point. The guy that was once considered the secondary part of a Jose Berrios trade, now could be so much more. The Athletic’s Keith Law saw Woods Richardson this spring, and he sees an immense level of upside to SWR.

“Minnesota Twins right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson made a huge adjustment to his arm slot in the 2023-24 offseason with the help of the Twins’ player development staff, taking him from an also-ran on the outside of the Twins’ rotation plans to a 2-WAR season as their fourth starter.

Although I didn’t see a changeup from him (I was moving back and forth between two fields), and that pitch might be the key to whether he can break out to a greater degree this year. His changeup was his only “bad” pitch by results last year, worth a whopping minus-16 runs by Statcast, wiping out 80 percent of the value of his other three pitches combined…If he gets that changeup closer to the zone often enough to get hitters to go after it, he could be the Twins’ second-best starter rather than their fourth-best.”

The Athletic

Last season, Woods Richardson dropped the usage of his fastball to a career-low 40%, but he upped the velocity to a career-best 93.1 mph. His changeup, while not an asset, was something he used 19.3% of the time. It’s possible that that the Minnesota Twins will have him use the pitch more often if he hones it in just a little.

Woods Richardson had a 20.6% strikeout rate with a whiff rate just under 10%. There’s room for his production to grow if he can push the 27.7% chase rate up into the thirties. That’s where Law is talking about the changeup being a weapon, and another pitch adding to his arsenal.

Simeon Woods Richardson, K'ing the Side in the 1st. pic.twitter.com/giTCJvcvFW

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 6, 2024

Twins Rotation with new Simeon Woods-Richardson

Joe Ryan finished with a 3.1 fWAR in 2024 while Bailey Ober posted a 2.9 mark. If Minnesota gets something in that vicinity from Woods Richardson, they should expect to have one of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball.

When the Minnesota Twins acquired Woods Richardson he was a top 100 prospect, but a vastly different pitcher. His development and growth highlights how progression is not always linear. He will pitch this season at just 24 years old, and it should be expected that there is still ample amount of room for him to trend upwards.

Related: Former MLB GM Sleeping on MN Twins Starting Rotation

The Twins have done a great job in recent seasons when it comes to pitcher development. 2024 was evident of that when it comes to Woods Richardson. If that’s just the beginning of his story at the highest level though, then as Law suggests, things get very exciting.

This season Rocco Baldelli’s starting rotation is expected to look a lot like it did in 2024. That means there are limited spots out of the gate, and there will be multiple youngsters vying for their slot in the back of a rotation that already has Lopez (Opening Day starter), Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Chris Paddack already written into the first for slots.

David Festa may be the Minnesota Twins next starting gem

One of those youngsters trying to land that fifth and final spot in the Minnesota Twins rotation is 24-year-old David Festa, who was one of those young starters who was relied upon last year when Ryan went down with injuries and other starters underwhelmed. In 2025, ESPN analyst Alden Gonzalez expects even more from Festa.

“[Festa] has the stuff and poise of a front-line starter, and the Twins believe he’s due for a big step forward in 2025, which, given their situation, is fitting. The Twins navigated through a typically conservative offseason this winter. Their biggest strides will be internal. It’ll come down to Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis being healthy, and their young(ish) starting pitchers emerging behind Pablo López. Festa is the one to watch here.”

Alden Gonzalez on David Festa (ESPN)

As Gonzalez mentions Festa — 54 1/3 IP | 3.81 ERA | 69 SO | 22 BB — took his lumps out of the gate. 12 earned runs through his first 10 big league frames was hardly ideal. Over his final 12 outings (11 starts), he allowed more than three earned runs just once. In nine of those outings Festa departed having given up two or less runs, including five shutout innings with nine strikeouts against the Chicago Cubs.

The Twins did send Festa back to St. Paul after his first two outings in the big leagues, but it might have been a quick mental check more than anything. He made one two-inning appearance in the minors before he was back with the Twins just 21 days after being optioned.

Who else is competing for that final Minnesota Twins rotation spot?

There’s a reason why Festa showed up on multiple top 100 prospect lists prior to last season. He may not have the ceiling of a number one starter, but he’s every bit as talented as a Joe Ryan or Bailey Ober type.

David Festa, Dirty 90mph Changeup. 👌

9th K thru 5. pic.twitter.com/yt5RSNdMxG

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 6, 2024

Last season with the Twins Festa averaged mid-90’s on his fastball while evening out the mix by utilizing his slider and an excellent changeup. His 32.1% chase rate will certainly play, and the 12.8% whiff rate can work at the big league level too.

Minnesota danced around the idea of adding another top-tier arm in Dylan Cease, but the staff appears status quo entering spring training. That will make it difficult for David Festa — who will have to beat out both Simeon Woods Richardson and Zebby Matthews out for that final rotation spot.

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But even if he doesn’t make the rotation out of camp, Festa is sure to be one of the first plucked from St. Paul if/when injuries hit the pitching staff. Given the uncertainty surrounding Chris Paddack and the slew of injuries dealt to the rotation last summer, Festa is likely to get another MLB opportunity soon.

Festa possesses a higher upside than Woods Richardson, so he has that going for him. But no doubt Woods Richardson provided more consistency as a rookie, when the Minnesota Twins desperately needed some.

A Festa breakout bolsters the Twins

The strength of the pitching staff starts at the top. ESPN’s David Schoenfield is predicting a bounce back year for Pablo Lopez. The Twins will need better than a 4.08 ERA from their ace. He must allow less than the 26 home runs he surrendered a year ago.

We have seen Ryan (3.60 ERA in 2024) and Ober (3.98 ERA in 2024) remain relatively consistent the past couple of seasons. If Minnesota could turn Festa into a arm with the same or more production, then the back-end worries for the rotation decrease exponentially.

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Festa has seen solid growth across all of his professional seasons. Home runs got him for the first time (1.3 HR/9 at AAA/MLB) and that’s an area he can work to continue limiting damage. It wouldn’t be a shock at all to see Minnesota generate another good arm from a late-round selection.

The Twins will largely look the same from a roster standpoint in 2025. Rocco Baldelli will have different digits to work with when filling out his lineup card, though.

New numbers for multiple Minnesota Twins

We’re less than a month from pitchers and catchers reporting to Fort Myers for Spring Training. When the Minnesota Twins take the field, a couple of players will have new numbers. Six players will be changing the digits on their jersey.

New (jersey) number, who dis? pic.twitter.com/Ii8ptLTkdQ

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) January 15, 2025

It’s not new that rookies are assigned uniform numbers based on availability. Only Simeon Woods Richardson, of this group, wore his for more than one season. With appearances in both 2022 and 2023, 78 followed him for quite a bit.

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Helman takes Nick Gordon’s number, and the hope is that he can be more productive than the former #1. Tsuyoshi Nishioka is probably the most infamous wearer of #1 in Twins franchise history, and we all know how that went.

Brooks Lee wearing #2 reminds me of this legend pic.twitter.com/tzaOqSvTma

— Ryan Linderholm (@LinderholmRyan) January 15, 2025

No one wore number two last year, but Lee will don it in 2025. There have been some very good second baseman in recent franchise history to use that digit. Both Luis Arraez and Brian Dozier come to mind, and its cool to see Lee now have it.

Both Martin and Keirsey Jr. leave their 80’s behind. Martin takes over 16, which was worn by newly hired Twins front office employee Ehire Adrianza. 21, which is Keirsey Jr.’s new number, has been worn by players such as Delmon Young, Eric Milton, and even Pat Mahomes.

There have been a bunch of players to wear 24 for just a single season. Woods Richardson should have it for longer than that. Maybe you can even repurpose an old Trevor Larnach uniform.

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The last member of the group, Jair Camargo, opted to stay with a high number. He will rock 77, which has only previously been used by four players in franchise history.