Steven Okert leaves Minnesota Twins with southpaw uncertainty

It took until the 128th game of the year, but the Minnesota Twins finally jettisoned Steven Okert. He was acquired this offseason in exchange for Nick Gordon. The Miami Marlins took a chance on a player the Twins didn’t have room for, and both assets didn’t last the season.

#NNTwins purchasing the contract of Scott Blewett. LHP Steven Okert has been DFA’d.

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) August 24, 2024

Okert appeared in 44 games for Minnesota and posted an awful 5.09 ERA. His 5.12 FIP was worse, and his strikeout rate declined substantially. Although Okert was capable of getting left-handed hitters out, he simply had no answer for righties.

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

The Twins watched Okert surrender four runs on four hits against the San Diego Padres earlier this week. The outing generated the single-worst WPA (win probability added) from any Minnesota pitcher this season. Rocco Baldelli’s only remaining left-handed arm is Caleb Thielbar.

Minnesota Twins bullpen a far cry from Opening Day

When the Twins went to Kansas City for Opening Day, they did so without star closer Jhoan Duran. He was dealing with an oblique issue and the group looked different. Okert, Jay Jackson, and Daniel Duarte were the only members acquired during the offseason. Now all three are off the roster, and two have been sent packing from the organization.

That one went very ProFAR 😉 pic.twitter.com/OTnQ8snrgJ

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 21, 2024

The only remaining active members from Minnesota’s Opening Day bullpen include Griffin Jax, Jorge Alcala, and Cole Sands. The former has been arguably the Twins best reliever. Since Minnesota opted against legitimately participating at the trade deadline, Trevor Richards represents the only reinforcement for the group. He has walked 10 batters in 11 innings while leading baseball in wild pitches.

It has been Derek Falvey’s typical plan of attack to avoid spending on bullpen pieces. Addison Reed is really the only situation in which there was a splurge, and that went sideways. This year though, Minnesota didn’t come up on any of their scrap heap pickups, and it has led to a revolving door.

Related: Jhoan Duran is (Mostly) Back to Being Himself

Baldelli won’t get Brock Stewart back for the final stretch, and Scott Blewett is returning for middle relief work. It’s probably time to put Louie Varland in the bullpen, but the group is definitely searching for answers.

How bad is it for the Minnesota Twins bullpen?

Bad is relatively subjective, but not good is pretty straightforward. Since the All-Star Break the Minnesota Twins bullpen owns the third-worst ERA in baseball. That’s a problem, and it’s one that could certainly sink them as they look to make noise down the stretch.

2nd Half Bullpen ERAs:
2.17 CHC
2.22 TB
2.72 CLE
2.84 LAA
2.89 SD
2.90 MIL
2.92 HOU
3.25 OAK
3.39 SF
3.44 NYM
3.47 ARI
3.56 DET
3.73 PIT
3.86 MIA
4.02 CIN
4.11 LAD
4.24 ATL STL
4.33 WSH
4.53 NYY
4.56 TEX
4.68 KC
4.74 COL
4.99 TOR
5.02 SEA
5.31 BAL
5.34 PHI
5.35 MIN
5.77 CWS
6.69…

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) August 21, 2024

Prior to the trade deadline the Twins had an opportunity to add talent in both the rotation and bullpen. Effectively they were told neither was feasible by ownership. Trevor Richards was acquired for the bullpen. A right-handed reliever with reverse splits and mediocre peripherals is all that Baldelli was given.

Related: Jhoan Duran is (Mostly) Back to Being Himself

Now, as the Twins look to piece things together in front of Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran, it’s a dice roll many nights.

Rocco Baldelli blasted by Minnesota Twins bullpen

As their series against the San Diego Padres comes to an end, Rocco Baldelli has made a couple of poor pitching moves. Jorge Alcala, who has otherwise been among the Twins best relief arms, got shelled for five runs in his last outing against the Texas Rangers. Rather than trust him again in a spot that made sense, the Twins skipper went with Steven Okert in a high-leverage situation. It did not go well.

Jorge Alcala (-68.6%) had the #MNTwins worst single-game Win Probability Added total of the season for all of two days.

Steven Okert just knocked him off the top (or bottom?) spot by decreasing the Twins' chances of winning by 72.1%.https://t.co/vmCWtTzzti

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) August 21, 2024

There is some needle-threading taking place for Baldelli. Outside of his two high-leverage arms (Jax/Duran), he has just Alcala and Cole Sands he can trust. No substantial relief help came at the deadline. Caleb Thielbar has been better of late, but has not had a good year. Okert, Ronny Henriquez, and Trevor Richards will all cause the manager to be without fingernails in short order.

Josh Winder was great in his most recent recall. Louie Varland could be an option in the pen if Minnesota wants to roll the dice on their starters. No matter what, the group needs some serious help. Hector Neris is currently a free agent, and move arms could be coming prior to the end of August.

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

The Twins are a very good baseball team. A lack of self awareness can’t be what sinks them down the stretch.

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Then, later in the day, the Twins agreed to trade Gordon to the Miami Marlins for left-handed relief pitcher Steven Okert. While he’s pitched for parts of six seasons in Miami, Okert is still a relatively unknown player. Let’s dive into what this trade means for the Twins, including why Gordon was viewed as expendable.

Nick Gordon Swap for Steven Okert Strengthens Twins Bullpen

On the surface, the Minnesota Twins are losing one of their most versatile players in Nick Gordon. He played all over the infield and outfield, but he also didn’t have an obvious role heading into 2024 with the Twins.

With several other younger players seeking playing time both in the infield and outfield, Gordon’s future in Minnesota was cloudy at best. In Miami, Gordon figures to receive a lot more at-bats, and he’ll also reunite with former fan favorite Luis Arraez.

As for the Twins? Steven Okert is a 32-year-old lefty reliever who will immediately grab a role in the team’s bullpen.

• Steven Okert’s MLB career stats: 194.1 IP, 3.70 ERA, 220 SO, 80 BB, 27 HR, 116 ERA+, 1.173 WHIP

Okert’s coming off a season where he had the best strikeout and walk rates of his MLB career. However, his home runs allowed rate did increase, so he’s far from a perfect player.

Now Okert joins Caleb Thielbar and Kody Funderburk as the other two left-handed relievers in the Twins’ bullpen, giving them more flexibility throughout the season. At a salary of $1.1 million, with three more years of team control, Okert should fit in nicely with his new team.