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.

Josh Staumont had fans in Minnesota Twins clubhouse

Given their positioning within the division and across baseball, it made sense for the Minnesota Twins to be buyers at the trade deadline. Unfortunately, ownership wasn’t willing to spend any money.

Trevor Richards was the lone acquisition, and his addition represents a participation trophy at best. Falvey paired that move with DFA’ing Josh Staumont, which also didn’t sit well with some, according to local insider Darren “Doogie” Wolfson (SKOR North, KSTP).

“To only end up with Trevor Richards, who had an ERA of 16.00 in July. There’s some people upset about the Josh Staumont move. Ok, maybe he wasn’t great his last few outings, but really is Richards that much of an upgrade over Josh Staumont? Probably enough, but I get it if you want to offer some resistance on that.”

Darren Wolfson on reactions to bullpen moves

The Twins signed Staumont to a major league deal this offseason just above the league minimum. He was coming back from Thoracic Outlet Surgery. It took a bit for him to ramp up, and he didn’t make the Opening Day roster. Staumont was DFA’d with a 3.70 ERA and a 3.53 FIP.

Through his first 19 outings, a period of 19 2/3 innings, he didn’t allow an earned run. The largest knock was an 18/14 K/BB, meaning the reliever was constantly dancing around traffic.

Related: Minnesota Twins Players Mostly Admit They Wanted Help at Trade Deadline

Does Trevor Richards do enough for Minnesota Twins bullpen?

Minnesota needed left-handed pitching help in the bullpen. Caleb Thielbar has struggled as has Steven Okert. Kody Funderburk is hurt. Trevor Richards is not left-handed but he has reverse splits and has allowed just a .506 OPS to lefties this season.

Richards has seen his strikeout numbers tumble from a 13.0 K/9 last season to just an 8.4 K/9 this year. Of course the Twins are hoping to turn that tide as well.

The #BlueJays just lost on this wild pitch from Trevor Richards, a walk-off loss to waste a career-high 13 strikeouts from Yusei Kikuchi.

Wow. pic.twitter.com/ozOs6i9kGa

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) July 10, 2024

Rocco Baldelli didn’t get another starter for his rotation. The bullpen addition wouldn’t be considered a big boost either. As the Twins opted to shuffle some deck chairs in the Staumont move, it remains to be seen if the outcome is a net gain. Minnesota is still looking to chase down the Cleveland Guardians, and they will look to keep the Kansas City Royals at bay in the process.

Related: Breaking: Minnesota Twins Trade for RHP Trevor Richards

Trevor Richards heads to Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins became the absolute last team to make a deal prior to the 2024 trade deadline. While Derek Falvey sought both starting and relief pitching help, Trevor Richard was what he was able to afford. With the Pohlad family stifling any opportunity to add payroll, Minnesota’s front office was largely hamstrung. Minnesota was in on Yusei Kikuchi, but wisely avoided the Houston Astros overpay. Any other targets would have been more difficult due to self imposed payroll constraints.

🚨 TRADE ALERT 🚨

The #Twins are acquiring RHP Trevor Richards from the #BlueJays
pic.twitter.com/JXNyfMOTro

— Gage O'Leary 🇺🇲 (@Gage_Sports_54) July 30, 2024

Related: Insider Says Minnesota Twins Have No Money at Trade Deadline

Trevor Richards is an impending free agent and a 31-year-old right-handed reliever. Making just $2.15 million in 2024, his cheap contract is something that fits into Minnesota’s blueprint. Richards owns a 4.64 ERA with a 4.40 FIP. If that sounds like a rather underwhelming addition, it’s because it is.

Richards was a decent reliever back in 2021 while pitching for the Brewers, Blue Jays, and Rays. He has struggled to show much of an upside since. In exchange for Richards, the Twins dealt minor league infield prospect Jay Harry. Harry was a sixth round pick in 2023 out of Penn St. He has a .655 OPS at High-A Cedar Rapids in 82 games this season as a 21-year-old.