Minnesota Twins: Winter Meetings are over, what’s next for the Twins?
Bullpen help
After the Twins signed Rodney, some fans assumed that was the last move the team would make. While that’s possible, the team has been involved in other discussions that could still bear fruit.
Raisel Iglesias
The righty reliever for the Reds is reportedly in fairly high demand, and while the Twins were considered to be involved at one time, the demands from the Reds in trade are currently such that all teams have backed away. There is considerable reported interest from the Twins, so it would not be surprising to hear rumors of Twins involvement if the Reds decide to come down in their price.
Matt Belisle
The Twins have had conversations with Belisle about a return after Belisle finished the season as the Minnesota Twins closer. He would likely be on a one-year deal for fairly cheap if he was brought back.
Brad Hand
The Twins have talked with the Padres about Hand, a Minnesota native and likely the best reliever on the trade market, but the price for him at this time appears to be fairly significant.
Alex Colome
Some discussion has come out that if the Twins were to target Odorizzi, it could be in a paired deal with Colome, which would likely cost as much as Archer alone, but would give the Twins a quality starter along with an elite bullpen arm as well. Colome led the American League in saves in 2017 as the Rays closer.
Justin Wilson
Wilson is familiar to the Twins as a member of the Tigers bullpen, and he had a tremendous season in 2017 for Detroit, but once he was traded to the Chicago Cubs, he struggled down the stretch with the team, leaving his role for 2018 with the North siders in question.
Tony Watson
The Twins had early interest in Watson, but there has been little news on that interest as the market has developed, but there has been little news on Watson in general from any team, which is interesting given his premium record of pitching over the last five seasons from the left-hand side. Watson is also a local guy, hailing from Iowa.
Kelvin Herrera
As mentioned previously, the Royals indicated that they will be rebuilding, and one piece that they will be shopping heavily this offseason will be their former closer Herrera. Herrera lost the closing job in 2017 due to inconsistencies, but he recovered well and threw well in the middle innings after his demotion and would provide a power arm that can tough triple digits if the trade price was right.
Brad Brach, Zach Britton, Darren O’Day
With the Orioles selecting three Rule 5 draftees in the major league portion on Thursday, including two that definitely profile as relievers and a third that likely fits a relief profile best in 2018, they could be looking to fill their bullpen with Rule 5 guys while trading off their relievers expected to make significant money.
O’Day is probably the one who would be most expensive relative to on-field value ($18 million owed between 2018-2019), while Britton and Brach are both free agents after 2018, so there’s some risk in each option, but they would all be quality bullpen arms in 2018.