With little more than a month remaining before Opening Day the Minnesota Twins roster is taking shape. However, with holes to fill on the pitching staff the front office has stayed active.
According to MLB Trade Rumors the Minnesota Twins are still showing interest in right-handed reliever Chris Tillman. The Twins need help in the rotation and Tillman has a proven track record over his career.
Tillman has a career 4.46 ERA while winning 57% of the games he has pitched. He has topped 200 innings pitched twice in his career, but his innings have declined over the last three seasons. However, he is only 29 years old and there is still plenty of life left in his arm.
What signing Tillman will mean for Minnesota
Tillman posted a 39.5 GB% last season for the Baltimore Orioles which is right about his career average. His 6.1 K/9 last season is nothing special, but Tillman is effective when he has a solid defense behind him.
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The Minnesota Twins play some of the best defense in all of baseball. Tillman would benefit tremendously from coming to the Twin Cities, and his numbers would prove it. He will give up his share of home runs, but Tillman is still a reliable middle of the rotation piece.
The problem is, he has been less than reliable over the last few seasons and Minnesota doesn’t need more inconsistent pitchers. The Twins need help and if Tillman can rediscover even half of his former success it will be worth it for Minnesota to sign him.
The injuries to three of the Minnesota Twins starting pitchers leaves a major void in the rotation. Tillman can help in the meantime, while keeping the Twins younger pitchers in the Minors for more seasoning.
With a superior defense behind him, there is no reason to believe Tillman can’t recapture his former magic. He was a true top of the rotation starting pitcher not long ago, and is still young enough to make an impact in Major League Baseball.
Next: The answer for the Twins rotation woes
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