Minnesota Twins: 5 bold predictions for the second half of the 2019 season
By Chris Schad
The Twins bullpen will look very different by August 1
If there’s one area that fans have been freaking out about during this recent stretch, it has been the performance of the bullpen. Taylor Rogers has become one of the best relievers in baseball, but outside of that arms such as Tyler Duffey, Trevor May and Blake Parker just aren’t going to get it done as the games become more important.
In past years, the Twins have been reluctant to mortgage their future in order to achieve a short-term goal (such as winning the team’s first playoff series since 2002), but this year Minnesota has the depth at the major and minor league levels to make a deal happen.
As the Twins have enjoyed their All-Star break, they have already been linked to several relievers in an effort to shore up their biggest weakness. A package deal with the Toronto Blue Jays with Ken Giles involved has reportedly been discussed and the possibility of landing All-Star closer Will Smith from the San Francisco Giants is also something the Twins could pull off.
Even outside of those two names, the Twins could look elsewhere acquiring San Diego’s Kirby Yates or even going back to San Francisco to get Tony Watson as a bridge to Rogers.
This doesn’t even include former closer Cody Allen, who is looking to refine his form after a disastrous stint with the Los Angeles Angels to start the year. If he can find himself, it would be another addition to the pen that could prove to be an upgrade.
Maybe this is unbridled optimism on my part, but it seems like the Twins are focused on making sure this team is in the best position to succeed. To do that, they’ll have to fix their leaky bullpen.