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Minnesota Twins: Ranking the Top 25 Free Agent Starters Available

By Otto Johnson |
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Carlos Rodon delivers against the Chicago Cubs. (Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports)
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Carlos Rodon delivers against the Chicago Cubs. (Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports)
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The Minnesota Twins are facing a tough challenge ahead of the 2023 season. After the 2022 season went awry, fans are angry, and the roster has some pretty major holes. In order to fix things, the team needs to spend, and after seeing nine players entering the free agent pool, there’s lots of money to work with.

In addition to some potential trade moves (the Twins have a lot of decent talent in the high minors), the Twins could use help everywhere other than second, whether that be another catcher to pair with Ryan Jeffers, a shortstop, a true first baseman, any of the outfield spots (Buck needs a backup), or more pitching.

We rank the Top 25 starting pitchers for the Minnesota Twins to go after in Free Agency.

With all of those needs in mind and free agency about to begin, it’s time to break down the different players that they can spend money on. We’ll go position by position, talk strengths and weaknesses, whether the Twins would be interested, and if there’s a real chance.

For each list, we’ll be breaking down the positions into three groups: decent players who would be disappointments, good players who would fill the need, and top notch players that fans would be thrilled to get.

We’ve gone over all of the offensive positions of need:

Now, we’re moving into the pitching side. The Twins rotation has four good starters for 2023 in Sonny Gray, Tyler Mahle, Joe Ryan, and Kenta Maeda, while Bailey Ober has been tremendous when healthy. Josh Winder, Louie Varland, Simeon Woods Richardson, and later Chris Paddack offer plenty of depth.

The team has plenty of pitching, but after a year where the depth of the organization fell apart, the team could very well be looking to add a starter, specifically one that can be placed atop the rotation. There’s a lot of starters on the market though, so we’ll jump into the list.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zach Davies delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants. (D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports)
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zach Davies delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants. (D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports) /

Minnesota Twins Top Free Agent Starting Pitchers: No. 25-No. 15

  • No. 25: Mike Minor
  • No. 24: Jordan Lyles
  • No. 23: Drew Smyly
  • No. 22: Kyle Gibson
  • No. 21: Michael Lorenzen
  • No. 20: Wade Miley
  • No. 19: Michael Wacha
  • No. 18: Corey Kluber
  • No. 17: Johnny Cueto
  • No. 16: Zack Greinke
  • No. 15: Jose Quintana

The first ten starters on this list can best be described as depth starters, ones who definitely aren’t better than Tyler Mahle, Sonny Gray, and Joe Ryan while also not being better than a completely healthy Kenta Maeda and Bailey Ober.

They’re decent fourth/fifth starters for another MLB team, but they would be depth starters in Minnesota who wouldn’t play without injury, eating up innings from young players like Josh Winder, Louie Varland, and Simeon Woods Richardson. These are the type of pitchers that belong on a roster, just not on this team’s roster.

Mike Minor, Jordan Lyles, and old friend Kyle Gibson are all in the same boat as three older veterans who have performed well in the past but had tough years in 2022. None of them should be under any consideration unless they come on an MiLB deal.

Drew Smyly, Michael Lorenzen, Wade Miley, and Michael Wacha were all solid last year, but they aren’t anywhere near as good how well Ober played in 2022. Unless the team is moving to a six-man rotation to start the year, these veterans would be better served elsewhere.

Corey Kluber, Zack Greinke, Johnny Cueto, and Jose Quintana are all former superstars nearing the end of their careers who played fine last year, but each player can’t be trusted as well as much as they used to be. All four just don’t serve a purpose on the team going forward.

San Diego Padres pitcher Mike Clevinger throws in the first inning of game one of the NLDS. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
San Diego Padres pitcher Mike Clevinger throws in the first inning of game one of the NLDS. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports) /

Minnesota Twins Top Free Agent Starting Pitchers: No. 14-No. 3

  • No. 14: Zach Davies
  • No. 13: Zach Eflin
  • No. 12: Ross Stripling
  • No. 11: Noah Syndergaard
  • No. 10: Sean Manaea
  • No. 9: Taijuan Walker
  • No. 8: Jameson Taillon
  • No. 7: Mike Clevinger
  • No. 6: Andrew Heaney

Zach Davies and Zach Eflin fit into a slightly different category. Both are under 30, have a history of solid success, and while unspectacular, are exactly the type of pitchers you want to add to the back of your rotation for a couple of years. Neither are great, but with Gray, Maeda, and Mahle’s contracts set to expire after 2023, the team could add either to a cheap multi-year deal.

Ross Stripling is in a very unique situation. Last season with the Toronto Blue Jays, Stripling was simply excellent, looking a lot more like the pitcher from 2016-2019 (with a 2018 All-Star bid). Stripling also worked a bit as a long reliever, which might make him a great fit in Minnesota. If he comes here as the sixth starter/long reliever, he could be very valuable when injuries occur.

Taijuan Walker is in a similar position to Eflin, as he’s freshly 30 but has a long history of success. If the team wanted to offer him a good deal with a couple of years and a little more money involved, they could have a pitcher with a 3.69 ERA (4.13 FIP) and 8.1 K/9 ratio over the past six years.

Sean Manaea and Mike Clevinger would have been considered two of the top pitchers available in 2019, but after a brutal 2022, both pitchers aren’t seen as top options. If the Minnesota Twins can sign either option to a multi-year deal for cheap, that’s a good option with a solid floor and rotation changing potential.

Jameson Taillon and Noah Syndergaard are both pitchers who had solid seasons in 2022, but with each overcoming a long history of injuries, it doesn’t make sense to add either to a rotation that desperately needs stability and reliability in 2023.

The last pitcher outside of the top options is Andrew Heaney. Heaney was stellar last season, posting some of the best numbers in the MLB with analytics that back it up. With that being said, he’s never posted a season even a quarter as good as 2022. He falls to sixth because no one is sure how good he will be next season.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies. (Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)
Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies. (Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports) /

Minnesota Twins Top Free Agent Starting Pitchers: No. 5-No. 1

  • No. 5: Nathan Eovaldi
  • No. 4: Chris Bassitt
  • No. 3: Carlos Rodon
  • No. 2: Justin Verlander
  • No. 1: Jacob deGrom

Nathan Eovaldi and Chris Bassitt are two of the best options on the market. Both have very good stuff and pitched very well 2022, and while neither would take the title of ace from Sonny Gray, both would serve as clear No. 2 options and pitch really well in Minnesota. Outside of them? Three bona fide aces.

Carlos Rodon was a player the Twins desperately wanted ahead of 2022, but he opted for sunny San Francisco with a little more cash on what amounted to a one year prove it deal. After a truly dominant season where he finished sixth in Cy Young voting, he’ll get a mega deal that the Twins might not be able to match.

Long a tormenter of Twins territory, Justin Verlander proved that even at 39, he’s still a dominant starter, winning his third Cy Young, finishing tenth in MVP voting, and helping the Astros win another title. If the Twins were to offer a monstrous two year deal, there might be a chance for Verlander to spend his twilight years in the Twin Cities.

The clear top pitcher on the market is Jacob deGrom. deGrom has been dinged up a lot over the past two years, but that hasn’t stopped him from posting what amounts to some of the best numbers in the MLB. Regardless of length, deGrom’s deal will end up being in a major city (deGrom’s preference) with one of the highest annual values ever, so I don’t see him landing here.

If the Minnesota Twins can find a way to land one of these Top 5 starters (or maybe another with ace upside. like Clevinger), they have to do it and solidify the rotation. Otherwise, spend big on the bullpen and lineup, trust the depth you have now, and don’t waste a roster spot on an arm that won’t elevate the team.

Next. Grading the Kyle Farmer-Casey Legumina Trade. dark

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