Minnesota Twins: Ranking the Top 25 Free Agent Starters Available

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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.

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