Minnesota Twins: Ranking the Top 35 Free Agent Relievers Available

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 35 relievers for the Minnesota Twins to go after in Free Agency.

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:

• Catcher
• First Base
• Shortstop
• Outfield
• Starting Pitcher

We’ll finish up today’s list with what could be the team’s biggest need: the bullpen. While Kyle Farmer shouldn’t be the only shortstop they bring in, they at least have a player who is capable enough to start until Royce Lewis returns. The relief corps is in dire need of a major upgrade.

The team has some talent. Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, and Caleb Thielbar were excellent in 2022. Bounce-back years from Jorge Lopez and Jorge Alcala are very likely. Jovani Moran looked very impressive. The team needs eight relievers though, and right now, they have one for-sure stud, five (probably) good relievers, and the rest are major question marks.

Emilio Pagan and Trevor Megill were awful despite great stuff. Cole Sands, Josh Winder and Ronny Henriquez showed promise, but all three are far from sure things, which isn’t ideal as long far as long relief options go. The team needs some help, especially if they (correctly) want to use Duran as a key leverage reliever instead of traditional closer. Let’s go over some of their options.

Minnesota Twins Top Free Agent Relief Pitchers: No. 35-No. 22

• No. 35: Steve Cishek
• No. 34: Jimmy Nelson
• No. 33: Wily Peralta
• No. 32: Luke Weaver
• No. 31: Archie Bradley
• No. 30: Justin Wilson
• No. 29: Zack Britton
• No. 28: Matt Wisler
• No. 27: David Price
• No. 26: Mychal Givens
• No. 25: Scott Alexander
• No. 24: Tommy Kahnle
• No. 23: Trevor May
• No. 22: Pierce Johnson

The first seven names on this list all fall into the same category: non-roster signings with invites to big league Spring Training. Each of these players has been good in the past, but either was hurt, had a bad year in 2022 or just simply looked average. There’s no guarantee that they’d be a major upgrade over the players the team has now, but they’re worth a look.

Former Twin Matt Wisler was solid statistically again last year, but remains a low-leverage candidate as his analytic numbers simply aren’t good. David Price and Mychal Givens are both solid veterans with lots of experience, but neither is a difference maker. With that being said, both would be useful options in low-leverage situations and would represent an upgrade.

Scott Alexander, Tommy Kahnle, and Pierce Johnson all represent players who could be excellent set-up men, but all three went through a very injury-filled season. They each would be great options, but only if they were signed at a decent price (Johnson especially).

The last player on this list is another former Minnesota Twins player, one who it would be fun to see back here: Trevor May. Though he struggled with injuries in 2022, his velocity is still there and would be worth a gamble.

Minnesota Twins Top Free Agent Relief Pitchers: No. 21-No. 7

• No. 21: Luke Jackson
• No. 20: Ken Giles
• No. 19: David Robertson
• No. 18: Matt Strahm
• No. 17: Michael Fulmer
• No. 16: David Phelps
• No. 15: Brad Boxberger
• No. 14: Brad Hand
• No. 13: Will Smith
• No. 12: Seth Lugo
• No. 11: Matt Moore
• No. 10: Corey Knebel
• No. 9: Adam Ottavino
• No. 8: Chad Green
• No. 7: Chris Martin

Luke Jackson and Ken Giles are two of my favorite names that I would love to see the Twins go after. After both spent much (or all) of 2022 hurt, both could be in for bounce-back years as excellent set-up men. We’ve seen both be truly elite before, and it’s possible they can return to that mark.

David Robertson, David Phelps, and Brad Boxberger are three vets who shouldn’t be trusted as eighth or ninth inning shutdown men, but all three continue to produce well and had very solid numbers last season. They’re good relievers who will give you great numbers in the sixth and seventh innings, something that the Minnesota Twins are looking for.

Brad Hand is basically a better version of those three. The Minnesota native had a stellar year last season, and while he’s no longer the All-Star closer he used to be, he would be fun and extremely reliable addition to the bullpen.

Matt Strahm and Twins trade deadline acquisition Michael Fulmer are in the same boat as well, with both pitchers producing well last year, but neither looking truly incredible. They are younger (and likely more expensive) versions of Robertson, Phelps, and Boxberger.

Will Smith is a two-time World Series champion who turned it on after his trade to Houston. He’s not the All-Star he used to be, but he looked pretty close to that level down the stretch. Seth Lugo and Matt Moore have turned themselves into very reliable relievers after struggling a bit as starters, but both could be extremely solid relievers in 2023.

Corey Knebel took a step back slightly last year, but he’s still a very good middle relief option and would be a big upgrade on this team, while Adam Ottavino and Chris Martin are aging arms who looked excellent last season. If either can put together repeat performances in a Minnesota Twins uniform, the team’s bullpen would be a strength.

The last name to cover on this list is Chad Green. Green, who battled injuries in 2022, has been one of the Yankees best relievers over the last five years, posting a 2.96 ERA (3.01 FIP), 11.8 K/9 rate, 2.2 BB/9 rate, and an impressive 0.970 WHIP. He’s likely to miss nearly all of 2023, but at 31, he’s worth signing to a three year deal to lock up for 2024 and 2025.