Twins fans may have been surprised to hear of the front office's recent interest in a handful of frontline starting pitchers via free agency and the trade market. Last night, the unanimous top available free agent starter, Framber Valdez, finally came off the board. To most people's surprise, he agreed to terms with the Detroit Tigers on a three-year deal worth $115 million. The Tigers are now the likely favorite to win the American League Central crown in the eyes of most baseball fans. With the addition of Valdez, Detroit's starting staff is projected to be the second-best in the majors by FanGraphs Depth Charts' projected WAR for the 2026 season.
After the Valdez signing was announced, Twins fans were surprised to hear that the front office reportedly had "genuine" interest and was "involved heavily" in the market for Valdez, according to a report by KSTP's Darren Wolfson. Ultimately, they missed out on the 32-year-old left-hander, but it was yet another rumor that signals that the club is seeking to add to its already solid rotation. Earlier in the offseason, the Twins were also reportedly a late suitor for Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, who was eventually dealt to the Mets. They also reportedly inquired about MacKenzie Gore, who was shipped off to the Rangers quickly after Peralta found himself in New York. The two coveted arms in Gore and Peralta had come up frequently in reported MLB trade talks over the course of the long MLB offseason. Twins fans weren't really aware of the club's interest until both starters were shipped off elsewhere.
3 free agent pitchers Twins can pivot to after missing out on Framber Valdez
RHP Zac Gallen
If the Twins are serious about adding to their starting staff, which already projects to be 11th in the majors next season by FanGraphs projected WAR, there are some established options via the free agent market. The near-unanimous top arm available is former Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen. Gallen is still on the younger side compared to the majority of major league free agents, as he'll be entering his age-30 season. The obvious concern with Gallen is whether he can bounce back from the down year he had in 2025 by his standards. He was still the same workhorse that he's been over his seven-year major league career. Gallen ranked eighth in the game in innings pitched with 192.0, the second-most he's had in a season. At first glance, when taking a look at the numbers, his steep 4.83 ERA jumps off the page. This was the worst ERA of his career and was a giant step back from the 3.47 ERA he had in 2023, when he finished third in Cy Young voting, and the 2.54 ERA he had in 2022, which earned him a fifth-place Cy Young finish. It would be a risky pickup, but a two-time top-five finisher in Cy Young voting that's shown virtually no signs of health concerns in recent seasons is certainly an intriguing option.
RHP Chris Bassitt
Another consistent starter that's still left on the open market is former Athletics, Mets, and Blue Jays hurler Chris Bassitt. He'll be entering his age-37 season, but it's been incredibly impressive to see how consistent a starter Bassitt has been for teams in recent seasons. Since the 2020 season, he ranks 8th amongst all major league starters in innings pitched. Bassitt even ranks ahead of the newest Blue Jays ace, Dylan Cease, who signed a 7-year, $210 million contract this offseason, a big reason for that being his durability. Bassitt showed the same reliability last season as he logged 170.1 innings over 31 starts for Toronto. Bassitt ranked 29th among qualified starters in the majors with a 3.96 ERA this season. Obviously, this isn't a ridiculously good mark, but if he slots in as your number three starter, that's likely going to be an impressive top of the rotation that already features both Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez.
RHP Lucas Giolito
The 31-year-old free agent starter was arguably the best starter on this list last season on a per-inning basis. After missing the entire 2024 season due to undergoing UCL surgery, Giolito put together a sneaky good 2025 season with the Red Sox. He made a total of 26 starts, totaled 145 innings, and finished the season with a 3.41 ERA. This was tied for the second-best mark of his 9-year major league career and his best since the 2019 season. Giolito ended up being just short of reaching the qualified amount of innings (150) to qualify for the ERA title. Had he logged five more innings, he would've had the 18th-best ERA amongst major league starters last season, one spot ahead of Joe Ryan. The longtime Chicago White Sox starter and brief Cleveland Guardians starter also has a lot of experience facing the Twins.
At this point, it's hard to justify the Twins signing another free agent starter not previously listed, as opposed to just rolling the dice with Woods-Richardson, Zebby, Festa, and Abel to supplement the back end of their rotation. When looking at the remaining free agent options, the two future Hall of Famers left on the market, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, both stick out, and both arms would be eye-popping additions initially. The harsh truth is that the Twins aren't in a great spot to shell out $12-$18 million on either the oldest or second-oldest pitcher in the league. Scherzer will be 41 on opening day, and Verlander will be 43. The two generational talents might not have much left in the tank, and the Twins can't afford to miss on what would easily be the biggest contract they hand out this offseason. It's also hard to imagine either Scherzer or Verlander finishing their decorated careers in Minnesota, of all places. If the Twins are to make a rotation addition via the free agent market, you can't argue against adding an innings-eater like Bassitt or Gallen. With a bullpen that's not exactly trustworthy as it currently stands, it will be key for Minnesota to get as many innings as possible out of its starters.