The Minnesota Twins are in need of a left-handed bullpen arm. As of this writing, the Twins still have two left-handed pitchers on the 40-man roster: Kody Funderburk and Brett Headrick. The only transaction the Twins have done for left-handed pitchers is signing journeyman Anthony Misiewicz to a minor-league contract back on January 18th.
As the first game of Spring Training draws near, the Twins have missed out on additional left-handed pitchers. Here are three southpaws that got away.
A.J. Minter
Minter has been with the Atlanta Braves for eight seasons, where he held a 3.28 ERA. When he’s been healthy, Minter has been a solid relief arm. In the last five seasons, Minter has a 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings and allowed a mere 2.85 earned runs per nine innings in his 267 relief appearances with the Braves.
The question, however, is his health. In 2024, Minter experienced discomfort with his left hip, where doctors discovered inflammation in that area. Minter tried to pitch through that inflammation, but his fastball velocity continued to dip. Finally in August, he chose to undergo surgery on his left hip and shut down his regular season.
Minter was a great candidate for a bounce-back year if his left hip was fully healthy. Unfortunately, for the Twins, he went to another team who needed bullpen help. On Thursday, the New York Mets announced that they agreed to a two-year, $22 million dollar contract with the 31-year-old southpaw.
Minter was one of the key Braves relievers on their 2021 World Series team. While he has experienced hip and lower back issues the last couple seasons, Minter can produce when he’s on the mound.
Hoby Milner
After bouncing around with the Phillies, Rays, and Angels, Milner found a solid role in the Milwaukee Brewers’ bullpen starting in 2021. With a unique sidearm delivery, Milner was a great left-handed bullpen arm for the Brewers. From 2021 to 2024, Milner struck out 217 batters in 215.1 innings pitched and held an ERA+ of 115.
Despite matching a career-high 64 strikeouts in a season, Milner’s ERA ballooned to 4.73 ERA and accumulated -0.6 bWAR. It was a complete reversal of Milner’s 2023 season, where he held an impressive 1.82 ERA in 73 games pitched and a career-low 0.964 WHIP.
The Brewers chose to let Milner walk after last season instead of tendering him, where he was in consideration for a $2.7 million dollar contract. That would have been perfect for a team like the Twins. Alas, the Texas Rangers signed Milner to a one-year, guaranteed $2.5 million dollar contract that contains incentives for reaching between 35 and 65 appearances in 2025.
Due to a lackluster 2024 season coming out of the bullpen, Milner was a buy-low candidate, especially for small-market teams such as the Twins. Minnesota could have signed Milner to a similar contract he received in December but instead will have to face him next season.
Tanner Scott
Scott was the best left-handed reliever in the market, and it was understandable why. In 2024, Scott reach his first-career All-Star game and finished with an amazing 4.0 bWAR and a 252 ERA+ in 72 games pitched between the Marlins and the Padres.
Given Scott's estimated average annual value hovering around $20 million dollars, the Twins were major long-shots to land the 2024 All-Star. Ultimately, Scott signed a lucrative four-year, $72 million dollar deal with the Dodgers on Friday. That contract also includes conditional option for 2029 if Scott was dealt with what was termed a “qualifying injury”. Its a smart contract maneuver, given the volatility of bullpen arms in MLB.
Scott signing with the Dodgers was another case of the rich getting richer. While I’m certain the the Twins were not going to get into a bidding war with the Dodgers, it would have been great to at least try not to let the Dodgers get all the shiny toys this offseason. Adding Scott not only would have given the Twins another stellar receiver to pair with Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax, but it would have shown the fanbase that the team is willing to spend bigger money this offseason.