It's no secret that the Twins' bullpen was a huge issue for them last season; their 4.74 ERA as a unit ranked 25th in the majors. It did get better down the stretch after the additions of A.J. Minter and Jeff Hoffman at the trade deadline, both of whom proved to be valuable additions. Minter was only a rental, so he's a free agent this offseason, but the Twins still do have one more year of team control on Hoffman.
Yoendrys Gomez was the team's primary closer last season with 21 saves, which was tied for ninth in the American League. However, it does feel unlikely for Gomez to be the team's closer next season, considering how he pitched in the final two months of the season, where he was ultimately removed from the closer role. Andrew Morris was the team's most-used reliever last season despite not even being on the opening day roster. Like Gomez, he had his best pitching performances more towards the middle of the season, blowing a lot of games in high-leverage spots down the stretch.
Circling back to Jeff Hoffman, he's the Twins' clear best reliever going into the offseason. He was one of just six relievers in the league to strike out more than 100 batters last season. Hoffman pitched to a 2.50 ERA in 20 appearances with Minnesota after they acquired him from Toronto at the deadline.
There's no denying that Minnesota's biggest weakness last season was a lack of reliable high-leverage bullpen arms. Hoffman returns to potentially anchor the closer spot, but there really aren't any other proven pieces remaining in the bullpen. The Twins should make upgrading their relief pitching a priority this offseason. These three free agent relievers could help address one of the Twins' biggest needs heading into the 2027 season.
Raisel Iglesias
One of the biggest names on the market this offseason will be former Braves closer Raisel Iglesias. In Atlanta last season, he pitched to a 2.55 ERA, making 59 appearances during the season. The 36-year-old had 34 saves last season, which was the 8th most in baseball; he also only had three blown saves the entire season. The 2027 season will be his 13th season in the majors, with last season being his first time earning an All-Star selection.
He's got a solid four-pitch mix and is mainly a fastball-changeup guy. His changeup was extremely effective for him last season, as he generated 33 of his 64 strikeouts off of it, while limiting opposing hitters to a .200 batting average against on the pitch. There's no doubt that he will be expensive on the free agent market, and the Twins would surely have to shell out more money on him than essentially any other reliever they've ever signed in free agency. However, adding a proven closer like Iglesias could be exactly what Minnesota needs to turn its bullpen around. His experience pitching in high-leverage situations would give the Twins an extremely reliable option in the ninth inning.
Bryan Abreu
Arguably one of the highest upside arms in this offseason's free agent reliever class will be Bryan Abreu. The 29-year-old has some of the best stuff you'll see out of a relief pitcher, but he wasn't really able to put it all together last season with the Astros. In 66 appearances, he pitched to a 3.73 ERA, a solid mark, but not exactly what most teams would expect out of their high-leverage relief arms.
One reason why Abreu was an obvious candidate to include on this list is that the Twins were actually on the verge of acquiring him at the trade deadline last season. They had a deal in place with Houston to acquire him in a one-for-one trade in exchange for Trevor Larnach before Astros owner Jim Crane backed out at the last second. Abreu would go on to pitch his best baseball of the season after the deadline last season, so it looks like it was a good move on the Astros' part.
In terms of strikeout stuff, you're not really gonna find any better options. Abreu has a career 12.1 K/9 in his big league career, and he was in the 91st percentile in strikeout percentage last season. Walks have been a huge issue for him throughout his career, especially last season, as his 15.3 walk rate was amongst the worst in the league. Abreu is probably the Twins' best chance of finding a potentially elite high-leverage reliever on the free agent market without having to break the bank.
Alex Vesia
Alex Vesia has been a staple in the Dodgers bullpen ever since they acquired him from the Marlins ahead of the 2021 season. He's a free agent for the first time in his career after spending his last six seasons in Los Angeles. In those six seasons in Dodger blue, Vesia made a total of 367 appearances, logging 328.0 innings. He pitched to a 2.66 ERA and struck out 438 batters over that frame. The 30-year-old is also coming off one of his best seasons yet, where he had a 2.64 ERA in a career-high 72 appearances. He was outstanding against both righties and lefties as well last season as well.
Righties had just a .536 OPS when facing him, and lefties had an even lower .471 OPS against him. The biggest weakness, and what could be a reason for some concern with Vesia, is that he does walk plenty of batters. His 13.5% walk rate last season puts him in the fourth percentile. However, he makes up for that with some of the best strikeout stuff in the game. His 31.2% strikeout rate was in the 95th percentile.
Vesia is one of the best left-handed relief pitching options available this offseason, and if the Twins are willing to spend a decent amount on a high-leverage relief pitcher this winter, Vesia could be their best option that throws from the left side.
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