Michael Tonkin was a 30th-round draft pick by the Twins in 2008, and he made his major league debut with them in 2013.
Now he's back again with the Twins for his third stint, after starting 2024 with the Mets briefly before returning to Minnesota, bouncing around in New York between the Mets and Yankees, and eventually ending up back at Target Field before all was said and done.
Tonkin had a couple of good flashes in 2024 in his age-34 season, but also had some lows on the season as well. Overall numbers were respectable, with a 3.63 ERA and 85 Ks in 79.1 innings pitched between the Twins, Yankees and Mets, recording two saves.
The big thing to watch in 2025 with Tonkin is consistency.
He will likely be a low-leverage arm, closer to the bottom of the bullpen hierarchy than the top. He has decent numbers over the past two seasons, throwing 159.1 innings with 160 strikeouts and a 3.95 ERA. While with the Yankees, he seemed to find something different and in his second stint in Minnesota last season, he pitched better than his first.
His most recent stint with the Twins in 2024 was the best he has looked in a Twins uniform.
He pitched in 12 games, throwing 14.1 innings with 17 strikeouts and gave up 16 hits. One valuable thing about Tonkin compared to other relievers is that he can pitch multiple innings when called upon in different situations, which is always helpful, especially when a starter may throw fewer innings than planned.
By multiple projection systems, Tonkin is projected to be a league-average reliever. A league-average reliever as a low-leverage option is a pretty solid role but not extremely spectacular. Tonkin is in line to be one of the last arms out of the bullpen, so it will be interesting to see how those chips may fall.
One way he could be bumped out is if they hold onto Rule-5 pick Eiberson Castellano and/or move Louis Varland, who previously worked as a starter, to a full-time bullpen role.
When looking at what to expect out of Tonkin, he may last on the 40-man all year, but don't be surprised if a roster squeeze occurs and another team makes a waiver claim on him.
If he pitches well, they will find ways to keep him around, so that's the best outcome for Tonkin and the Twins. Something similar to 2024 may happen and he could end up back in Minnesota before the end of the year, depending on performance and other factors throughout the season.
Tonkin is an interesting piece, but don't expect him to take away high-leverage spots from the likes of Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, and others who are higher than him in the bullpen hierarchy at this time.
Tonkin provides solid depth to a Twins bullpen that is projected to be one of the best in baseball. It appears Tonkin will get a chance to be part of that solid bullpen the front office has put together.