The Toronto Blue Jays have released former Minnesota Twins right-handed reliever Justin Topa from his minor-league deal, according to his transaction log. Topa had been pitching for Triple-A Buffalo after signing a contract with Toronto in late May.
The Twins released Topa, whom Minnesota acquired from the Seattle Mariners as part of the Jorge Polanco trade in the 2023-24 offseason, on May 23, four days after designating him for assignment.
After making just three appearances in 2024 due to left patellar tendinitis, Topa had an inconsistent but overall solid 2025 season, posting a 3.90 ERA and 3.04 FIP with an 18.3% strikeout rate and 6.7% walk rate over 60 innings. The Twins counted on Topa much more than before after trading nearly their entire bullpen, including Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Louis Varland, as part of last summer's fire sale. Entering the 2026 season, Topa was one of Minnesota's more experienced and promising relievers.
Unfortunately, Topa, 35, posted an abysmal 8.05 ERA and 6.46 FIP with a 13.0% strikeout rate, 12.0% walk rate and .338 opponent batting average across 19 innings this season before being cut by the Twins. His sinker velocity was notably down with Minnesota, dropping from an average of 95.2 mph in 2023 to 93.2 mph in 2026.
Topa had decent results with Triple-A Buffalo, posting a 3.38 ERA in eight innings across eight appearances. However, he had a poor 5.31 FIP, 13.0% strikeout rate, 12.0% walk rate and .338 opponent batting average.
Twins are unlikely to reunite with Justin Topa
The Twins certainly could use bullpen help, as Minnesota's relievers entered Sunday ranked 29th in ERA. However, it's unlikely Minnesota will reunite with the right-hander, since the team released him earlier this season. But if Topa is willing to rejoin the organization on a minor-league deal, it wouldn't be a terrible move for the Twins to sign the right-hander to play for the Saints.
If Minnesota were to bring Topa back, the right-hander would have a tough time returning to the big-league squad since he wouldn't initially be on the 40-man roster. The Twins may need plenty of relief pitching help, but Topa likely isn't an answer to the team's bullpen woes.
Minnesota recently attempted to improve its bullpen by acquiring right-hander Woo-Suk Go from the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations (per The Athletic's Dan Hayes), making a reunion with Topa even more unlikely. Go will join the Twins' roster on Tuesday even though he has yet to make his MLB debut. The right-hander has posted a strong 1.96 ERA over 41 1/3 innings with a 34.0% strikeout rate and 8.2% walk rate between Double-A and Triple-A this season.
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