Whether Chris Paddack's talents would be better suited for the rotation or bullpen is a question many Minnesota Twins fans likely were asking themselves toward the end of spring training as the probability of him cracking the opening day rotation became increasingly more likely. He gave many fans an answer after earning the start and surrendering a staggering nine runs across 3 ⅓ innings before being removed in game one of the series against the Chicago White Sox last Monday at Rate Field.
It’s hard to put too much stock into one start. But with Paddack, it isn't just one bad start. Last season, he posted a 4.99 ERA in 88 ⅓ innings before suffering a season-ending forearm strain in July.
Meanwhile, the Twins have an abundance of young arms in St. Paul that they could slot into the rotation.
Zebby Matthews struggled mightily in limited action in the majors last season but has dominated at the minor league level, and David Festa has proved he can be an effective major league starter at times. Oh yeah, and the Twins’ No. 9 prospect, 23-year-old righty Andrew Morris, might be ready to make the jump to the pros soon, too. The ceiling appears higher than Paddack’s for those three young starters.
Twins moving Chris Paddack to the bullpen makes a ton of sense
So why is Minnesota so set on Paddack being in the rotation with plenty of talented young arms ready to go?
It’s difficult not to speculate if the Twins’ front office and company are sticking with the struggling veteran to deal with the fact that they acquired him for now-All-Star Brent Rooker and effective lefty reliever Taylor Rogers, hoping for a turnaround. But we all know Derek Falvey and the rest of the front office probably prefer to win ball games than to play ego games. So there must be some other reason they are sticking with him.
Paddack has what Matthews and Festa don’t have— several years of major league experience. The Twins are likely hoping they can unlock the side of Paddack that pitched to a 3.33 ERA in 26 starts as a rookie with the San Diego Padres in 2019.
But it doesn’t appear that that side of Paddack will return anytime soon. His 2020 season wasn’t great, posting a 4.73 in the short season, and his ERA was over 5.00 in 2021. He has battled injuries since joining Minnesota in 2022, only starting five games in his first season as a Twin and five innings out of the bullpen in 2023.
However, after those five innings out of the bullpen in the regular season, Paddack put on a show in the postseason, collecting six strikeouts and allowing one hit across 3 ⅔ innings. His fastball averaged 96.6 during the 2023 playoffs, while it’s been at 93.3 as a starter since 2024. It may be in the Twins’ best interest to slot Paddack into the bullpen and see what he can do there.