The Minnesota Twins made a puzzling decision when they allowed Matt Bowman to opt out of his minor league contract on May 16. The right-hander was having a strong year at Triple-A St. Paul, but the Twins weren’t willing to call him up to help their struggling bullpen. With that, Bowman used his clause in search of a better opportunity but he may have landed in the same spot with the Toronto Blue Jays.
According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Bowman agreed to a minor league contract with Toronto and will report to Triple-A Buffalo once things are finalized. While the Blue Jays could use some depth among their relievers, it may be a disappointing result for Bowman, who once again has found obstacles in his path back to the major leagues.
Matt Bowman back where he started after signing minor league deal with Blue Jays
When you look at Bowman’s traditional numbers, it’s natural to wonder why the Twins weren’t willing to give him a chance. Bowman, who will turn 35 on Sunday, posted a 1.69 ERA, a 55% groundball rate and strong strikeout (28.1%) and walk (6.7%) rates in 21.1 innings for the Saints this season but there were some underlying issues that kept him in the minors.
MLB Trade Rumors’s Anthony Franco pointed out that Bowman had just a 7.1% swinging strike rate and his arsenal isn’t what teams are looking for out of their bullpen with a low-90s sinker complemented by a cutter, slider and splitter.
Bowman’s most recent appearance in the majors didn’t go well either as he posted a 6.20 ERA in 24.2 innings with the Baltimore Orioles last season. While he limited walks to a 5.3 percent clip, he also had low chase (27.6%), whiff (17.4%) and strikeout (15.8%) rates while watching his groundball rate drop to 35.2% per Baseball Savant.
With most front offices embracing analytics, it could be a reason why the right-hander had to accept another minor league deal. It’s also telling that the Twins pitching staff has performed well since Bowman chose to opt out, ranking fifth in the majors with a 2.77 ERA dating back to May 16.
It’s part of the reason why Bowman’s foray into free agency didn’t have the desired result of a major league spot. It’s also why this is the second time he’s opted out of a deal with the Twins, initially doing so when he didn’t make the team out of Spring Training.
That’s made an interesting run for the former Twins reliever and another challenge to see if he can get back to the majors after signing with Toronto.
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