The Twins acquired righty reliever Justin Topa, along with pitchers Anthony DeSclafani and Darren Brown and outfield prospect Gabriel Gonzalez, in exchange for second baseman Jorge Polanco in Jan. 2024. Topa missed almost the entirety of his first season with Minnesota due to left patellar tendinitis, only making three MLB appearances (zero earned runs allowed in 2 1/3 innings) the whole year. 2025 was a different story for Topa, as the former Mariners reliever posted a 3.90 ERA (3.04 FIP) with an 18.3% strikeout rate and 6.7% walk rate in 60 innings for Minnesota.
Not that Topa's 2025 numbers were excellent, but they were solid, and he showed signs of greatness and he possesses a great pitch mix. Not to mention, the Twins traded relievers Jhoan Durán, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Danny Coulombe and Brock Stewart in July, creating a situation where Topa often had to pitch in high-leverage moments, whereas he was more of a low-leverage bullpen arm at the beginning of the season.
With that being said, the Twins have to decide whether or not to keep Topa for next season, as the 34-year-old reliever has a club option worth $2 million for 2026 that includes a $225,000 buyout.
Should the Twins exercise Justin Topa's 2026 club option?
Yes, they should. Although Topa wasn't dominant by any means last year, he still had a solid season, as FanGraphs had him worth $7.4 million while he was paid just $1.25 million. Therefore, if Topa performs just a third as well in 2026 as he did in 2025, he will be more than worth $2 million.
The Twins need to sign or trade for more relievers before next season arrives, and locking in Topa would be a good start. Topa likely won't be the Twins' closer or setup man next season, but his past success suggests he could become a backend bullpen arm for Minnesota. Fans can expect to see relievers Cole Sands and Kody Funderburk on Minnesota's opening day roster as well, and some starters in the minor leagues will likely convert to a bullpen role.
We will soon learn if the Twins plan to return Topa, as options must be exercised within five days of the conclusion of the World Series.