The Twins had a great bullpen prior to this year's trade deadline. It included the likes of Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Brock Stewart, and Danny Coulombe. All five of them were shipped out for younger, controllable players. The Twins finished last season with the fifth-worst bullpen ERA in baseball, with a bullpen ERA of 4.60. After trading away their four best high-leverage arms, they had to replace them with Triple-A arms and minor league signings, most of which did not go well.
Now, which relievers from last season could we see remain with the team next season? Kody Funderburk is the most sure answer to this. The lefty was easily the Twins' best reliever after the deadline last season. He had a 3.51 ERA in 39 appearances throughout the entirety of the season. Although in the second half of last year, Funderburk pitched to a 1.93 ERA in 29 appearances. It also feels pretty certain that Cole Sands will be a part of the Opening Day bullpen in 2026. He was the Twins' most used reliever last season, pitching a total of 72 innings out of the bullpen. Safe to say it was still a down year for Sands, though; in 2024, he had a 3.28 ERA with 85 strikeouts, compared to a 4.50 ERA with 64 strikeouts last year.
There are two veterans on the 40-man roster that the Twins could consider keeping. Justin Topa and Michael Tonkin, both of whom pitched in a lot of high-leverage spots after the trade deadline. Topa has a club option for $2 million. This very well could get picked up, as Topa put together a respectable season last year with a 3.90 ERA in 54 appearances. Tonkin is probably less likely to stay around for 2026. He was hurt for the first half of last season, so he only made 21 appearances, pitching to a 4.88 ERA.
The Twins also had three pitchers make their major league debuts after the trade deadline overhaul. This includes 25-year-old Travis Adams, 26-year-old Pierson Ohl, and 27-year-old Cody Laweryson. Adams was the one who got the most work, pitching 33.2 innings, but he struggled mightily, posting a 7.49 ERA. Adams more than likely starts the year in Triple-A. Ohl was better with a similar workload; in 30 innings, Ohl had a 5.10 ERA. The Twins could look at giving Ohl a long-relief role on the Opening Day roster, but I still think it's more than likely he also starts the year in Triple-A. Cody Laweryson didn't get the call until around the last two weeks of the year. He pitched 7.2 innings and allowed just one run. Despite pitching the least of the three, I think Laweryson has the most likely chance of starting the season in the majors. He's got good stuff, a funky delivery, and was also really good in the upper minors last season. There are three other relievers on the Twins' 40-man roster that I haven't previously mentioned; this includes Genesis Cabrera, Thomas Hatch, and Anthony Misiewicz. All three are veterans that the Twins had signed to minor league deals. They will almost certainly be DFA'd this winter.
With all that being said, the Twins will likely be tasked with adding at least four relievers this offseason. They could always go the free agent route; last season, they signed Danny Coulombe, which ended up being a very good signing. The Twins will likely have some money to spend this offseason during free agency, but it's unlikely that they'll go out and blow most of their budget by signing four veteran relievers. The front office will have to get creative and find pieces via the trade route. In my opinion, this is probably the best route. The Twins have a surplus of outfielders and starting pitchers on their current 40-man roster.
Projected Minnesota Twins Opening Day Bullpen:
LHP Kody Funderburk
RHP Kody Laweryson
RHP Cole Sands
RHP Justin Topa
Trade addition
Trade addition
Free Agent signing
Free Agent signing