3 free agent pitchers primed for career revivals Twins should target
Few teams like bargain shopping for potential gold like the Twins.
An important offseason lies ahead for the Minnesota Twins, one that will require the front office to get creative in how it crafts a World Series contender.
For the first time in what seems like forever, the Twins can legitimately contend for a title next year. The roster has a mixture of superstar veterans like Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa alongside young talent like Royce Lewis and Edouard Julien. Pitching is also a strength of the Twins, which is not something fans are used to.
Despite ending a 19-year postseason losing streak, the Twins are slashing the payroll this winter by about $20 million.
Even if the Twins had blank checks to spend, the team has a history of trying to find free agent bargains in the form of veterans looking to revive their careers. It hasn't always worked out, but the list of players Minnesota has brought in -- Phil Hughes, Nelson Cruz, Josh Willingham, Kenta Maeda -- hoping they'll tap back into what made them big names in the first place is not a short one.
This winter is a perfect scenario for the Twins to once again go bargain shopping, and there are some intriguing pitchers on the market who fit the formula.
Lucas Giolito, RHP
One name that has popped up pretty consistently over the last year or so is former White Sox ace Lucas Giolito.
It wasn't that long ago that the idea of him jumping ship to Minnesota seemed like wishful thinking, but he's pitched himself into the kind of deep hole that the Twins just love to excavate. Much like Dallas Kuechel, Giolito is a guy who was once one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball but has quite literally lost a bit off his fastball.
His run from 2019-2021 was incredible, as he finished with Cy Young votes in each of those seasons and made an All-Star Game to boot. The stretch since then has been a bit rougher, as Giolito's ERA has ballooned over the last two years and he was a complete disaster for the Angels and Guardians this past year.
A former Cy Young candidate who has been on three teams in two years and would only cost around $11M -- how many more boxes does Giolito need to check before the Twins are obligated to offer him a contract?
Frankie Montas, RHP
If you forgot about Frankie Montas, it's because he barely even made a dent in the 2023 season for the Yankees. He spent most of the season on the IL with a shoulder injury, logging just over an inning of work back in September. That's all he mustered up, but it could create a situation the Twins love to try and exploit.
Find someone who loves you as much as the Twins love former Yankees players who flamed out in the Bronx but could revive their careers in Minnesota. There's a long line of former Yankees players, specifically pitchers, who the Twins have brought in hoping they'll tap back into what made them special. Just this past season Minnesota brought in Joey Gallo, who started strong before falling off so bad that he was left off the postseason rosters.
Sonny Gray is a shining example of what the Twins are trying to accomplish, as he came over from the Yankees -- once removed by way of the Reds -- and is a Cy Young finalist. Montas fits a similar bill, as he's shown with his time in Oakland what he's capable of. He finished sixth in Cy Young voting back in 2021 when he logged over 180 innings for the A's and a 3.37 ERA, and went for over 140 innings the next season.
If the Twins are looking to replace Gray's innings, his former teammate is a pretty decent high-reward option.
Jack Flaherty, RHP
Here's a name that hasn't really been tossed around but makes a ton of sense if the Twins want to take the best possible gamble on a guy looking for a chance to revive his career.
The former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher was traded to the Baltimore Orioles at the deadline but failed to be the type of addition the team hoped he'd be. In his first start, Flaherty was lit up for six runs on his way to finishing the season with a 4.99 ERA and 0.8 bWAR. He tossed over 144 innings, though, which is pretty solid production that the Twins could certainly add with the loss of Gray this winter. Lest we gloss over the fact that he's five seasons removed from being in the running for Rookie of the Year and just four years ago he was getting both Cy Young and MVP votes.
Flaherty is also only 28 years old, and won't turn 30 until after the 2025 season which puts him in a unique subcategory. His market value is around $11 million, which is half of what the Twins would need to pay a much older Gray which could incentivize the team to give him a long-term deal since it would probably only cost around $45 million over three seasons.
It's a perfect storm for both the Twins and Flaherty -- almost too perfect. Signing him to a three-year deal would cost significantly less than bringing back Gray, and Minnesota would be getting a much younger potential ace. From Flahrety's perspective, he'd get a decently sized contract to pitch for a team that will be contending for a World Series and putting him in the best position to earn a big free agent contract just after he turns 30 years old.
Assuming he taps back into the guy he was during his peak with the Cardinals, the Twins would have a top-end starting rotation of Pablo Lopez (27), Joe Ryan (27), and Flaherty (28).
There might not be a more perfect revival candidate for the Twins to consider.
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