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.