3 pitchers who can replace Anthony DeSclafani as Twins fifth starter
With Anthony DeSclafani potentially out for the season, who will step up and replace him?
When the Minnesota Twins traded for Anthony DeSclafani as part of the Jorge Polanco deal, the caveat was that he'd be a great addition if he could stay healthy.
Less than a month into his tenure, he's already coming up short.
DeSclafani has been held back during Spring Training by a forearm issue that now appears to be more serious than initially thought. The Twins announced that he'd begin the season on the IL and was seeking a second opinion from a doctor -- which is never good and always a precursor to something terrible.
The fear is that DeSclafani's season is already over, which means the Twins are right back at square one in terms of figuring out who will be the team's fifth starter when the season starts next week.
Even if a worst case scenario is avoided, it's clear that a replacement will need to be found for the first few starts of the season. The Twins didn't attach a timeline for DeSclafani's return, but the fact that he's seeking further evaluation doesn't seem promising. Luckily, Minnesota has a few options that it can weigh before it locks in a final decision.
3 pitchers who can replace Anthony DeSclafani as Twins fifth starter
Louie Varland
The frontrunner to replace DeSclafani is Louie Varland, who came to camp with an outside shot of outright winning the fifth starter role. Trading for DeSclafani gave him an inside track, but Varland isn't some default replacement option getting placed into the rotation.
We saw a little bit of Varland the last two seasons, as he posted a 4.63 ERA in 68 innings in 2023 while working both as a starter and out of the bullpen. He didn't catch on like Bailey Ober did, but the Twins still stuck with Varland to the point where he was on both the AL Wild Card and ALDS roster in the postseason.
in september, louie varland returned to the #mntwins and threw absolute gas out of the pen
— parker hageman (@HagemanParker) January 26, 2024
here’s more on what happened and what his role should be next year
➡️ https://t.co/41TsgMvVQt pic.twitter.com/pDT8FI4pjh
Varland built on his progress this spring, posting a dominating 0.640 WHIP while striking out 11 batters and allowing zero runs on six hits across 11 innings. While he saw some bullpen work last year, Varland started three of the four games he appeared in this spring, which suggests he's taken some serious steps forward in proving he has what it takes to fit into the rotation on Opening Day.
That seems to be where he's headed, but the question is how long will be able to hold the role? If he can continue the sort of success he's had in Fort Myers, it could be that DeSclafani finds himself out of a starting role if he ends up coming back this season. There are high hopes for Varland's future in Minnesota, one that might be arriving a little earlier than scheduled.
David Festa
Another internal candidate is David Festa, who is Minnesota's top pitching prospect heading into the season. We didn't see a ton from him during Spring Training, but he was on the mound to start the team's Spring Breakout Game and showed the sort of stability that could soon bring him to the majors.
Festa's fastball sat in the 94-96 mph range, something that was on display during the Spring Breakout appearance. He pitched under two innings of work, giving up a run on a walk and two hits, but his stuff looked really solid. That velocity showed itself too, as he had a pitch hit 97 MPH in the first inning.
Back in 2022 David Festa went 9-4 with a 2.43 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 103 2/3 innings and turned things up even more the following season. Between the end of July and beginning of September, Festa posted a 2.40 ERA and a 35 percent strikeout rate across 30 innings of work, which is something that boosted his stock as a top prospect in the Twins' system this year.
The question is whether or not he's shown enough to leap Varland, which doesn't seem to be the case. Rather, Festa could be what Varland was last season where he's the next guy up from the minors if things get shaky at the back of the rotation. It seems Varland has earned a shot to fill that fifth starter role, but if he struggles -- or more bad injury strikes the Twins -- it might be that we see Festa make his debut and begin making the impact it seems he's capable of.
Michael Lorenzen
Reading the tea leaves -- and comments made by the guys who sign everyone's checks -- it would seem that the Twins will look internally to replace DeSclafani. Varland and Festa are solid options, as are fringe candidates like Simeon Woods Richardson and Brent Headrick, but it's not impossible that the team takes one last look at free agency to see what's out there.
Blake Snell, who was always a pipe dream, is no longer available. Jordan Montgomery is the top remaining starter on the market but it's unlikely the Twins spend top dollar when it can simply look internally for a much cheaper solution. That'll be the catch when it comes to free agent help as Minnesota won't want to break the bank if it signs outside help.
Michael Lorenzen might fit the bill.
Free-agent RHP Michael Lorenzen threw 70 pitches yesterday, getting up and down four times, hitting 94 to 96 mph with his fastball, according to a report viewed by The Athletic. Here is video from his agent, Ryan Hamill of CAA. pic.twitter.com/Qk5ol8Ovq5
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 18, 2024
The Twins were attached to him earlier in the offseason when the team was still looking for a fifth starter to replace Kenta Maeda. Nothing ever came of the rumors and things died down once DeSclafani was acquired from Seattle. Now that he's potentially out for the season, Minnesota might want to circle back and kick the tires again.
He's a classic Twins target too, as Lorenzen is both a former All-Star but one who has struggled as of late. He represented the Tigers as an All-Star last season before being traded to the Phillies where threw a no-hitter against the Nationals. That was the peak of his season, as Lorenzen proceeded to post a 5.51 ERA in 11 games and didn't really factor much into the Phillies' postseason run.
Minnesota's pitching depth is already being tested, with both Jhoan Duran and Caleb Thielbar hitting the IL in addition to DeSclafani. That's were signing Lorenzen makes some sense, as even if Varland lands the fifth starter role out of the gate the Twins will have some insurance behind him.
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