Twins add some bullpen help after claiming Yankees pitcher off waivers

It's no secret that the Minnesota Twins bullpen is an absolute mess right now.

The core of a good unit is there, as Griffin Jax might be the best reliver in baseball and Jhoan Duran has a flamethrower where his arm should be, but everything else leaves a lot to be desired.

The Twins meekly tried to address the need for more relief help at the deadline by making a low-wattage trade for Trevor Richards but that's been a move that has completely backfired. Richards simply cannot stop throwing wild pitches and is a total liability in any situation, and the fact that he was the last line of defense when it came to improving the roster is not great.

Nothing highlights how bad that trade was, or how much help the Twins need, than the fact that they're scouring the waiver wire looking for fresh arms.

Twins claim old friend Michael Tonkin off waivers from Yankees

On Tuesday the Twins made an addition to the bullpen in the form of Michael Tonkin. It's help in the most basic sense, but deeply depressing in every other way.

This is Tonkin's second stint in Minnesota this year, as he was acquired back in April from the Mets. Now he's back by way of the other New York team, only this time the Twins didn't have to give anything up to get him.

It doesn't change the fact that Minnesota is quite literally right back where it started in terms of improving the bullpen. The Twins were taken advantage of four months ago when a lack of activity over the winter left holes in the roster, and it's pretty upsetting that things have not only failed to improve but the team is going back to a guy they've already traded for and then DFA'd this year.

Adding Tonkin is a depth move, as he's 4-4 with a 3.74 ERA and a -0.3 WAR this year. That being said, he has seemingly improved from where he was earlier in the year. Maybe it's just PR, but the Yankees reportedly struggled with the idea of DFA'ing Tonkin before ultimately doing so.

It somehow feels like an improvement over the last guy the Twins added to improve the bullpen, which lets you know exactly how things are going in Minnesota right now.

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