On Wednesday, the Minnesota Twins announced the 2026 Diamond Award winners. The Twin Cities Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America and the Minnesota Twins Community Fund Board of Directors vote on the awards annually.
Right-hander Taj Bradley is the winner of the Joseph W. Haynes Award for Twins Pitcher of the Year. Bradley went 12-6 with a 3.73 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 205 strikeouts in 178 1/3 innings across 31 starts.
Bradley made his MLB debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023. He struggled to find consistent success with the Rays, posting a 4.70 ERA over 354 innings with the club from 2023-25.
Bradley's Pitcher of the Year honor shows why the Twins should extend the young arm. He is just 25 and had the best season of any Twins pitcher in 2026.
The Twins already have Bradley under team control through the 2029 season. Buying out his remaining arbitration years and adding a few more seasons of control would be a wise move for Minnesota's brass. It would show the fanbase the organization is serious about winning, something many have questioned over the past few years because of major payroll reductions and the infamous 2025 trade deadline fire sale.
Speaking of the fire sale, several positives came from it, including the acquisition of Bradley. Minnesota traded for Bradley from the Rays in late July 2025. Tampa Bay received right-hander Griffin Jax in return.
There are many reasons for the Twins to extend Taj Bradley
Twins starting pitchers Joe Ryan, Pablo López, Bailey Ober and Dean Kremer are slated to be free agents at the end of next season. Locking up Bradley long-term would give the Twins their new long-term No. 1 starter when Ryan and López leave.
The Twins could also consider re-signing/extending Ryan and López. But if the Twins decide they can only extend one starter, they should lock up Bradley long-term. Bradley is several years younger than both Ryan and López. Not to mention, Ryan has struggled significantly in the second half throughout his career, and López missed the entire 2026 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
If none of the aforementioned pitchers with just one more year of control return to Minnesota after the 2027 season, Bradley will likely be the team's top starter in 2028. Other pitchers who could be in the Twins' starting rotation in 2028 are Connor Prielipp, Mick Abel, Riley Quick and Kendry Rojas.
Add us as a preferred source on Google