Left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers returned to the Minnesota Twins on a one-year, $2 million deal this past offseason. His numbers this year weren't terrible for a low-leverage reliever, but the Twins should still let him walk in free agency unless he's willing to sign a minor-league contract. Rogers, 35, wants to keep pitching, according to The Minnesota Star Tribune's Bobby Nightengale.
Rogers doesn't deserve sole blame for the Twins' bullpen woes this year, but he certainly wasn't a bright spot. He was pretty average and not bad for an early-inning bullpen arm.
Rogers posted a 4.33 ERA with a 1.59 WHIP and 54 strikeouts over 60 1/3 innings this year. He did a great job limiting hard contact in 2026, with an 86.1 mph average exit velocity (95th percentile) and a 28.0% hard-hit rate (98th percentile). However, he had a poor 19.6% strikeout rate (28th percentile), 11.2% walk rate (16th percentile) and 37.1% ground-ball rate (20th percentile).
Again, if Rogers is willing to sign a minor-league deal, the Twins should bring him back. However, if that happens, he'd likely want an opt-out clause in case he fails to make the 26-man roster out of spring training. If the Twins are as serious about making the playoffs as Tom Pohlad says they are, the bullpen should be built so minor-league signees aren't competing for a spot out of camp unless there are last-minute injuries.
Twins need to improve bullpen, but Taylor Rogers isn't the answer
The Twins' relievers ranked 26th in ERA at 4.74 this year. Minnesota added several bullpen arms in July and early August, acquiring Jeff Hoffman, AJ Minter and Tommy Nance. Hoffman and Nance are returning next year, while Minter will be a free agent. After the bullpen additions, the Twins' relievers still struggled, ranking 19th in ERA at 4.33. However, they ranked eighth in FIP (3.75) after the deadline, suggesting they were unlucky.
Despite this year's bad luck, the Twins still need to add more bullpen arms to be competitive next season. Unfortunately for Rogers, he's not what the team needs to ensure its bullpen is in a good spot next year. But if he wants to sign a minor-league contract, the Twins should be all for it.
Rogers made his MLB debut with the Twins in 2016. Minnesota traded him to the San Diego Padres before the 2022 season. After that, he pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs before returning to the Twins. He has a career ERA of 3.44 with 68 strikeouts over 601 2/3 innings across 11 MLB seasons.
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