In the end, the Minnesota Twins got what they wanted. One year after dismantling their roster at the trade deadline, the Twins did everything they could to supplement their dark horse push as a playoff contender this time around, adding Jeff Hoffman, Dean Kremer and A.J. Minter to their pitching staff.
The moves have been met with a warm reception as an olive branch from the front office to their fans. But for as optimistic as Twins fans may be, there is an underlying concern.
As the Twins celebrated their moves on social media, so did fans of the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles. While New York Mets fans were more lethargic over the loss of Minter, Kremer and Hoffman’s past could sabotage the Twins’ playoff hopes and have the Twins feeling buyer’s remorse by the end of their time in Minnesota.
Blue Jays and Orioles fans rejoiced over the departure of Jeff Hoffman and Dean Kremer
Kremer had been solid for the Orioles overall, posting a 40-32 record and a 3.95 ERA in 109 appearances (106 starts) between the 2022 and 2025 seasons. He also showed durability, tossing 599.1 innings during that stretch and was a solid member of the Baltimore rotation.
But there were also other incidents mixed in. While getting tagged for eight runs in his final start for Baltimore against the Detroit Tigers, Kremer pointed to his eyes after a pickoff attempt to Pete Alonso. Kremer explained after the game that he asked if Alonso could see the ball through the sun’s glare or stadium lights, but some fans felt that Kremer was showing up his teammate.
Last August, Kremer had another altercation where he suggested that rookie catcher Samuel Basallo “hit the wrong button” on the PitchCom device after a mix-up on a pitch call. Again, Kremer downplayed the incident but fans flocked to Basallo, who was one of the top prospects in the Orioles organization at the time of the incident.
Two awkward moments don’t seem like a big deal. But they get magnified when the pitcher in question is toting a 6.50 ERA. That makes few Orioles fans upset to see Kremer leave, but the feelings may be worse for Blue Jays fans when it comes to Hoffman.
After opting out of his minor league deal with the Twins during the 2023 season, Hoffman went to the Philadelphia Phillies and posted a 2.28 ERA in 118.2 innings over two seasons including an All-Star appearance in 2024. That performance earned him a three-year, $33 million contract in free agency before the 2025 season, but he couldn’t find the same success in Toronto, posting a 4.19 ERA in122 appearances for the Blue Jays.
If those numbers look palatable, you’ve probably been watching the Twins’ bullpen all season long. But it gets even worse as the stakes get higher. Last season, Hoffman allowed a .749 OPS in 135 high-leverage plate appearances compared to a .590 OPS in 56 medium-leverage plate appearances. This season, Hoffman has allowed a .742 OPS in 90 high-leverage plate appearances and a .750 OPS in 48 medium-leverage plate appearances.
Turning an opposing batter into Trevor Larnach (.744 career OPS) doesn’t sound too imposing, but it showed up at the worst time when Hoffman put a slider on a tee to Miguel Rojas for a game-tying home run in Game 7 of last year’s World Series. As a result, many Blue Jays fans look at Hoffman the same way that Atlanta Braves fans look at Charlie Liebrandt after serving up a walk-off homer to Kirby Puckett in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series.
Twins hoping new additions can leave their past behind
Despite that history, Kremer and Hoffman appear to be exactly what the Twins need. Kremer joins a starting rotation that has been hammered by injuries since Pablo Lopez left the mound during the first practice of Spring Training. Hoffman served as Toronto’s closer each of the past two seasons and should help a Twins bullpen that enters Tuesday ranked 26th in MLB with a 4.91 ERA.
With the added bonus of an additional year of team control, both pitchers could also be factors on next year’s team, assuming baseball is played in 2027 with MLB’s labor situation pending.
But both moves have the chance to backfire and even Minter isn’t a safe bet after returning from a torn lat muscle suffered in April 2025. In the end, the Twins felt like they may have needed to make these decisions to appeal to a jaded fan base and reward a team that has become a surprising contender. But the way their former teams are celebrating, it could be a bad omen for fans who want these moves to pan out.
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