The Minnesota Twins have added another arm to their starting pitching depth, agreeing to a minor league contract with right-hander Darren McCaughan on Monday afternoon.
The 28-year-old was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 12th round of the 2017 MLB Draft and made his major league debut in 2021. But he was traded to the Miami Marlins for cash last February and pitched a career-high 42 innings in the majors for the Marlins and the Cleveland Guardians last season.
Who is Darren McCaughan and what does he bring to the Twins?
McCaughan isn’t a high-upside arm after posting a 6.43 ERA in 56 major league innings and he doesn’t jump off the page with a 15.3 percent strikeout rate and an 8.4 percent walk rate according to Baseball Savant. But McCaughan’s biggest weakness is keeping the ball in the park, allowing 2.09 home runs per nine innings.
McCaughan’s numbers jump to a 21.7 percent strikeout and 6.4 percent walk rates during his Triple-A career but he still gives up 1.6 homers per nine innings as a product of a low-90s fastball.
Overall, McCaughan was roughed up between Miami and Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliates, posting a 5-4 record with a 4.73 ERA with 92 strikeouts, 30 walks and 13 homers in 85.2 innings last season.
What is the state of the Minnesota Twins starting pitchers after McCaughan’s signing?
The good news is that McCaughan should be relied more as a minor league placeholder than a major league option. The Twins open the season with Pablo López, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober as locks at the top of the rotation and David Festa, Simeon Woods Richardson, Zebby Matthews and Rule 5 selection Eiberson Castellano battling for two spots.
While Chris Paddack also remains on the roster, he is rumored as a “salary dump” trade candidate and Louie Varland could also be a depth option despite a disastrous 2024 season with a 7.61 ERA in 49.2 major league innings.
The Twins could add a veteran in the coming weeks to add competition to their internal options but McCaughan doesn’t seem to be in that mix. If anything, McCaughan could be there to buy time for younger pitching prospects such as Marco Raya, Andrew Morris and Charlee Soto.