There has been little action on the free agent market for the Minnesota Twins but one team beat writer believes that a reunion with a former reliever would be a great idea to upgrade the roster in 2025.
Danny Coulombe is available as the calendar turns to a new year. After a couple of years with the Baltimore Orioles, MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park tabbed him as a realistic free-agent target for the Twins to add to their bullpen.
“In terms of an affordable addition that could address a roster need, left-handed relief might be the lowest-hanging fruit,” Park wrote. “…Coulombe could perhaps fit the bill here, and we already know the Twins like the 35-year-old lefty, considering it was with Minnesota in 2020 (as a non-roster invitee) that he reestablished himself as a big leaguer before his more successful stint in Baltimore.”
The Minnesota Twins need to find a left-handed reliever in free agency
While the Twins hole at first base has dominated the headlines with the departure of Carlos Santana, left-handed relief may be next on the list of Minnesota’s biggest needs heading into 2025.
Caleb Thielbar was the Twins’ main left-hander out of the bullpen last season, but while the soon-to-be 38-year-old is interested in returning, the Twins reportedly haven’t reciprocated those feelings. Without Thielbar, Kody Funderburk and Brent Headrick are the lone left-handed pitchers on Minnesota’s 40-man roster but they have combined for just 75.1 career major league innings.
With Rocco Baldelli’s penchant for playing the numbers, the Twins could use a veteran arm to smooth things out, which is why a reunion with Coulombe makes sense.
The Minnesota Twins should be interested in signing Danny Coulombe
Coulombe pitched for four different teams during his 10-year career but started to find his footing after going 3-2 with a 3.67 ERA in 29 games for the Twins in 2021. Although he was limited to just 10 games due to a procedure to remove bone chips in his left elbow in 2022, the Twins traded him along with three other pitchers in a trade to acquire Jorge López that August.
The move to Baltimore helped Coulombe hit another gear as he owned a 6-3 record and a 2.56 ERA over the past two seasons. Coulombe also saw a spike in his strikeout rate, averaging 10 punchouts per nine innings and dramatically decreased his walks to just 1.9 free passes over nine innings with the Orioles.
These numbers sound like a dream to the Twins and Coulombe’s price tag could be much cheaper with the added bonus of signing him to a one-year contract. Minnesota has been reluctant to add as they deal with payroll restrictions for the second straight year but as the free-agent market thins out, Coulombe makes sense as an affordable option.