Twins GM Jeremy Zoll announces role change for Travis Adams, Marco Raya ahead of spring training
On Wednesday's episode of Inside Twins, general manager Jeremy Zoll revealed that righty pitchers Marco Raya and Travis Adams will convert to full-time bullpen roles. These role changes aren't much of a surprise, as Adams mainly served as a reliever during his limited big-league action and time with the Saints last season, and Triple-A St. Paul had Raya work exclusively as a reliever for the final month of the 2025 season.
Many Twins fans were surprised when Minnesota designated Pierson Ohl, who was later part of the trade that sent Edouard Julien to the Colorado Rockies, for assignment instead of Adams, 26, to clear a 40-man roster spot, as Ohl had a strong finish to the 2025 campaign while Adams struggled significantly in the majors last season. In 18 outings (two starts) with Minnesota last year, Adams posted a 7.49 ERA with 31 strikeouts and 17 walks in 33 2/3 innings. With St. Paul, the righty sported a 3.93 ERA with 64 strikeouts and 23 walks in 68 2/3 innings across 23 appearances (five starts) in 2025. Given Adams' struggles, he'll have an uphill battle making the Twins' opening day bullpen, even with the apparent vacancies.
It seems there is a good chance Adams, who throws a mid-90s four-seamer and four other pitches including a solid slider, will run out of minor league options and be designated for assignment at some point during the 2026 season, or he could be designated for assignment before then to clear room for a new bullpen addition. Regardless, moving him to a full-time bullpen role is in the Twins' and Adams' best interest, as he clearly doesn't have what it takes to be a starter in the majors.
Raya, 23, has a much better shot than Adams at making a positive impact in the Twins' bullpen next season. He has yet to make his MLB debut, and he struggled with the Saints last season by posting a 6.02 ERA with 102 strikeouts and 57 walks in 98 2/3 innings, but there are reasons to believe he can be successful as a full-time reliever.
Moving Raya to a bullpen role makes perfect sense. He has control issues but possesses an elite pitch mix. The righty can throw a four- and two-seam fastball that can reach high-90s. His best pitch is a mid-80s slider. He also throws a decent low-80s curve and he occasionally mixes in a changeup.
Raya has a lot of work to do to prove he belongs at the big league level, but he certainly has the talent to be a formidable reliever. The Twins have had a lot of success converting starters to bullpen roles, with notable examples being Jhoan Durán, Louis Varland and Griffin Jax. Hopefully, Raya is the next notable example.