Last night, FanSided's Robert Murray reported that the Minnesota Twins are reuniting with three-time All-Star right-handed reliever Liam Hendriks, who pitched for the Twins from 2011 to 2013, on a minor-league deal. Additionally, The Athletic's Dan Hayes reported that Minnesota agreed to a minor league deal with another righty reliever.
Minnesota Twins, righty reliever Julian Merryweather agree to minor league deal
Merryweather will be in big-league camp as a non-roster invitee. He's coming off a rough 2025 season in which he allowed 13 runs (12 earned) with 15 strikeouts and 11 walks in 18 2/3 innings with the Chicago Cubs, who released Merryweather in May. The righty finished the season pitching in Triple-A for the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers, posting an awful 5.87 across 23 innings.
Merryweather, 34, made his MLB debut in 2020 with the Toronto Blue Jays. He pitched for Toronto through the 2022 season, sporting a 5.64 ERA with 50 strikeouts and 17 walks in 52 2/3 innings. He missed a lot of time due to several injuries during his tenure with Toronto.
The Blue Jays designated Merryweather for assignment in January 2023, and the Chicago Cubs claimed him off waivers. He had a spectacular 2023 season with the Cubs, pitching to a 3.38 ERA (3.52 FIP) with 98 strikeouts and 36 walks across 72 innings. He only pitched 15 big-league innings in 2024 due to landing on the 60-day injured list with a right shoulder strain. He struggled in 2024, sporting a 6.60 ERA, but his 3.70 FIP suggested he could bounce back in 2025. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, but hopefully he'll revive his career with Minnesota this upcoming season.
Julian Merryweather could make Twins' Opening Day roster with strong Spring Training
As stated earlier, Merryweather's 2025 season didn't go well. However, there are reasons to believe he can bounce back in 2026. The righty mainly relies on a four-seamer/slider combination. His fastball averaged 96 mph last season, and his slider sits in the mid-80s. He also occasionally mixes in a low-80s changeup and low-80s sweeper.
Even when Merryweather struggles, he still collects a lot of strikeouts; he has 177 strikeouts in 158 1/3 career innings. And even with his horrible season last year, he still had a solid 45.2% ground-ball rate during his limited action with Chicago. He just needs to work on his control.
The Twins' locks to make their Opening Day bullpen, barring injuries, are Cole Sands, Justin Topa, Kody Funderburk, Taylor Rogers and Eric Orze. Options to fill the vacant spots will likely come down to whoever impresses the most during Spring Training. Those options include Jackson Kowar, Matt Bowman, Grant Hartwig, Dan Altavilla, Travis Adams and Merryweather. The Twins also have an abundance of starting pitchers, so they may have starters such as David Festa, Zebby Matthews, Mick Abel or Simeon Woods Richardson convert to full-time relievers, or roll with a six-man rotation to begin the year.