The Minnesota Twins acquired left-handed relief pitcher A.J. Minter from the New York Mets for infield prospects Billy Amick and Bruin Agbayani a few days before the Aug. 3 trade deadline. The Twins addressed a major need for bullpen help by acquiring Minter and also adding right-handers Jeff Hoffman and Tommy Nance via trades with the Toronto Blue Jays.
While the Twins have Hoffman and Nance under team control beyond this year, Minter is set to be a free agent at the end of this season. So far, Minter has proved that the Twins should seriously consider re-signing him.
Minter has allowed just one earned run, five hits and one walk in seven innings across eight appearances since joining Minnesota. The southpaw has collected five strikeouts in a Twins uniform.
Minter signed a two-year, $22 million deal with the Mets in Jan. 2025 after he spent eight seasons with the Braves. Unfortunately, he made just 13 appearances with New York in 2025 before suffering a left lat strain, which required surgery. The Mets finally reinstated Minter from the IL in late May 2026. Upon returning from the IL, Minter recorded a strong 2.35 ERA over 23 innings with New York before being dealt to Minnesota.
Twins LHP A.J. Minter has had a long, successful MLB career
Minter, 32, has been mostly lights-out since making his MLB debut with the Atlanta Braves in 2017, posting a 3.14 ERA with 461 strikeouts over 389 2/3 big-league innings. The left-hander has only had one bad season (2019) in his MLB career.
Minter is also battle-tested, with five years of postseason experience. In 25 playoff innings, Minter has posted a 2.88 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP and 36 strikeouts. He played a major role on the Braves' 2021 World Series team, recording a 3.00 ERA with 18 strikeouts over 12 innings during the 2021 playoffs.
Most of the Twins' bullpen will be back next year. Yoendrys Gómez, Andrew Morris, Hoffman, Nance, Kody Founderburk and Travis Adams are all under team control through at least next season. Additionally, injured pitchers Anthony Banda, Cole Sands and Mike Paredes will most likely be with the organization beyond this season. Taylor Rogers and Minter are the only relievers on the 26-man roster who are set to hit free agency at the end of the season.
It appears the Twins bullpen will be in a good spot heading into the 2027 season. Still, Minnesota should attempt to bring back Minter, as it would solidify the back end of the bullpen and show fans that the organization is serious about winning.
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