Twins' under-the-radar midseason trade pickup is becoming a much-needed bullpen weapon

The Minnesota Twins' acquisition of right-handed reliever Yoendrys Gómez from the Tampa Bay Rays on May 6 flew under the radar for a reason. The 26-year-old had a 6.23 ERA with a 15.9% strikeout rate and 12.2% walk rate in 17 1/3 innings with Tampa Bay this season. The Twins are Gómez's fifth MLB team since he made his big-league debut in 2023 and he held a career 5.11 ERA with a 20.2% strikeout rate and 10.5% walk rate over 93 1/3 innings before becoming a Twin.

While many Twins fans were underwhelmed by the Gómez trade, the right-hander has been lights out since joining the organization. In 6 1/3 innings over eight appearances with Minnesota, Gómez has allowed zero runs, one hit, one hit batter and two walks while collecting seven strikeouts. Given the Twins' immense bullpen struggles this season, Gómez's resurgence has been a much-needed revelation for Minnesota. Gómez could regress. But for now, he deserves to pitch in big spots.

When the Twins acquired Gómez, the team's relievers ranked 29th in ERA (5.83) and strikeout rate (18.4%), last in batting average against (.276) and 20th in walk rate (11.1%). Since Gómez made his first appearance in a Twins uniform on May 8, Minnesota's bullpen ranks fifth in ERA (2.33) over that span. Gómez's strong stretch is a big reason for that.

In addition to acquiring Gómez, the Twins have taken other steps to improve the bullpen, designating struggling relievers Justin Topa and Luis García for assignment and recalling Kendry Rojas and Travis Adams. It may not be perfect, but Minnesota's bullpen is starting to look much better than earlier in the season.

Since becoming a Twin, Gómez has noticeably relied on his four-seam fastball and sweeper much more than usual.

Gómez's pitch usage notably difference since becoming a Twin

Gómez's pitch usage before joining Minnesota:

Four-seam fastball: 98 pitches (26.9%)

Sinker: 61 pitches (16.8%)

Cutter: 52 pitches (14.3%)

Sweeper: 50 pitches (13.7%)

Changeup: 6 pitches (1.6%)

Gómez's pitch usage after joining Minnesota:

Four-seam fastball: 50 pitches (52.6%)

Sweeper: 29 pitches (30.5%)

Sinker: 8 pitches (8.4%)

Cutter: 5 pitches (5.3%)

Changeup: 3 pitches (3.2%)

While Gómez is still in the early stages of his Twins career, his recent strong stretch adds to the narrative that the Twins frequently win trades with the Rays. Minnesota traded half a season of Nelson Cruz to Tampa Bay for Joe Ryan in 2021 and acquired arguably its best starting pitcher this year, Taj Bradley, at last year's trade deadline from Tampa Bay for Griffin Jax. Then, the Twins only had to give up cash to acquire Gómez.

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