What is the starting rotation going to look like for the Minnesota Twins in 2026? You can bet that Pablo López, Joe Ryan, and Bailey Ober will occupy the front-end of the staff, while Simeon Woods Richardson will likely nab that fourth spot, especially if he pitches well in the spring.
Who is going to grab that final spot in the rotation? Zebby Matthews is a good pick, as is David Festa. But let's look at two young starters who were each traded to Minnesota on back-to-back days in 2025. Mick Abel and Taj Bradley were each acquired ahead of the trade deadline.
The Twins lost two tremendous arms in Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax to get these two players, so that tells us that there is some semblance of hope these guys can perform well in the bigs. The unfortunate truth is that both Abel and Bradley have struggled in the bigs. But if you were to pick or the other for the Twins' fifth spot in the rotation in 2026, which 24-year-old would you take? Here are both of their cases.
Mick Abel or Taj Bradley? Take your pick for which young pitcher could join the Twins' starting rotation in 2026
Mick Abel
Abel has proven himself to be too good for Minor League Baseball. He ripped 114 strikeouts in 98.1 innings last season in Triple-A with a .195 batting average against. That prowess has not necessarily translated smoothly into the big leagues, as he posted a 6.23 ERA in 39 frames last year in his MLB debut.
Abel is a hard-throwing right-hander who mainly uses his fastball, but has a lethal curveball that mixes in well to improve his strikeout and put-away rate. He struggled with his sinker last year, which saw opponents hit .375 off of that pitch. If he can axe that pitch from his arsenal, or find a more consistent tertiary pitch to use, it wouldn't be surprising if Abel has a strong 2026 season.
In 14 innings with Minnesota, he allowed 13 earned runs, but his 2.99 FIP tells us that there is plenty of room for him to get better with more MLB innings under his belt.
Taj Bradley
Bradley is much more familiar with pitching in the big leagues. He logged 142.2 innings last year in his third MLB season. He debuted at 22 years old, so that experience over Abel is advantageous for Bradley.
However, in 27 starts last year, Bradley did not reach expectations. He produced a 5.05 ERA and took a hefty dip in strikeouts. He owned an 11.1 and 10 K/9 in his first two seasons. In 2025, that fell to 8.0, all while slightly increasing his walk rate.
Like Abel, Bradley throws hard from the right side, but uses more of a fastball-cutter combo. He got roughed up a bit with his fastball, handing out nine home runs and a .292 BAA. Bradley has great stuff, but he doesn't elect for his breaking pitches nearly as much as he probably should. With a 26.2 put-away rate with six hit allowed on his curveball, it will be interesting to see if he throws that pitch more often in the spring.
So, which guy would you pick to start the year? Both at 24 years old, Bradley has more MLB experience, but hasn't shined as much as we all thought he would — maybe with a newer team, he will break through. Abel, on the other hand, is way too good for Triple-A. With a solid FIP in small samples last year, there's hope that he will figure it out.