Who are the candidates to fill out the Twins' bullpen?

While the back end of the bullpen seems pretty obvious with the likes of Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, and other relievers like Brock Stewart and Cole Sands, who else might join them to begin the year in the bullpen for the Twins?

There appears to be at least one, possibly two, spots that are up for grabs. The guys that appear to be locked into the bullpen right now are Duran, Jax, Stewart, Sands, Danny Coulombe, and Jorge Alcala. Louis Varland also seems to be in line for one of the final spots as well.

Here's a look at the relievers vying to be in some of the lower-leverage roles for Rocco Baldelli and Pete Maki out of the bullpen to start the season.

Anthony Misiewicz

Misiewicz was signed to a minor-league contract in January. He's a lefty reliever who has pitched in the major leagues every year since 2020. He has mostly pitched at Triple-A in the past three years, with pretty solid numbers overall.

A former 18th-round pick out of Michigan State, Misiewicz has made five appearances this spring, striking out five over six innings pitched. Misiewicz being a lefty could help him in this bullpen competition, as Coulombe is the only lefty that appears locked into a bullpen spot now.

Regardless of whether he makes the Opening-Day roster, I wouldn't be surprised to see Misiewicz with the Twins at some point this year, given how much the Twins shuttle a few guys between the majors and Triple-A every year.

Scott Blewett

Blewett made 12 appearances with the Twins in 2024 and was pretty effective over the 20.1 innings pitched. He pitched to a 1.77 ERA with 18 strikeouts and a 4.00 FIP in those appearances.

Spending most of his time with Triple-A Saint Paul last year, Blewett threw 54.2 innings over 38 appearances, with three starts in there. Blewett has proven he can throw more than one inning at a time, which is useful for a guy in a lower leverage role, especially when they come into games that are not close, whether the team is ahead or behind.

Blewett has been solid this spring over five innings pitched, striking out five and only giving up one run while recording four strikeouts. He could be a valuable piece in the lower leverage roles and throw multiple innings when needed, allowing other bullpen arms to have a day off when needed as well.

Kody Funderburk

Another lefty, Funderburk looked really good in his first taste of the major leagues in 2023. Pitching in 11 games, he threw 12 innings and only gave up one run while striking out 19 in that time.

Last year was not quite as successful pitching between Triple-A Saint Paul and the Twins. Funderburk still provides value in depth and being a lefty out of the bullpen. Like Misiewicz, Funderburk can provide a second lefty for matchup purposes out of the bullpen.

The key is to look more like he did in 2023, and not be hit quite as hard as he was in 2024.

Eiberson Castellano

Castellano was a Rule 5 draft pick out of the Philadelphia Phillies organization in December. Castellano was named the Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Year last year, but they decided not to protect him from the Rule 5 draft when push came to shove.

A big reason is that he has thrown minimal innings above High-A, topping out at Double-A in 2024. Castellano must stay on the major league roster for the entirety of the 2025 season, or be offered back to the Phillies for $50,000.

For comparison, the Twins spent $100,000 to select Castellano in the Rule 5 draft. Castellano could be a starting pitcher in the long term.

Still, the Twins will use him as a reliever in 2025 and, if kept for the entire season, will decide if he should continue working as a reliever or transition into starting after that. Castellano could be left on the outside looking in, and if he is, the Twins could try to work out a trade for him to keep him in the organization, but it might be hard to convince Philadelphia to let him go.

A few guys who may be seen as sleepers to make the bullpen are Huascar Ynoa, Zebby Matthews, David Festa and Darren McCaughan. Each of them would provide value in different ways, but they likely won't be the first choice of guys to choose for the last spot in the bullpen this year.

Matthews and Festa are the first guys who will be called upon if a starter is needed, so they will likely start the year with the Saints in the rotation to keep them stretched out as starters.

Ynoa has some major league experience going back to 2021, but he has dealt with injuries the past two seasons which have limited his time.

McCaughan was a minor-league signing back in December and has spent the majority of his career with the Seattle Mariners organization. He's given up home runs at the major league level at a pretty high rate, ceding 2.09 every nine innings in 56 big league innings.

While he has been a starter in the past, it would be more likely to see him out of the bullpen if he does get called up this year.

The Twins have some depth with all of these players, it will be quite interesting to see who makes the Opening Day Roster, but also who throws the most innings out of the guys who will shuttle between the major leagues and Triple-A this year.