Scouring the Twins System for Relief Help

[Nick Nelson]

Jorge Alcalá is out until at least June. Jhon Romero just joined him on the injured list. Tyler Duffey's reliability is very much in question. Taylor Rogers is balling out in San Diego.

It's become quickly apparent that the Twins will be needing late-inning reinforcements in short order. Let's take a look at the system to see what they might be able to call upon internally.

Although your mileage may vary on the quality levels, there are a ton of different arms in the organization capable of contributing to the Twins bullpen. Some of them bring ample big-league experience, while others bring tantalizing upside. If just a few of these guys can hit, it'd make a huge difference for the Twins bullpen.

Below you'll find 13 pitchers with a chance to join the fray this year, listed roughly in order of when you might expect to see them materialize in the big leagues.

Jharel Cotton, RHP

Cotton was of course a member of the Opening Day bullpen after being claimed off waivers from Texas during the offseason. He tossed a couple innings for the Twins before being sent down to Triple-A in a roster crunch. Coming off a 3.52 ERA in 30.1 IP for the Rangers last year, the 30-year-old is a candidate to return soon, although his removal from the 40-man roster complicates things.

Devin Smeltzer, LHP

The left-hander looked to be on his way to securing a roster spot this spring, allowing zero runs on five hits in 11 innings, but Smeltzer was surprisingly sent to Triple-A. There he has continued to excel with a 1.29 ERA in 14 frames. The Twins are keeping him stretched out for long relief duty – or possibly even another chance to start – and it's only a matter of time before he resurfaces in Minnesota.

Juan Minaya, RHP

He pitched extremely well out of the Twins bullpen last year, with a 2.48 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 9.7 K/9 rate in 40 innings. He's made more than 150 appearances in the majors. He currently has a 2.48 ERA and 8-to-0 K/BB ratio with the Saints. Doomed with a AAAA-player label he can't seem to shake, Minaya has to keep fighting for his chances, but like with Smeltzer, the good work should earn him another nod soon enough. 

Jovani Moran, LHP

Compared to Cotton, Smeltzer and Minaya, Moran is much more of a prospect, and he has a leg up in that he's already on the 40-man roster. But it's the lack of polish that will force him to wait his turn. He struggled while debuting in the majors late last year, allowing seven earned runs on nine hits and seven walks in eight innings, and the control issues have persisted this year in St. Paul where he's allowed six walks in 6.1 IP.

Ronny Henriquez, RHP

He initially looked like a toss-in on top of Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the Mitch Garver trade, but there was immediate buzz surrounding Henriquez as an arm the Twins really fancied. His first appearance at Triple-A for the Saints last week did nothing to silence the buzz – Henriquez struck out four over three hitless innings, notching 11 swinging strikes on 47 pitches. Oh, and he's on the 40-man. It wouldn't shock me to see him beat everyone else on this list to the majors, but the Twins probably want to give him some time to settle in and form a rhythm at Triple-A.

Yennier Cano, RHP

Signed out of Cuba for $750K back in the summer of 2019, Cano was viewed as a potential fast riser with a big heater touching the high 90s. The pandemic year slowed him down, but Cano was excellent in the minors last season with a 3.23 ERA and 11.1 K/9 rate in 69.2 IP between Double-A and Triple-A. Through five appearances at St. Paul this year, he has an 8-to-1 K/BB ratio with zero runs allowed. Cano is already 28, so there's no sense in waiting much longer to give him a look, although he's not yet on the 40-man. I think he and Henriquez are the two pitchers on this list I'm most excited about from a short-term perspective.

Trevor Megill, RHP 

Megill is one of a handful of veteran-ish relievers signed by the Twins to minor-league contracts during the offseason. That group also includes the likes of Jake Petricka, Jake Faria, JC Ramirez, and Dereck Rodriguez (who we've already seen). They've all got their own strengths and weaknesses but are relatively similar in terms of quality and realistic upside. MLB experience is an asset for each.

Drew Stotman, RHP

The Nelson Cruz trade already looks like a slam-dunk win thanks to Joe Ryan. Imagine if Strotman, the second piece of the deal, develops into an impact reliever. The Twins seem to envision that path, since they kept him on the 40-man roster throughout the offseason after he posted a 7.33 ERA in 12 starts for St. Paul following the trade. He has officially converted into relief duty now, and the early results at Triple-A have been meh (7 IP, 3 ER, 5 BB, 5 K). It might take a little time, but the 25-year-old former fourth-rounder has potential.

Matt Canterino, RHP

One of my favorite arms in the system. Canterino's off to a stellar start in the Wichita rotation, with with a 2.79 ERA and 13.0 K/9, but his innings are being managed with extreme caution (he has 9.2 IP in four starts). Moving him to relief is the only way the Twins can hope to get anything resembling a full season out of him. It wouldn't necessarily need to be a permanent pivot, and would set the stage for a fast track to the majors.

Cole Sands, RHP

A phenomenal 2021 season at Double-A (2.82 ERA, 10.8 K/9 in 80.1 IP) compelled the Twins to protect Sands from the Rule 5 draft, so he's on the 40-man roster. He reported to St. Paul as a starter and looked brilliant in his first couple turns, allowing one run over 10 innings with 12 strikeouts. Then he gave up 10 earned runs in 1.2 IP over his next two outings. Hopefully everything is okay physically, but either way his ascent to the majors has hit a major speed bump.

Chris Vallimont, RHP

Added to the 40-man alongside Sands during the offseason, Vallimont's campaign is off to a similarly ugly start, which may endanger his roster spot. He has a 10.29 ERA in three starts at Wichita. Either the Twins are going to try and switch gears with a bullpen role or they're gonna be forced to waive him, barring a drastic turnaround. Given he was already a marginal addition to the 40-man roster, there's no way the team can stay beholden to a 25-year-old who's getting blasted in a Double-A rotation. That said ... there's a reason they liked him. 

Louie Varland, RHP

He was the organization's 2021 pitcher of the year thanks to a sterling 2.10 ERA and 12.4 K/9 across two levels of A-ball. Now Varland is getting his first taste of the upper minors at Wichita, and holding his own with a 4.11 ERA and 18-to-8 K/BB ratio in 15.1 IP. The Twins seem committed to him as a starter, in which case we probably won't see him this year, but a late-season look as a reliever is hardly out of the question.

Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP

Widely regarded as a top 100 prospect in the game a year ago, Woods Richardson came over alongside Austin Martin in the José Berríos trade. As one of the younger starting pitchers in Double-A last season, he struggled a fair amount, but this year he's off to a dazzling start at Wichita: 16.2 IP, 5 H, 4 BB, 14 K, zero earned runs. He's only 22, and – like Varland – pretty firmly a starter. But he's got big stuff and composure, and he's also gonna be on a strict innings limit. If Woods Richardson keeps lighting it up all summer, he could be bringing gas out of the Twins bullpen in September.

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[ToddlerHarmon]

Just curious whether Ian Hamilton will ever get a shot or do anything with it. Also, can Danny Coulombe climb out of the invisible-last-guy role in Rocco's bullpen rotation?

[dxpavelka]

47 minutes ago, ToddlerHarmon said:

Just curious whether Ian Hamilton will ever get a shot or do anything with it. Also, can Danny Coulombe climb out of the invisible-last-guy role in Rocco's bullpen rotation?

Coulombe has one fewer appearance and 2/3 fewer IP than Duffey & Pagan.  Maybe I'm thinking of a different meaning of "invisible"?

[glunn]

Great article. It sounds like the Twin are rich in potential relievers.  

[Blyleven2011]

I'm glad you pretty. Much stuck with naming mostly  our prospects  .

 

 

Please stay away from the dumpster diving of the past   ,,,, 

We have pitching prospects it'd be nice to use them  from AA to AAA  ....  shouldn't take this long  to coach the college players to the major leagues ...

 

Oh that's right , FO hired all the top professionals  in the industry to make us winners 

[Danchat]

Cano should be the big addition in a month or two, Smeltzer is probably on the top of the list for a quick mop-up call-up, and Minaya is probably the next man up if they don't think Cano is ready. Gotta hope Moran gets his season back on track.

[old nurse]

There is a lot of trade bait in the minors for a pitcher. 

[Linus]

My criteria would be they have to be pitching well right now and be able to throw strikes. That narrows the list considerably. Smeltzer might be the best choice as our current lefties don’t inspire confidence. 

[jmlease1]

The crunch the Twins have is with the 40-man. They have guys that are potentially good options, but they either risk losing someone off their current 40-man, or will again when someone comes off the injured list. Minaya pitched well enough to get another shot and would be a perfectly good 6-7th inning option.

I'm a big fan of Cano & Moran, but they're a bit wild, and that can escalate quickly in the majors.

Cotton seems like an option? Was surprised he got dropped off the 40-man in the first place. I don't want to see them try and slide SWR into the bullpen; he's had his developmental track screwed with too much over the last couple of year and needs starts and innings. He's got significant potential as a starter, and they need to leave him alone for a while not flip him into the bullpen. Canterino seems like a more likely option in that his innings are being monitored so tightly and his health has been an issue.

[mikelink45]

Let Canterino pitch his 3 innings in the majors, call up Cano and give him a chance, and get Henriquez for some tougher assignments.  I am ready for more overhaul - the pen is not a place where most pitchers have long term careers with the same teams, but it can be used for building the future if we stop using fillers from other teams. 

[Dman]

I think there is going to be pressure to jettison Strotman and Vallimont.  Would be nice if they could work out a minor trade with one or both of them for an arm further a way like in the GCL or A ball.  Some lottery ticket type so that we don't have to lose them for nothing as I am certain both would be picked up.

I just think Smeltzer, Minaya, Cotton, or Cano would be better options than either of those guys at this time and we have options behind them so not the end of the world to lose two guys that likely won't be able to help the MLB club this year in favor of guys who can.

[DJL44]

37 minutes ago, Dman said:

I think there is going to be pressure to jettison Strotman and Vallimont.  Would be nice if they could work out a minor trade with one or both of them for an arm further a way like in the GCL or A ball.  Some lottery ticket type so that we don't have to lose them for nothing as I am certain both would be picked up.

I'm thinking the opposite. Trade them for a veteran reliever off a bad team's roster instead. I like Sean Doolittle for the Nationals and Justin Wilson of the Reds. The Twins could use an upgrade at LHRP.

[Alex Schieferdecker]

After the roster slimdown, we'll carry eight relievers, right?

If I had to pick, I'd go with Duran, Duffey, Jax, Pagan, Romero (when off IL), Smith and then... idk. Neither Coulombe or Thielbar are totally trustworthy, Smeltzer hasn't gotten a shot despite his good start in ST and AAA, and Moran hasn't gotten his control under control. So either one or two of that group, depending on whether you are carrying five or six starters.

[Dman]

10 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

I'm thinking the opposite. Trade them for a veteran reliever off a bad team's roster instead. I like Sean Doolittle for the Nationals and Justin Wilson of the Reds. The Twins could use an upgrade at LHRP.

I think even in my scenario it is going to be hard to get anything for either player as they both require the acquiring team to add them to their 40 man thus they would have to lose a player to add one of them.

Your scenario works better as the acquiring team would be taking someone off their 40 man to put someone on it but given the past and current performance of both Strotman and Vallimont their value is pretty low right now.  The Twins would likely have to include something else as well to get a deal done.  I like your idea of trading for a stronger lefty though.

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, Dman said:

I think there is going to be pressure to jettison Strotman and Vallimont.  Would be nice if they could work out a minor trade with one or both of them for an arm further a way like in the GCL or A ball.  Some lottery ticket type so that we don't have to lose them for nothing as I am certain both would be picked up.

I just think Smeltzer, Minaya, Cotton, or Cano would be better options than either of those guys at this time and we have options behind them so not the end of the world to lose two guys that likely won't be able to help the MLB club this year in favor of guys who can.

not wrong. Vallimont seems the most likely candidate because 40-man slots are a little tighter right now and teams are less likely to grab up a AA pitcher who might be the next Steve Dalkowski.

[Twinsrule1991]

Seems like we have a glut of rotation options currently, any chance we call up a team in the NL (maybe San Diego?) and see if we can send a guy like Chris Paddack for some relief help. I hear Taylor Rogers is pretty good.

In all seriousness, I'd love to see Moran up here. We know he has the stuff. Let him develop up here and I think he will be solid in the long term.

[DJL44]

19 minutes ago, Twinsrule1991 said:

Seems like we have a glut of rotation options currently, any chance we call up a team in the NL (maybe San Diego?) and see if we can send a guy like Chris Paddack for some relief help. I hear Taylor Rogers is pretty good.

If they can trade a lefty reliever for a starting pitcher and then trade a minor league reliever for a major league reliever they will effectively have traded a minor league reliever for a starting pitcher. That's an impressive trade chain.

[PatPfund]

Great article, and you've identified some good arms to help. My order for call up would probably be Minaya (now; for late mostly single inning use), Cotton (now as a bridge following the starter or otherwise as circumstances dictate), and Cano (soon, as in 2-3 weeks).

The crunch is definitely on for 40-man roster spots, but also the soon-to-be 26 man active roster, because none of them can help unless they are in the bigs, and that means somebody (somebodies) need to go. 

Assuming Winder is optioned as the pitcher who needs to go to get to 13 arms, the bullpen would be Coulombe, Duffey, Duran, Jax, Pagán, Smith, Stashak, and Thielbar. Plus one of the current starters if they are sticking with a 5 man rotation when Gray comes back. (Probably the end for Stashak unless Coulombe or Jax has options and Cody doesn't. If someone has options, they could go down, and you'd DFA Vallimont to get a 40-man spot. Or do the Enlow thing below.)

To get my three up, I’d DFA Thielbar (for Minaya), Jax (for Cotton), and likely give Duffey a little more time to work things out. Then DFA him if/when that doesn’t happen, and call up Cano.

That gives Strotman and/or Vallimont some time to right their ships as well, though they should be skating on thin 40-man ice.

The Twins could also buy a month of flexibility by not rushing Blayne Enlow back from Tommy John, and just put him on the 60-day IL retroactive to the start of the season. Gives him a few extra weeks of rehab (wasn’t due back until mid-May), and opens a 40-man slot until he is activated.

They could also consider flipping one of their six starters for a starting corner outfielder. Dylan Bundy’s value may never be this high again. (Wouldn’t open a 40-man slot, but would open a space in the ‘pen.)

[Doctor Gast]

Thanks Nick for letting us know what's out there and a quick synopsis of each. We have a bunch that could come up and contribute. Smeltzer has pitch well in ST and AAA, he should have been called up right away. Winder and Smeltzer should be used more often in long relief. 

A big problem is having our 40 man roster jammed packed with redundant players so there is no wiggle room so we can't freely call up a player we desperately need because he's not on the 40 man. It's looking after the small things that makes the difference

[jimbo92107]

Bring up Smeltzer. Never enough lefties, and never enough multi-inning relievers. Plus, the guy throws strikes. 

[Dman]

3 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

not wrong. Vallimont seems the most likely candidate because 40-man slots are a little tighter right now and teams are less likely to grab up a AA pitcher who might be the next Steve Dalkowski.

Yeah after his start today he should clear when teams drop down.  Most teams can't afford an arm like his on the 40 man.

[jmlease1]

38 minutes ago, Dman said:

Yeah after his start today he should clear when teams drop down.  Most teams can't afford an arm like his on the 40 man.

Most teams can't afford a 25 year old pitcher who's never pitched above AA and can't throw strikes consistently on their 40-man. I like Vallimont, but he's exactly the kind of guy who gets churned at the back of a 40-man. His WHIP in 2021 was putrid and so far this year it's only gotten worse. He's probably going to flame out as a starter but his command is so bad that you can't trust him as a reliever either. 

I'm happy to keep working with him in the minors, but I'm not going to cry if someone takes a flier on him

[Rosterman]

And we forget the dark horse candidates. Bryan Sammons is equally as good as Valimont, and is a lefty to boot. He got pushed off the Saints roster in the numbers game, but could be advanced if Smeltzer or Moran comes to Target Field.

 

Jordan Gore was showing real promise at Wichita last season and is getting a rude awakening at St. Paul. Will be interesting to see how he adjusts.

 

Ryan Mason is one of those guys that will be overlooked and will walk and see some action with another team, unless the Twins open their eyes that he can pitch as well as probably any number of the AAAA recruits signed this spring.

 

And Ian Hamilton is playing his third season as a Saint. Many called for his call-up last season. Injured right now, but a possibility.

 

What I like is that the Twins do have significant options if the roster sports are available. Can they flip a pending free agent like Duffey at the trade dealine? Move Joe Smith? Will they think ahead of giving innings to guys come September, instead of what they diud last season, letting Moran and others wallow in the minors while giving cred to Barraclough, Vincent, Gibaut and saves to Colome?

[stringer bell]

The Twins BBB should be Build a Better Bullpen. Only one other team in MLB is carrying as few as two left handers on their active roster, so I think it behooves the Twins to look especially for left handed talent. At St. Paul, the only lefties are the much discussed Moran and Smeltzer. 
 

I think that if the Twins want to improve their bullpen they either have to go outside the box—promote a prospect and convert him, at least temporarily, into a reliever. Or they must go out of the organization. Make a trade and sacrifice a prospect. 

[dxpavelka]

On 4/26/2022 at 12:45 AM, glunn said:

Great article. It sounds like the Twin are rich in potential relievers.  

The Twins are always rich in potential something.  You can't make soup out of potential.