Offseason Options: Candidates to join 2021 Twins bullpen

The Minnesota Twins bullpen ranked sixth in the big leagues last season with a 3.62 ERA. Tyler Duffey and Taylor Rogers will return to the 2021 squad, but Tyler Clippard, Trevor May, Sergio Romo and Matt Wisler have departed in free agency.

The question is — who will join Duffey and Rogers in the bullpen? And does the Twins brass have a few more moves up their sleeves this offseason? Minnesota will have to answer these questions soon as spring training is less than four weeks away.

Below we’ll take a look at some potential ideas of how the Twins’ situation in the bullpen could unfold, starting with those on the 40-man roster, delving into free agents still available and then others who are in the system or who will be camp:

THE LOCKS

Tyler Duffey

Duffey built on his breakout 2019 campaign by logging a 11.6 K/9 and 1.88 ERA in 22 appearances last season. He’ll be working high-leverage situations once again.

Taylor Rogers

Rogers allowed at least one run in eight of 21 games in 2020 and logged an unimpressive 4.05 ERA. However, the metrics hint Rogers didn’t fare as poorly as many fans thought. His FIP was 2.84 — actually improved from 2019 (2.85) — and opponents batted .400 on balls in play. The Twins don’t use the “Joe Nathan” traditional closer role anymore, but Rogers will likely be closer to that than any of his teammates.

40-MAN ROSTER

Jorge Alcala

The 25-year-old was solid in 16 games last year, allowing seven earned runs in 24 IP (2.63 ERA) with a 10.1 K/9. With a bigger role in the bullpen, Alcala could be a breakout star in 2021.

Jordan Balazovic

Listed as the Twins’ top pitching prospect by MLB.com, Balazovic was expected to make his debut in 2020 before the season was shortened to 60 games. In 2019, he tallied a 6-4 record, 2.84 ERA and .193 OBA in 15 games (14 starts) for High-A Fort Myers. Balazovic has been a starting pitcher for most of his minor-league career, but he could debut as a reliever with the Twins in 2021 and eventually grow into a starting role.

Dakota Chalmers

Chalmers arrived in the Twins organization when Minnesota traded Fernando Rodney to Oakland in 2018. The No. 23 Twins prospect (No. 7 among pitchers) registered a 3.63 ERA and .171 OBA in nine starts for High-A Fort Myers. Like Balazovic, a middle-innings role could suit Chalmers at some point in 2021.

Edwar Colina

Colina made his MLB debut last season, but it … did not go as planned. He faced seven hitters and managed to get just one out, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks. But let’s not judge Colina on 1/3 of an inning. The 23-year-old whiffed a combined 102 batters in 97 1/3 IP at three different levels in 2019.

Jhoan Duran

Minnesota fans hope Duran can develop into a future ace, but a role in the bullpen to start could work as well. In 2019, Duran logged 115 IP (23 games, 22 starts) with 3.76 ERA, .230 OBA and 1.19 WHIP for High-A Fort Myers and Double-A Pensacola.

Ian Gibaut

Acquired off waivers from Texas in October, the right-hander hasn’t had much success in his brief trials in the majors. Pitching for Tampa Bay and Texas in 2019-20, Gibaut has a 6.08 ERA and 1.575 WHIP in 26 2/3 innings, although with 10.1 K/9 (and 6.4 BB/9). Minnesota hopes to get him to pitch like he did in Triple-A, where he had a 2.75 ERA, 1.181 WHIP and 12.1 K/9 over 72 innings in two seasons.

Bailey Ober

A 12th-round pick out of the College of Charleston, Ober has impressed in a starting pitcher role in limited time in the minors (34 games, 31 starts, 181 2/3 innings in three seasons). His numbers, albeit mostly at the lower levels, certainly stand out: 2.38 ERA, 0.941 WHIP, 1.0 BB/9, 11.0 K/9. Ober, who turns 26 in July, made four Double-A starts in 2019 and allowed 10 hits and two runs (one earned) in 24 innings. Due to his limited innings, perhaps he makes his way to the majors, at least to begin with, in the bullpen.

Hansel Robles

Minnesota is banking on Robles bouncing back to his pre-2020 form. Last season with the Angels, Robles allowed 20 runs (19 earned) on 19 hits with 10 walks and 20 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings. Because of that poor season, the Twins were able to sign him to a one-year “prove it” deal and hope he’s more like the 2019 Robles, who had a 2.48 ERA, 1.018 WHIP, 9.3 K/9 and 23 saves. Count on them giving him time to find out.

Cody Stashak

Stashak has gotten opportunities the past two seasons and done a good job to get him another chance in 2021, perhaps even on the opening-day roster. In 40 career innings he has a 3.15 ERA, 1.110 WHIP, 0.9 BB/9 and 9.5 K/9.

Caleb Thielbar

One of the better stories of 2020, Thielbar made his first MLB appearance since 2015 — back with the Twins. Since then, he’s pitched in independent ball and toiled for three different MLB organizations before signing a minor-league contract with Minnesota in December 2019. The lefty, who will be 34 on Jan. 31, not only got the call but also pitched well, allowing six runs (five earned) on 14 hits with 22 strikeouts in 20 innings. Who would have thought it, but Thielbar has given himself a chance to be big part of the 2021 pen.

Lewis Thorpe

Another left-hander, the Australian-born Thorpe has struggled in his limited time in the majors. Pitching 44 innings in 2019-20 he has a 6.14 ERA and 1.864 WHIP. The 25-year-old is still on the radar but might be lower on the depth chart and on a “need to call up” basis.

Brandon Waddell

Think the Twins are looking for another good lefty out of the pen? Minnesota claimed Waddell off waivers from Pittsburgh in October. The former fifth-round pick, who turns 26 in June, made his MLB debut last season with 3 1/3 innings in two relief appearances (although he’s mainly been a starter in the minors). Waddell has decent minor-league numbers but has not fared well at Triple-A (6.56 ERA, 1.717 WHIP in 142 2/3 innings).

FREE AGENTS

Trevor Cahill

Cahill’s name and numbers don’t jump off the page, but with big-league experience as a starter and reliever, he’d add valuable depth to the pitching staff. Cahill logged a 3.24 ERA and 4.19 FIP in 25 IP (11 games, six starts) for San Francisco last season. He tallied a 4.83 ERA and 7.7 K/9 for the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland from 2018-19. Signing Cahill wouldn’t sell any season tickets, but he’d be cheap. Plus, a decent middle-innings relief pitcher who can make a spot start or two is a valued role on every club.

Tyler Clippard

Clippard was one of the Twins’ best relievers in 2020, allowing eight runs in 26 IP (2.77 ERA) with 26 strikeouts and just four walks. With the departure of May to the New York Mets, Clippard would take on an even bigger role in 2021. Why not bring back a guy who performed well and is familiar with the coaching staff and organization?

Alex Colome

Colome saved 42 games over the past two seasons for the rival Chicago White Sox — six of those coming against the Twins. He logged a 2.27 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 1.032 WHIP and 7.7 K/9 in 83 appearances from 2019-20 for Chicago before testing free agency this offseason. Chicago has clearly moved on from Colome, having signed Liam Hendriks to a three-year deal worth $54 million. Why not steal your rival’s former best reliever?

Trevor Rosenthal

Debuting at age 22 with St. Louis, Rosenthal registered a 2.99 ERA, 2.60 FIP and 12.0 K/9 with 121 saves for the Cardinals from 2012-17. He missed the 2018 season due to Tommy John surgery and hasn’t been quite the same ever since. In 45 appearances in 2019 and ’20, Rosenthal notched a 6.45 ERA (72 ERA+) with 55 strikeouts and 34 walks for Washington, Detroit, Kansas City and San Diego. However, after he was dealt from the Royals to the Padres in August 2020, Rosenthal didn’t allow a single earned run in nine regular-season appearances (10 IP), although he yielded six runs and five walks in four postseason innings for San Diego. Did Rosenthal find himself again in San Diego or was it just a flash in the pan?

David Robertson

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2019, Robertson sat the 2020 season out while rehabbing. (Note: He picked a pretty good season to miss.) Robertson will attempt to return in 2021 with an impressive resume under his belt. In nine seasons with the New York Yankees over two stints (2008-14 and 2017-18), Robertson owns a 2.75 ERA, 53 saves and a World Series ring in ’09. He also pitched 2 1/2 seasons for the Chicago White Sox from 2015-17, logging a 3.28 ERA and 3.05 FIP. The 35-year-old right-hander could be a nice addition on a one- or two-year deal.

NON-ROSTER/MINOR LEAGUERS

Yennier Cano

The Twins signed Cano, from Cuba, in June 2019. Due to his circumstances of not being able to get to the United States until recently and there being no minor-league baseball in 2020, he’ll be 27 in March with all of 15 innings of pro experience under his belt (not counting his time in Cuba, of course). His limited time in the U.S. showed a right-handed pitcher with a good fastball (reportedly up to 97 mph) who doesn’t allow a lot of hits, strikes out his fair share but might need some work on his control. Or, at the least, getting used to professional hitters.

Jovani Moran

Moran, who turns 24 in April, misses a lot of bats. Both in the good and bad ways. In four minor-league seasons he owns a career 12.8 K/9 but also a 4.3 BB/9. His overall numbers of 2.73 ERA and 5.8 H/9 along with those strikeouts are tantalizing. Being left-handed helps as well. However, he likely needs more seasoning. In 2019 at Double-A, he posted a 4.98 ERA and 1.456 WHIP to go with 13.1 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9 in 34 1/3 innings.