The Minnesota Twins shipped their closer Fernando Rodney to
the Oakland Athletics recently. Prior to his departure, he was the only pitcher
on the roster to record a save. Over the weekend Trevor Hildenberger joined his
graces picking up his first on the year, and second of his career. With no real
closer in tow, it’s time for Paul Molitor to open the floodgates and utilize
this opportunity.
Going into 2019 the expectation should be that the Twins can
once again be competitive. The same core that was expected to be relied upon
this season remains intact. If the offense rebounds to sufficient levels, while
being supplemented with some outside talent, this collection is going to make
waves in the AL Central. What does absolutely need to be addressed however is
the relief core and status of the bullpen.
Coming into 2018, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine helped Minnesota’s
skipper by supplementing the pen. Addison Reed, Zach Duke, and Rodney were all
brought in to help turn around a collection that had underperformed the year
prior. By acquiring two thirds of that group on one-year deals, the Twins were able
to benefit from them either as pieces part of a playoff run, or assets to
acquire more talent. This winter the front office will find themselves in a similar
situation, again looking to stockpile that type of talent. Who they’ll be
paired with remains up in the air, and that’s where the current opportunity
presents itself.
It doesn’t much matter who racks up saves for Minnesota the
rest of the way, but it’s integral for a host of arms to be showcased in high
leverage situations. Trevor May has looked great since his promotion from
Triple-A Rochester following his Tommy John rehab. Tyler Duffey has always seemed
like a decent option at the back of a pen, and Taylor Rogers has been arguably
the Twins best reliever this season. Trevor Hildenberger has slipped of late
but is incredible when on, and Matt Magill has come out of nowhere this season
to command much more work than he’s gotten.
Stopping with the names currently on the 25-man roster does
little for me however. At 53-64 Rochester isn’t going to make the Triple-A
postseason. Alan Busenitz, John Curtiss, Jake Reed, and Nick Anderson are all
options worth exploring. Busenitz hasn’t ever gotten a chance to acclimate at
the big-league level this season, while Curtiss has only experienced the majors
in a very muted sense. Reed dealt with injuries that have delayed his debut,
but his numbers have begged for an opportunity long enough. Anderson remains a
flier that is worth experimenting with during this time of little consequence
as well.
There’s no reason to suggest that Molitor be tasked with
managing a bullpen full of fresh faces and demanded each of them record time in
the 9th inning. Having this collection up on the big-league roster
and called upon in late game situations does make a lot of sense however. Prioritizing
the current big-league roster, and guys that will assuredly be relied upon next
year is a must, but the more opportunities for new arms to be tested the
better.
Minnesota found something solid in guys like Hildenberger
and Rogers because they were given a chance to prove themselves. Rather than waiting
to see if those opportunities present themselves in a fresh slate next season,
now looks like as beneficial of a time as ever. There’s plenty of poor
competition on the Twins schedule the rest of the way, and at this point the
results don’t much matter. Seeing relief arms filter into the Target Field
clubhouse at a very high rate the rest of the way would be something Minnesota
fans should absolutely be on board with.
