The Twins season is over and now it’s time to look ahead to the offseason.
Over the course of the 2017 season, we learned the team can hit the cover off the baseball; their lineup is deep from top-to-bottom.
But although the pitching improved from their ill-fated 2016 season, it still needs a ton of work. If Minnesota wants to be considered a serious contender, they need to add a few arms in the offseason. Here’s just a few of the arms they should target.
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Addison Reed
The Yankees bullpen is still giving me nightmares. They have five arms in their bullpen who all average well over a strikeout per inning.
Right-handed reliever Addison Reed will hit the open market this winter and the Twins should be interested. In seven big league seasons, Reed has averaged 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings while having success in both the American and National League. Reed’s ERA this season is 2.84.
He’s currently with the Boston Red Sox who are still in the playoffs. The 28-year-old earned $7.5 million this season and he’ll be due for a hefty raise next season, but his swing-and-miss stuff is exactly what the Twins need.
Steve Cishek
Steve Cishek is another right-handed arm who should be on Minnesota’s radar. He’s pitched for Miami, St. Louis, Seattle and Tampa Bay since debuting in 2010. Similar to Reed, Cishek averages 9.6 strikeouts over nine innings, with a career ERA of 2.73.
Because he’s approaching his age 32 season, the veteran probably wouldn’t command the type of money Reed would earn.
Cishek has also spent time as a closer, securing 121 saves in his career and the Twins needs an upgrade from impending free agent Matt Belisle.
Alex Cobb
The Twins would be foolish to not add a starting pitcher in the offseason and Alex Cobb seems like a logical answer. Cobb made just $4.2 million this season with Tampa Bay in 2017.
He had Tommy John surgery two years ago and played sparingly in 2016. However, he’s healthy now and is coming off a solid season where he made 29 starts and dangled an ERA of 3.66.
Cobb’s strikeout rate of 6.4 this season doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story either. He got stronger as the season progressed, striking out 38 batters over his last 38 innings pitched.
This upcoming free agent pitching class isn’t as deep as previous years. Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs will likely command the most attention, but there’s a drop off after him.
It also wouldn’t be too surprising to see the Twins explore the trade market to acquire an arm or two.
