Who Will Get the Final Spot in the Twins Starting Rotation?
Baseball season is right around the corner, as pitchers and catchers will report to Spring Training on February 12th. The Twins will have some tough decisions to make on who should get the final starting rotation spots on their Opening Day roster during spring camp. As it stands currently, it’s clear that the Twins' rotation will be headlined by both Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez, which could be one of the best one-two punches in the American League. Bailey Ober will likely be the team’s number three starter, followed by Simeon Woods-Richardson. The four of them made a combined 94 starts last season for Minnesota. That number could have been even higher if Lopez hadn’t been held to only 14 starts last year due to a shoulder injury. The fifth spot in the rotation is where it gets dicey for the Twins. There are four young arms on the current 40-man roster that realistically could be selected for that final rotation spot.
Taj Bradley
The most experienced of the bunch would be Taj Bradley, whom the Twins acquired at the trade deadline last year in exchange for Griffin Jax. Bradley is only 24, but he’s made a total of 73 Major League starts in his career, 27 of which were last season. He made his first 21 starts of last season with the Rays and put up near league-average numbers: a 4.61 ERA, 4.35 FIP, and 7.7 strikeouts per nine. After being acquired by Minnesota, he made six starts with the team and wasn't great in a small sample size, posting a 6.61 ERA. With Bradley’s substantial amount of big-league starts, he would be a reasonable choice for the final spot.
Mick Abel
Another name the Twins acquired at the deadline last season was 23-year-old righty Mick Abel. He was one of the two prospects they acquired from the Phillies in the Jhoan Duran trade. Abel spent most of last season at the Triple-A level, where he was fantastic, making 18 starts and pitching to a 2.20 ERA with 10.4 strikeouts per nine. This led to him being selected as the International League Pitcher of the Year. Abel did get a small opportunity at the big league level last season, making a combined 10 appearances with the Twins and the Phillies, eight of which were starts. He struggled against Major League opposition with a 6.23 ERA, 5.03 FIP, and nine strikeouts per nine. Abel is the youngest of the bunch, but his impressive Triple-A numbers could be good enough for the Twins to give him another shot at the big league level to start the season.
Zebby Matthews
Zebby Matthews is another guy on the Twins' 40-man roster who will be under consideration for that final spot. Matthews has been one of the Twins' top pitching prospects over the last few seasons, and he finally graduated off the prospect ranks in 2025. The 25-year-old made 16 starts for the Twins last year and showed flashes of a future front-end-of-the-rotation arm. He still struggled overall, though, posting a 5.56 ERA, 3.79 FIP, and 10.0 strikeouts per nine. The high strikeout rate and the significantly low FIP compared to his ERA suggest that Zebby was a better pitcher last season than his ERA shows. He also pitched really well last season in his time at Triple-A, making eight starts with a 1.72 ERA with 11.5 strikeouts per nine.
David Festa
The oldest of the bunch is six-foot-six righty David Festa, who will have just turned 26 when Opening Day rolls around. Festa also has a handful of experiences at the big-league level for the Twins. He made a total of 10 starts for the Twins last season before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in July; he's expected to be ready for Spring Training, though. In his 10 Major League starts last season, Festa posted a 5.40 ERA, 4.88 FIP, and 8.9 strikeouts per nine. Festa was also very good in Triple-A, as he had a 2.59 ERA and an 11.2 strikeouts per nine in seven starts. Coming off a significant injury, Festa could be looked at more for a bullpen spot, especially with his unique delivery. If Festa didn’t get hurt during the middle of last season, though, it might not even be a discussion for him to be out of a rotation spot.
Who Could Go to the Bullpen?
As every Twins fan is well aware, the Twins' current bullpen lacks proven high-leverage arms after last season's trade deadline sell-off. There’s been plenty of speculation this offseason that the Twins could use their starting rotation depth to help out their bullpen. In past years, we’ve seen the Twins organization turn former starters into high-leverage relievers, specifically with Louis Varland, Griffin Jax, Tyler Duffey, and Trevor May. It’s certainly too early to label Bradley, Abel, Matthews, and Festa as failed starters, but it would be a fair assumption to assume that Minnesota could look at moving one or more of them to the bullpen temporarily. David Festa, when factoring in how he’s coming off a significant injury, could be the most likely of the group to join the Twins bullpen. The Twins' current situation with their ample rotation depth is an interesting dilemma, but it should also be viewed as a good problem to have. With pitcher injuries more common than ever, the Twins are well-positioned to have enough depth in their rotation to withstand the exhausting 162-game regular season they have in front of them.
