The Minnesota Twins have work to do. There’s no getting around that fact. While the 2026 offseason may not end up being “normal” in any sense of the word, for now, teams and players must operate as if it is business as usual.

That fact has already led to the Twins making some roster decisions that ended up costing them two pitchers.

Right-handed relievers Eric Orze and Jack Anderson were both claimed off waivers on Monday, November 2. This was part of a reshuffle to allow players on the 60-day injured list to be reinstated on the 40-man roster.

Orze will be headed to the Chicago Cubs and Anderson will make his way to the New York Mets.

Losing two pitchers right now in interesting given that Minnesota is in need of improvements to their pitching staff, especially the bullpen.

With the Rule 5 Deadline coming soon, December 9, Minnesota has left some room on its roster. Three spots to be exact. But, there is a lot to unpack there as well.

Without getting way off track, December 1 could be a stopping point for all of Major League Baseball as that is when the current Collective Bargaining Agreement will expire. If that happens with no new agreement in place, a lockout will occur and no MLB transactions will happen.

So, whether or not the Rule 5 Draft day will be extended is unknown. The three spots left on the Twins roster could also be used for free agent signings, should they occur before the December 1 deadline.

Twins Part Ways With Orze After Tough Season

Orze was just acquired about a year ago from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for pitching prospect Jacob Kisting.

At the time Orze was farther along in his development, and he actually made the Twins Opening Day roster in the bullpen.

Looking back, things didn’t turn out how Minnesota had hoped. Orze appeared in 36 games where he finished with a 5.66 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 36 strikeouts over 41 1/3 innings.

He was sent back to Triple-A St. Paul in July when he just couldn’t find his groove at the MLB level.

After settling in at Triple-A his numbers started to improve. He posted a 2.35 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 23 innings. So, it is a bit surprisig that Minnesota decided to move on, especially given their own pitching needs.

But, one factor may have made the decision for them. Orze was out of minor league options coming into 2027. So if he couldn’t find his way, the Twins would have had to expose him to waivers before sending him back to Triple-A if the need arose.

Jack Anderson Finds New Home

Anderson was a new face in Minnesota. He had just been claimed off waivers from the Boston Red Sox in July.

In his limited time with the Twins, he made four appearances. He didn’t allow any earned runs over 4 1/3 innings while he also struck out six batters and walked just one.

He also recorded a win and a save. Across 35 1/3 innings at Triple-A St. Paul he finished with a 5.09 ERA.

Twins Have Work To Do

Losing Orze and Anderson isn’t necessarily a major setback. They are just part of a much larger picture and rearranging the roster. Neither player was established, and that might be a key indicator of where Jeremy Zoll intends to take the pitching squad.

The Twins are in desperate need of a more reliable bullpen in the future. It is starting to look like the organization may look to outside acquisitions to get that done.