The Twins’ roster cleanup this offseason began with the departures of left-handed reliever Anthony Banda and infielders Aaron Sabato and Tristan Gray from the 40-man roster, who are now free agents. Banda’s removal could have been expected to some extent, as he was inconsistent and finished with a 5.03 xFIP, the worst among all relievers who recorded at least 30 innings.

With Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan projected to return to the rotation at the start of next season, there will be a couple of starters moving to the bullpen. In addition, Banda suffered a left lat strain, which required surgery on July 9 and kept him out for the rest of the 2026 season. Gray, 30, finished with -0.7 bWAR in 66 games, with four home runs and 29 RBIs, so it does not seem like a difficult decision to make. Sabato had only six at-bats and went 0-for-6 with three strikeouts.

The question now is what moves are next for the Twins.

What’s next after Banda’s departure?

Minnesota has a few decisions to make with its bullpen, and I still believe they should add one more arm to the mix. Banda’s departure opens a spot to bring back Taylor Rogers, who is also among the free agents. Rogers led Minnesota’s bullpen with 65 relief appearances and posted a 4.33 ERA, along with a 5.18 xFIP, the second-highest in the group, behind only Banda.

Rogers’ profile remains useful against left-handed hitters and, although he has not been much of a strikeout pitcher, he finished in the 98th percentile in Hard Hit% and reduced his inherited runners scored percentage from 56.2% in 2025 to 29.7% in 2026. However, the Twins look to optimize their bullpen; A.J. Minter has proven to be more consistent and could offer more depth than Rogers. Minter appeared in 25 games after arriving in Minnesota at the trade deadline, following a very consistent start with the New York Mets, and finished with a 2.78 ERA, the best in the bullpen over the 22 ⅔ innings he pitched.

Alongside Minter, Kody Funderburk would be the other left-handed option for the bullpen. His performance supports that possibility, as he allowed the second-lowest wOBA in 110 matchups against left-handed hitters (.273), behind only Minter (.246). Among the external options the Twins could explore, there are two arms that I think would be perfect additions.

First, left-hander Adrian Morejon would be an ideal acquisition to strengthen Minnesota’s left-handed side, but we also know he will be one of the most coveted relievers. The other option I find very interesting would be right-hander Raisel Iglesias, who could take over the closer’s role even if Jeff Hoffman is ready to pitch on Opening Day next season.

Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that the attempt to acquire Bryan Abreu finally comes to fruition. That acquisition could also provide interesting value, but I believe Iglesias’ proven experience could have a positive impact on this bullpen.