The Minnesota Twins have been trying to improve their bullpen. In fact, they have committed a lot of time and resources to the task. They may have made a costly mistake in 2023.

They had Trevor Megill. He had been claimed off waivers and signed by the Twins after leaving the Chicago Cubs organization. The match didn’t last long, though, as he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in April of 2023. That transaction brought Taylor Floyd to Minnesota.

Megill went on to develop into one of the Brewers’ most important pitchers. Now, he is headed to the World Series with them as an integral part of the team.

Three years later, the trade looks very lopsided, especially when you consider how much the Twins have struggled in the bullpen department.

Twins Traded Megill for Minimal Return

It was November of 2021 when the Twins picked up Megill from the Cubs. The hope was that the right-handed hard-thrower could provide some bullpen depth to the team.

His first season didn’t offer a lot of hope that he was the answer.

Megill appeared in 39 games during the 2022 season, where he finished with a 5.80 ERA across 45 innings. He struck out 49 batters but just couldn’t find any consistency.

When Minnesota designated him for assignment, there was certainly no reason to believe that the team was giving up a future All-Star.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened.

In return for Megill, the Twins initially received a player to be named later and cash considerations.

That player would eventually be Taylor Floyd. To date, Floyd has yet to make it to Triple-A in seven seasons in the minors. After his time with Minnesota he moved on to the Seattle Mariners and then is now with the Cincinnati Reds.

At the time of the Minnesota-Chicago trade, it was an easily overlooked transaction involving two struggling pitchers.

Looking back, it has become one of Milwaukee’s better acquisitions.

Megill Developed Into All-Star Closer

This wasn’t an overnight success story by any means. Megill took time to refine.

Milwaukee helped him along the way. He mastered his knuckle curveball, while also learning how to take advantage of a fastball that had the capability of reaching triple digits.

Those improvements eventually elevated his status and turned him into a dependable late-inning option.

During the 2024 season, he posted a 2.72 ERA and then took another giant step forward yet again in the 2025 campaign.

Megill earned his first All-Star selection in 2025 after recording 30 saves with a 2.49 ERA and 60 strikeouts over 47 innings of work.

He stayed strong again in 2026 with another 30-save season, a 2.63 ERA, 69 strikeouts, and an incredible 0.89 WHIP over 61.2 innings.

He also took home a National League Reliever of the Month honor for August after really finding himself in the second half of the year.

Looking over his four seasons with the Brewers, Megill has accumulated 81 saves and posted a 2.81 ERA.

Those are certainly numbers Minnesota would love to be bragging about right now.

Twins Could Use Megill Right Now

What makes looking back at this trade most frustrating is how much Minnesota has struggled in the reliever department.

The 2026 Twins recorded one of the worst relief ERAs in baseball despite all of their efforts to upgrade the bullpen.

The organization added AJ Minter and Jeff Hoffman at the trade deadline to try to stabilize the bullpen.

As they say, hindsight is 20/20, but in this case, there is no guarantee that Megill would be the same player he is today if he had remained in Minnesota.

The Brewers found something they believed in and then invested in the development to help him reach his potential.

At the time, the Twins had plenty of reason to move on from Megill in 2023. His performance had not established him as a reliever they could count on.

As it turns out, the trade looks pretty frustrating upon reflection. Sometimes, it is those quiet deals that barely attract any attention that turn into the ones that hurt the most later.

Three years removed, the Twins would love to have another chance at Megill.