As the Minnesota Twins continue to surge in the standings behind the league’s highest-scoring lineup, the front office could be reportedly looking making a big addition on the pitching side.
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Minnesota is among the contenders that could have interest in signing All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel after midnight EST on June 2.
The specific deadline would allow Kimbrel and fellow free agent Dallas Keuchel to be removed from ties to a loss of draft-pick compensation for teams and further open up their market for bidders.
Kimbrel would be an excellent addition for Minnesota as it looks for ways to further establish itself as a World Series contender this season.
The Twins entered Saturday with a collective 4.22 ERA from their bullpen, which ranks far behind fellow A.L. contenders like the Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
Adding Kimbrel would add tremendous flexibility to Minnesota’s bullpen with the All-Star closer immediately being plugged into the ninth inning and putting games away in clutch situations.
It would allow the Twins to push current closer Blake Parker, who has a 1.10 ERA, into a set-up role. He could pair with Taylor Rogers (1.33 ERA), Ryne Harper (1.69 ERA) and Tyler Duffey to give Minnesota one of the league’s deepest bullpens in the late innings.
As Rosenthal reports, the Twins would be competing with multiple contenders in the American League and National League for Kimbrel’s services. However, he could be the addition that really takes this team over the top and helps them run away with the division.