Chicago Cubs Bullpen Could Use Help, and a Few Minnesota Twins Might Be Available

[Cody Pirkl]

The Minnesota Twins are off to a rough start, and could be headed for total disaster in 2025. The Cubs need impact additions to the bullpen. Could the two teams link up this season and cut a deal that works for both sides?

Image courtesy of © Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

It’s been another worrisome start to the season for the Cubs' bullpen, and no lead feels safe. While it’s too early to swing a big deal, it’s worth keeping an eye on teams who could be targets to reinforce the relief corps. The Minnesota Twins could find themselves on the fringes of contention, at 9-15 entering Thursday's game with the White Sox. With a front office that doesn’t believe in investing in relief pitching and a bullpen projected as one of the best in baseball, the Twins may be a perfect match. What late-inning arms could the two teams link up on?

Danny Coulombe
With Caleb Thielbar having an uneven start to the season, another left-handed reliever could benefit the Cubs. Coulombe would be a great fit, as he has yet to allow a run this season, and he’s proven he can retire hitters from either side of the plate in recent years. While his strikeouts are down this season, he’s been arguably the most effective reliever the Twins have.

Coulombe would also be relatively affordable, as a 35-year-old rental reliever. He’s far from flashy, but he would likely be an immediate option in medium- or high-leverage situations for this bullpen. The Twins likely wouldn’t ask for much more than a prospect in the middle tier of the Cubs' farm system, a small price to pay for a proven veteran.

Brock Stewart
When healthy, Brock Stewart has been one of the best relievers in baseball over the last two-plus seasons. In 44 innings, he owns a 2.25 ERA, with a 33.5% strikeout rate and 10.6% walk rate. He’s allowed only three homers in that sample size. If Stewart can stay on the field, he would add a dominant force to the back end of the Cubs' bullpen.

Health is the big question. Stewart has missed significant time over the last two seasons and may continue to do so at age 33. If the Cubs think they can keep him healthy, he may be particularly enticing because of his team control through 2027. Typically, pitchers meeting that criteria bring a haul on the trade market, but Stewart can likely be had at a discount because of his age and injury history. Because of all these factors, Stewart’s cost is difficult to determine, but he’s certainly a gamble that could pay off big for the Cubs.

Jhoan Duran
Duran may become the prized reliever on the trade market if the Twins fall out of contention. In a “down” season in 2024, he posted a 3.64 ERA across 54 innings. So far in 2025, he hasn’t had the flashy strikeout rates, but it hasn’t affected him, as evidenced by his 0.96 ERA. The Twins' bullpen has disappointed, but not while Duran has been on the mound.

The cost of relievers at the trade deadline can get extremely expensive, and Duran would carry an extremely painful price tag. With the same amount of team control as Brock Stewart, minus the injury history and six years of age, Duran would be a blue-chip acquisition involving serious trade capital. If the Cubs feel this year is the time to go all-in, while still fortifying the bullpen for future years, Duran would be the way to check that box. Is it worth parting with one of the top prospects in the system? That might become a question the Cubs' front office faces as the season rolls on.

Reinforcements will be necessary if the Cubs are serious about a title run in 2025. The question is how aggressive they should be. Should they add on the margins and go affordable with rentals and less proven arms? Should they make a big splash and try and win the arms race? Are there other relievers they could pluck out of the Twins’ bullpen? Let us know below!

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[Bertz]

I'm glad you wrote this because I've started eyeballing Joe Ryan as the cost controlled starter Jed needs to add.  So there's opportunity for some one-stop shopping, and honestly any of the prospect bats down at Iowa could probably be a good fit in MN, so I think the fit goes in two directions.

[Backtobanks]

1 hour ago, Bertz said:

I'm glad you wrote this because I've started eyeballing Joe Ryan as the cost controlled starter Jed needs to add.  So there's opportunity for some one-stop shopping, and honestly any of the prospect bats down at Iowa could probably be a good fit in MN, so I think the fit goes in two directions.

Ryan is valuable according to BTV and the Twins are weak in the middle infield, so playing around withe trade vales I get:

Ryan + Coulombe for Triantos + Rojas + Wicks + Alcantara

[Cody Pirkl]

On 4/24/2025 at 4:40 PM, Bertz said:

I'm glad you wrote this because I've started eyeballing Joe Ryan as the cost controlled starter Jed needs to add.  So there's opportunity for some one-stop shopping, and honestly any of the prospect bats down at Iowa could probably be a good fit in MN, so I think the fit goes in two directions.

I could see the Twins being open to dealing a starter. Probably getting into some really high price tags at that point, but it may be exactly what the Cubs need to do if they're serious about this season.

[We Got The Whole 9]

That Duran overlay is unreal. You better guess right or you have no shot.