The Minnesota Twins have a different kind of bullpen decision with Eric Orze. His future involves both whether he can improve and how much flexibility the club will have.
Orze will enter 2027 without minor league options, the Star Tribune reported. An ordinary assignment to Triple-A would require him to clear waivers.
That constraint raises the importance of his next evaluation. The Twins should give him an opportunity to work with new pitching coach Brian Reith, then judge whether his improvement warrants an active-roster role.
Prior success offers a reason to investigate a rebound. His 2026 performance supplies an equally clear reason to require evidence before counting on it.
The Results Require a Meaningful Adjustment
Orze finished with a 5.66 ERA and 1.52 WHIP over 41.1 innings in 36 appearances. He struck out 36 hitters and walked 21.
That was a substantial decline from 2025, when he recorded a 3.02 ERA in 41.2 innings for the Tampa Bay Rays. The difference leaves Minnesota evaluating a pitcher with a useful recent ceiling and a disappointing first campaign in its bullpen.
The Twins’ original acquisition analysis explained the appeal of his splitter. The next development plan should examine whether he can execute that pitch consistently and support it with enough effective strikes.
Reith has previously worked with Orze in Tampa Bay’s organization. That familiarity offers a starting point for reviewing what changed between the two campaigns.
The new pitching coach’s arrival should help Minnesota organize that work. It should not determine the roster outcome before Orze shows that the adjustments translate to competition.
Minnesota Needs Evidence Before Reserving a Spot
A productive spring ERA would be useful, but the evaluation should go further. The club needs to examine his locations, the quality of contact he allows, and whether he can recover when hitters decline to chase the splitter.
Repeatedly pitching from behind would make it difficult to earn dependable relief work. A more effective supporting pitch could help him reach the counts in which his best secondary offering becomes useful.
Those are possibilities to test, rather than established fixes. The Twins should define what improvement they need and compare Orze’s progress with that of other pitchers competing for jobs.
His roster status makes that comparison more consequential. Keeping a pitcher who cannot be optioned limits the room available for other bullpen options and can make later adjustments harder.
Minnesota should carry Orze if he earns a useful role through better execution. If he remains behind the alternatives, the club should accept the possibility of losing him through a roster move.
An opportunity to reunite with a familiar coach is reasonable. A guaranteed place in the bullpen would require a much stronger case than his 2026 results provide.
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