Chin Music w/ Roy Smalley, LaVelle E. Neal III & Jim Souhan - Minnesota Twins Podcast · Talk North Podcast Network

Do Twins have a bullpen?

·29 min·1 clip

Lavelle says the Twins added Taylor Rogers and Anthony Banda, but still may not have a ninth-inning answer.

1. Chin Music w/ Roy Smalley, LaVelle E. Neal III & Jim Souhan centers this episode on whether the Twins have the makings of a bullpen. 2. Jim Souhan hosts Roy Smalley, a former Twins All-Star and former Twins broadcaster, and LaVelle E. Neal III, the Star Tribune baseball writer and columnist. 3. The episode asks whether the Twins' offseason pitching moves have created a functional bullpen and a clear rotation pecking order. 4. LaVelle breaks down the additions of Taylor Rogers, Anthony Banda, and Liam Hendriks, and notes that Cody Funderburg and Cole Sands are also in the mix. 5. He says Rogers' sinker is down about two to three miles per hour, which leaves questions about how he will adapt. 6. He describes Banda as a left-hander who added a wipeout slider and posted a 3.18 ERA in about 70 games last season. 7. He says Hendriks saved 38 games in one season but did not pitch in 2024 and only pitched 14 games in 2023 because of injuries. 8. LaVelle says the Twins may end up with a committee in the ninth inning rather than a single closer. 9. He also says he is skeptical of Cole Sands as a closer and thinks Banda may be the most noteworthy bullpen addition. 10. Roy says Banda was a numbers-game casualty for the Dodgers and that the move improves the Twins immediately. 11. Roy says he would like the bullpen more if the Twins already had a closer and could use Banda and Cole Sands in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings. 12. The conversation shifts to the rotation, where LaVelle says Simeon Woods Richardson is locked in because he has been effective and is out of options. 13. He says David Festa and Zebby Matthews are the main candidates for another rotation spot, while Todd Bradley, Mick Abel, and Marco Raya are possible conversion candidates. 14. Roy says Woods Richardson is a four-pitch starter who can usually give five innings and keep the team close. 15. On Festa versus Zebby Matthews, LaVelle says he likes Zebby's stuff but would choose Festa right now because Festa shows more pitchability. 16. Roy says Zebby has all four pitches for strikes, but Festa's fastball and slider combination makes hitters flinch more often. 17. The tone stays conversational and evaluative, with Roy and LaVelle building on each other's scouting opinions instead of arguing loudly. 18. The format moves from bullpen to rotation to first base, with short detours into sponsor reads and a listener shoutout. 19. Listeners who follow Twins pitching depth charts and roster construction. 20. Listeners looking for game recaps or non-baseball topics.

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