The Twins added six prospects to their 40-man roster, shielding them from next month’s Rule 5 Draft, and swung a trade for reliever Eric Orze from Tampa Bay, making for a busy Tuesday.
The Twins need to rebuild their bullpen after trading away five relievers at last season’s deadline, and Orze, a right-handed reliever who split last year between Triple-A and the majors, should figure into their plans next season.
Orze posted a 3.02 earned-run average in 33 games for the Rays last season. The Illinois native, who was a fifth-round draft pick in 2020, threw 41 2/3 innings for the Rays and picked up three saves, including one in a July game against the Twins.
The Twins traded minor league pitcher Jacob Kisting, who pitched at Class A and Class-A Advanced last year, to acquire him.
Between adding Orze and left-handed pitchers Connor Prielipp and Kendry Rojas, right-handed pitchers John Klein and Andrew Morris, and outfielders Gabriel Gonzalez and Hendry Mendez, the Twins’ 40-man roster now sits at 40.
Prielipp, 24, was the Twins’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year after posting a 4.03 earned-run average across 24 games (23 starts) at Double and Triple-A last season. The native of Tomah, Wis., was the Twins’ second-round pick in 2022 and is among their top-10 prospects, per MLB Pipeline.
Prielipp finished the season in the Saints’ rotation alongside Rojas, whom the Twins received as part of the return for the trade that sent Louie Varland and Ty France to Toronto. The 22-year-old had a tough go of it in eight starts at St. Paul, but he is considered the team’s top pitching prospect, per MLB Pipeline.
Klein, 23, also reached Triple-A by the end of last season. The Brooklyn Park native had a 3.98 ERA across two levels last year, finishing with 128 strikeouts in 106 1/3 innings.
Morris, 24, missed part of the summer with a forearm injury but finished the season with a 4.09 ERA at St. Paul.
Gonzalez, whom the Twins acquired from Seattle as part of the Jorge Polanco trade, had a strong season last year, hitting .329 with a .909 OPS and 15 home runs as he jumped from Class-A Advanced to Double-A to Triple-A.
Mendez, part of the return from Philadelphia for Harrison Bader at this year’s trade deadline, spent the year at Double-A, where he slashed .299/.399/439 and added 11 home runs and 62 runs batted in.
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