Twins Complete Bullpen Overhaul With Hoffman, and Now the Race Gets Real

Minnesota added Jeff Hoffman from Toronto on Monday, the third bullpen piece the Twins have acquired at the deadline after A.J. Minter and the rotation add of Dean Kremer earlier in the week. Hoffman is a former All-Star with some history in Minnesota, and he arrives carrying baggage — he blew the save in Game 7 of the World Series last fall — but also signs of recovery from what the coverage describes as a rough start to 2026 in Toronto.

The bullpen needed this. Yoendrys Gómez has been excellent as the closer, posting a 1.30 ERA through 26 games, but the bridge to him has been thin. Minter addressed the left-handed side; Hoffman adds a proven arm on the right. Whether he's fully back from his early-season struggles is the open question, but Minnesota was not in a position to be choosy about pedigree.

The standings make the math simple enough. The Twins are 54-56, half a game out of the last wild-card spot with 52 games left. They went 14-9 in July, their best month, and have allowed nearly a run fewer per game over the last 10 than they did in the prior stretch — the defense and pitching have quietly tightened. The offense still needs Buxton back and healthy; he's on the 10-day IL with a hip issue and has been the team's most dangerous hitter when upright.

Three deadline moves, a half-game deficit, seven weeks left. This is what a functional contender looks like when it's operating correctly. Now they have to win some games.