Twins Complete Bullpen Overhaul With Hoffman, Now Half a Game From the Wild Card

Minnesota closed out its deadline by acquiring Jeff Hoffman from Toronto, the third bullpen addition of a busy week that also brought in A.J. Minter and Dean Kremer. Hoffman is a former All-Star with some history in a Twins uniform, and the news out of Toronto is that he's bounced back after a rough start to 2026 — though it's worth noting he blew the save in Game 7 of the World Series last fall, so there's some scar tissue here.

The bullpen needed this. Yoendrys Gómez has been outstanding as the closer, posting a 1.30 ERA through 26 games, but the depth behind him was thin heading into August. With six pitchers currently on the 60-day IL — including Pablo Lopez — the front office had to add arms somewhere, and the late-inning piece was the most logical place to spend.

The broader picture: Minnesota is 54-56, half a game out of the last wild card with 52 games left. The defense has tightened over the last 10 games, allowing nearly a run and a half fewer per game than the prior stretch. Buxton is still on the 10-day IL, which matters — he's been the team's best hitter when healthy. The next 10 days will tell a lot about whether this deadline week was enough or just noise.