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As for the pitching staff, this is where a lot of Minnesota’s early-season hopes are going to rest.

The Opening Day rotation is led by Joe Ryan, who gets the ball first to start the season. Ryan looks like one of the steadier arms on the staff, carrying a 55 overall grade with strong control at 65 and a solid four-pitch mix built around a 65 fastball and 65 slider. He finished 2024 with a 3.60 ERA over 135 innings, and on this staff he feels like the safest bet to give the Twins reliable innings at the front of the rotation.

Behind him is Pablo Lopez, another proven right-hander and one of the more established names in the group. Lopez also sits at a 55 overall and brings a deep five-pitch arsenal with 60 control and 60 stamina. The overall line from last season was a little more uneven than Minnesota probably would have liked — a 4.08 ERA across 185.1 innings — but the profile still suggests a pitcher capable of handling a major workload and stabilizing the staff.

Bailey Ober slots into the middle of the rotation and looks like a classic innings-oriented starter. He comes in with a 50 overall, 60 control, and 60 stamina, though the movement is a little lighter at 45. Ober turned in a 3.98 ERA over 178.2 innings last season, so even if he may not overpower lineups, he gives the Twins another arm they can trust to take regular turns.

One of the more interesting names in the group is Simeon Woods Richardson, who opens the year in the fourth spot. At 24 years old, he is one of the younger starters in the mix and still has some room to grow. He is rated 50 overall with 50 stuff, 50 movement, and slightly shakier control at 45/50, but he brings five pitches and 60 stamina. This feels like an important year for him. If he throws enough strikes, he has a real chance to hold down a meaningful role.

Rounding out the rotation is Chris Paddack, who enters as more of a back-end arm. He sits at 45 overall, with 55 control but lighter raw stuff and movement, and his stamina is only 45. He posted a 4.99 ERA in 88.1 innings last year, so the role makes sense here: he is likely being asked to survive the fifth spot rather than carry the staff.

The bullpen, though, has a chance to be a real strength.

Everything starts with Jhoan Duran, who looks every bit like the relief ace of this team. He enters the season with a 75 overall grade, elite raw stuff, triple-digit velocity, 70 movement, and a devastating three-pitch combination featuring an 80 fastball, 75 curveball, and 80 sinker. If the Twins have a lead in the ninth, this is clearly the arm they want finishing games.

In front of him, Griffin Jax gives Minnesota an excellent setup option. Jax carries a 60 overall grade with 55 stuff, 50 movement, and 55 control, and his pitch mix is deep enough that he looks like more than just a one-inning specialist. After posting a 2.03 ERA across 71 innings in 2024, he looks like one of the most valuable arms on the entire staff.

Cole Sands is another important piece in the relief mix. He comes in at 50 overall with balanced 55/50/55 ratings for stuff, movement, and control, and he has four usable pitches. He may not have the same ceiling as Duran or Jax, but he looks like a very useful bullpen weapon who can handle meaningful innings.

Beyond those three, Minnesota has a bullpen that looks functional and flexible more than flashy. Jorge Alcala and Danny Coulombe both profile as middle-relief options, while Louie Varland and Randy Dobnak give the club length in long relief and extra coverage if the rotation gets into trouble. Kody Funderburk opens as the left-handed specialist, giving the staff a clear matchup arm against left-handed hitters.

Overall, the shape of the staff is pretty straightforward: the Twins are relying on a solid, mostly veteran rotation to keep games under control, and then turning things over to a bullpen headlined by two real weapons in Duran and Jax. Ryan and Lopez look like the tone-setters, Ober adds stability, Woods Richardson is one of the more interesting development stories on the staff, and Duran gives the whole pitching group a true late-inning finisher.