The Minnesota Twins have signed left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin to a minor league contract, according to multiple team beat writers. This marks Chafin's 13th Major League season, and if he secures a spot on the active roster, he'll have pitched for nine different teams at the MLB level. Chafin's contract includes an invitation to attend the Twins' big league Spring Training camp.
The 35-year-old Chafin had a solid 2025 season, posting a 2.41 ERA and a 25.2% strikeout rate over 33 2/3 innings with the Nationals and Angels. However, his walk rate was 13.3%, and his SIERA was 4.11, indicating that his performance was not as strong as his ERA suggested. Chafin's biggest challenge last season was staying healthy, as he missed over five weeks due to a right hamstring strain and left triceps inflammation.
This is the second consecutive winter that Chafin has had to settle for a minor league deal. Last February, he signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Tigers, but opted out of it in April and quickly landed an MLB contract with the Washington Nationals. Chafin then pitched in 26 games for the Nats before being acquired by the Angels at the trade deadline.
Despite his lack of control, Chafin's strikeout rate dropped from 28.5% in 2024, suggesting that he still has some pitching prowess left. He joins a Twins team that has already added relief pitchers Taylor Rogers, Anthony Banda, and Eric Orze to their roster, and he provides additional depth as a left-handed reliever. Chafin's addition to the Twins' pitching staff is an interesting development, and it will be interesting to see how he performs in the upcoming season.
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