MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The Minnesota Twins bolstered their bullpen this winter by signing two pitchers with ninth-inning experience, including the most recent closer for their primary division rival.
Adding Hansel Robles and Alex Colome doesn't mean the Twins have demoted Taylor Rogers, though, despite a rough 2020 that was his worst of five seasons in the majors. They won't designate one reliever for a permanent ninth-inning role, in keeping with their practice over manager Rocco Baldelli's first two years. They're also confident the struggles Rogers endured last season were more statistical fluke than warning sign.
"We didn't think Taylor had a bad season. That's baseball, man," pitching coach Wes Johnson said. "He got dinked and ducked a couple of times."
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