The Minnesota Twins acquired right-handed reliever Eric Orze from the Tampa Bay Rays last offseason in exchange for minor league right-hander Jacob Kisting. It seemed like a solid trade at the time, as Orze posted a strong 3.02 ERA over 41 2/3 innings with Tampa Bay in 2025.
Unfortunately, Orze, 29, struggled with Minnesota this year, recording a 5.66 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP over 41 1/3 innings. The Twins optioned Orze to Triple-A St. Paul on July 11 , and he finished the season with the Saints.
On the bright side, Orze posted outstanding numbers with St. Paul after his demotion, with a 2.35 ERA and 0.70 WHIP over 23 innings while striking out 20. The 29-year-old's Triple-A numbers should put him into strong consideration for the 2027 Opening Day bullpen.
Despite Orze's poor numbers in the majors this year, the right-hander limited hard contact at an elite rate , with an 86.3-mph average exit velocity and a 29.2% hard-hit rate. His poor strikeout (19.0%) and walk (11.1%) rates are somewhat concerning, but his ability to consistently keep opponents from hitting the ball hard is reason to be optimistic about his future.
Orze's 2026 FIP (3.34) suggests he had an extremely unlucky season despite his below-average strikeout and walk rates. He also had an expected ERA of 4.15, which isn't great, but it's much better than his actual ERA. Based on his expected stats and Triple-A numbers, Orze deserves another chance in the majors next season.
Orze will be out of options for 2027, meaning the Twins cannot option him to the minors. So, if the Twins don't want Orze on their Opening Day roster, they will have to trade him or designate him for assignment. If Minnesota DFA's Orze, another team will likely pick him up.
Since Orze will be out of options next year, the Twins should place him on their Opening Day roster unless they unexpectedly acquire several big-name bullpen arms in the offseason. Given his expected numbers and minor-league success, Orze could be a major contributor out of Minnesota's bullpen in 2027.
Orze's four-seam fastball (.381 wOBA) and curveball (.396 wOBA) are what got him in trouble this year. Meanwhile, his split-finger (.288 wOBA) and slider (.262 wOBA) were extremely effective. He threw his splitter more than half the time and his four-seamer roughly 26% of the time. His slider accounted for 14.3% of his pitches, while his curveball accounted for 9.3%.
This article was originally published on www.puckettspond.com as Twins reliever makes case for Opening Day roster with strong Triple-A finish .
