Yankees Claim Twins Pitcher Nobody Knew They Waived

By    |  
Updated:
Follow Us
Brent Headrick, Minnesota Twins
Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins had a full 40-man roster after the recent signings of (OF) Harrison Bader and (RP) Danny Coulombe. They even traded (OF) Michael Helman and designated (RP) Ronny Henriquez for assignment, in order to clear space for those signings.

Twins reliever surprisingly claimed by Yankees

But on Tuesday, a surprising move out of New York caught Twins reporters and fans by surprise. Apparently, the Twins had recently designated Brent Headrick for assignment too, though it was not reported on or inputted into the league’s transaction log. We only found out because Headrick was claimed by the Yankees today.

This offseason, the Minnesota Twins have been trying to find left-handed options to replace Caleb Thielbar in their bullpen, after the Minnesota native signed with the Chicago Cubs earlier this offseason.

Ultimately, the newly signed Coulombe fills that role, but depth behind him is questionable, which makes the Headrick DFA even more head-scratching. Again, no mention of Headrick being designated for assignment was reported on prior to him being claimed by the New York Yankees.

It turns out the Twins did have another move in the works, to help explain the Headrick DFA. Tuesday afternoon, right after the former reliever was claimed by the Yankees, Minnesota signed former Seattle Mariners first baseman Ty France.

Goodbye Brett Headrick…

The former 9th round pick made his big league debut in 2023 and threw 25 2/3 innings. He allowed seven home runs in that stretch and needed to figure things out a bit more at the Triple-A level.

The injury bug bit Headrick early last season. He wound up throwing just 19 1/3 innings because of it. Three of those came in a single outing for the Minnesota Twins. He gave up a home run while striking out five against the Red Sox during a late-September game in Boston.

Headrick profiles as a back-end starter or long-relief option out of the bullpen. It’s curious that the Twins would move on from him with no official announcement. He looks like ideal organization depth, and has been someone that elevated himself into the major league conversation.

Related: New Twins Channel Debut Revealed Along with Broadcast Enhancements

We will have to wait and see if another move is coming. That would certainly make more sense of the situation. Minnesota has been rumored to be looking for big league infield depth.

Headrick isn’t necessarily a loss that will shock the system, but the implications here suggest that the Twins are confident in Coulombe and Kody Funderburk. There is not another left-handed option present on the 40-man roster right now.

Marlins claim Minnesota Twins Ronny Henriquez

After the signings earlier this week the Twins needed to shuffle their 40-man roster. That meant putting Ronny Henriquez on waivers. He was part of the return in the Mitch Garver trade with the Texas Rangers. Now he’s headed to Miami.

Henriquez returned to the big leagues last season after only pitching in the minors during 2023. He threw 19 1/3 innings with a 3.26 ERA. Definitely a fringe reliever, he has been sent off the roster by Minnesota multiple times previously.

The Marlins should provide a greater opportunity for him to stick in the bullpen. At just 24 years old, there’s still plenty of reason to believe he could blossom into a valuable piece.

Mentioned in this article:

More About: