Minnesota Twins 2024 Waiver Claim Can’t Find a Job in USA Anymore

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Cole Irvin, Minnesota Twins
Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images

On the field last season, the Minnesota Twins gave now President Derek Falvey every reason to supplement the roster at the trade deadline. They were dealing with major injuries throughout the team and the losses were starting to pile up, early in the 2nd half.

Unfortunately, the Pohlad family still own the franchise, and barred the front office from adding any salary, whether via trade or waiver claim. That meant Falvey was handcuffed to the bargain bin, where he found a struggling starter, Cole Irvin, who had been jettisoned from his previous employer, after posting a 1.407 WHIP and 77 ERA+ with the Baltimore Orioles.

Irvin wasn’t the Twins’ first option. Hell, he probably wasn’t in their top 25. But that’s what happens when the Pohlad family owns the baseball team you are paid to oversee. It’s the same reason we were stuck watching the Twins’ only trade deadline acquisition, reliever Trevor Richards, forget how to successfully throw a baseball from the mound to the catchers mitt.

Former Minnesota Twins reliever Cole Irvin off to Korea

Thus, they picked up Cole Irvin off the waiver wire, via the Baltimore Orioles, in mid-September. He would not have been eligible to pitch in the postseason, but Minnesota’s bullpen was desperate for arms down the stretch. Ultimately his playoff eligibility never came into play, since the Twins didn’t make the postseason.

Irvin lasted just four games in a Twins uniform, before he was waived. And now, just a couple of months later, it doesn’t look like the 30-year-old former 5th round draft pick has given up on his MLB dreams… at least for now. On Friday, news broke that Irvin is taking his baseball talents to South Korea.

Last season, Irvin played on a one-year contract worth $2 million. The major league minimum is roughly $776,000 for 2025. It’s likely the 6-year MLB vet was choosing between the KBO and a minor league contract in America.

Related: Minnesota Twins Claim They Aren’t Interested in Trading Stars

Cole Irvin heads to Korea with 134 major league appearances under his belt. He will be 31 years old this season, and should have an opportunity to come back stateside, should he pitch well. It’s also possible that Irvin decides to re-up with the Doosan Bears next season. If he gets back to form, Irvin would have additional earning power and more stability if he stays overseas.

Of course, the southpaw has to be hoping for better results in 2025, where he went from 107 innings with Baltimore, to four games with Minnesota, to out of the country entirely. No one wants to sign up for that sort of fall.

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