Merryweather joins a revamped bullpen race, aiming to recapture his 2023 form amidst injury concerns.
The Minnesota Twins signed right-handed reliever Julian Merryweather to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training on Wednesday, adding another veteran arm to what has been an ongoing bullpen rebuild.
The 34-year-old will head to Fort Myers as a non-roster invitee and compete for a spot on the big league roster.
Merryweather was one of several moves the Twins made this week, as the club also signed former All-Star Liam Hendriks to a minor league deal and acquired left-hander Anthony Banda from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
All three moves point to an organization that knows it needs to rebuild its relief corps after last summer's trade deadline fire sale gutted the group.
What Merryweather Brings to Camp
Merryweather has pitched parts of six big league seasons between the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs, putting together a career 4.72 ERA across 158.1 innings.
His best year came in 2023 with the Cubs when he posted a 3.38 ERA and racked up 98 strikeouts in 72 innings out of the bullpen, showing off the kind of stuff that makes him worth a look on a low-risk deal.
Merryweather features a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and can touch 97 mph, along with a solid slider that gives him a real weapon against right-handed hitters.
The last two seasons have been a different story, though.
Injuries have slowed Merryweather down and his velocity has dipped, which led to a 6.15 ERA over just 33.2 innings combined in 2024 and 2025.
Last season he made 21 appearances for the Cubs before being released at the end of May, and he spent the rest of the year bouncing between minor league stints with the Mets and Brewers.
He posted a 5.87 ERA across 23 innings in Triple-A, so there are real questions about whether he can get back to where he was.
Why Minnesota Makes Sense
The Twins are coming off a 70-92 season that saw them finish fourth in the AL Central, and the bullpen was a big part of the problem.
Minnesota traded away key relievers like Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Brock Stewart at the deadline last summer, leaving the group thin heading into 2026.
Right now the only real locks for the pen are Taylor Rogers, Justin Topa, Cole Sands and Kody Funderburk, which means there is a wide open path for guys like Merryweather to fight their way onto the roster this spring.
That lack of depth is exactly what has made Minnesota an attractive landing spot for veteran arms on minor league deals.
Merryweather joins a group of non-roster invitees that also includes Dan Altavilla, Matt Bowman and Grant Hartwig, all of whom will be looking to prove they belong.
If Merryweather can stay healthy and find his old fastball command, he has the kind of stuff that could play in the middle innings for a team that desperately needs pitching help heading into the new season.
Spring training will tell the story. It is a low-risk move for the Twins, and for Merryweather it is a chance to prove that his 2023 breakout was not a fluke.