Minnesota Twins Make Roster Decision After Trade With AL Central Team

The Minnesota Twins have been strategically making small improvements to their bullpen throughout the month of July in an attempt to build a more capable group back there.

Last year they gutted the entire bullpen, trading away nearly every arm with value at the trade deadline. However, with the Twins built this year to potentially make the playoffs, they are doing the opposite ahead of this deadline, actually adding bullpen arms.

Earlier in July, the Twins made a trade with their American League Central rivals, the Detroit Tigers, acquiring Woo-Suk Go in exchange for cash considerations and subsequently adding him to the 40-man roster. He was called up just a couple of days later to provide some innings out of the bullpen.

However, Go's time with the big-league club is coming to an end, at least for now. The Twins announced during their current series against the Cleveland Guardians that Jack Anderson had been recalled from Triple-A. Go was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Go's latest opportunity came to an end after Monday's outing against the Guardians, when he surrendered three runs on four hits while recording just three outs. Over four total innings with Minnesota, he has allowed four earned runs on eight hits.

The command was not necessarily the issue for Go, as he collected five strikeouts and walked just two batters. The problem was the quality of contact.

Opposing hitters consistently squared him up. Big-league hitters were making loud contact, and that is a difficult formula for any reliever to survive. Triple-A offers a better environment for Go to make adjustments without the pressure of a playoff race.

His departure opens the door for Anderson, who Minnesota claimed from the Boston Red Sox organization last week. The 26-year-old right-hander already made his big-league debut with Boston this season and also represented Great Britain during the World Baseball Classic.

In limited big-league action with the Red Sox, Anderson logged eight innings across three appearances, allowing three runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and two walks.

Anderson is not going to overpower hitters. For the Twins, though, this is not about finding the next elite arm. It is about finding competent innings from a bullpen that has been one of the organization's biggest weaknesses all season long.

Go has minor-league options remaining so it makes sense to take a chance on Anderson for now.