Two Former Minnesota Twins Players Find New Homes After Being Placed on Waivers

Two more relievers are out of the Minnesota Twins bullpen, and both have found new opportunities. Right-handers Jack Anderson and Eric Orze were claimed off waivers, Anderson by the New York Mets and Orze by the Chicago Cubs. Aaron Gleeman first reported the moves. Minnesota's 40-man roster is now down to 37 players.

Anderson's claim is the second of his 2026 season. He began the year with the Boston Red Sox and made his major-league debut in April, appearing in three games before getting optioned to the minors. Boston put him on waivers in July, and Minnesota claimed him. He bounced between Triple-A and the majors for the rest of the year.

The big league sample is small. Anderson allowed three earned runs in 12 1/3 innings across seven appearances. The Mets' interest likely comes from his arsenal. His fastball sits below 92 miles per hour, but he mixes a splitter, slider and curveball, and he is the kind of pitcher who gets by on variety rather than velocity.

He also has a couple of minor-league options left. That gives New York flexibility to shuffle him between the majors and Triple-A. The Mets could also try to slip him through waivers later this offseason and keep him as non-roster depth.

Orze's path was a bit different. The Mets drafted him in the fifth round in 2020, and he debuted with them in 2024. That offseason, they traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays for Jose Siri.

He was effective for Tampa Bay in 2025, posting a 3.02 ERA in 41 2/3 innings, but he allowed a lot of baserunners and benefited from some luck. The Rays moved on from him that November, sending him to Minnesota for pitching prospect Jacob Kisting.

The trade did not work out for the Twins. Orze posted a 5.66 ERA in 41 1/3 innings this season, and the 29-year-old had below-average strikeout and walk rates.

Now, he is on waivers a year after Minnesota acquired him. He has no minor league options remaining, which means he will have to carve out a major league role in 2027 with his third organization in three years. The Cubs get a look at an arm that has shown flashes but has not been consistent.

For Minnesota, this is another round of bullpen housecleaning. The Twins' relief unit needs a full revamp this offseason, and these two will not be part of it. Anthony Banda is also gone, as the Twins moved on from him earlier this offseason.

Minnesota has work to do. The bullpen was one of the weakest units in baseball last season, and rebuilding it will take multiple additions. Clearing roster spots is the first step. Finding arms who can actually get outs is the harder part.