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Yesterday with Mike Berardino, Terry Ryan didn't seem overly concerned about the bullpen. But that's his job. The reality of the situation is that we've seen the Twins' bullpen implode a couple of times in big situations over the last month or so, and while I agree with Ryan that the arms may not be "on fumes," Berardino is correct when he says that Paul Molitor may not be as willing to let his starters go that extra inning if another reliable arm or two were available in relief.
The Twins were interested in Jason Frasor prior to this season, but Frasor - who had been traded to Kansas City roughly one year ago - chose to re-sign with the Royals. Now that the Royals have released Frasor there's a good chance that Minnesota could still be interested. Frasor hasn't entirely been himself this year, which is probably expected of a pitcher in his age-37 season, but the command has clearly slipped. We know the Twins also kicked the tires on Neftali Feliz before the Tigers scooped him up a few days ago, so giving another retread a try is realistic.
Clearly there are better options out there, if the Twins are committed enough. I outlined seven options a few days ago, and I'm still a huge fan of Carter Capps and Will Smith.
On the catching front, the Braves have a few trade chips - one of whom is A.J. Pierzynski. Like Frasor he chose another team over the Twins, albeit this was pre-2014, but his marriage to the Red Sox didn't last long. At 38 he's having a good bounce back season with Atlanta, hitting .283/.315/.439 in 60 games. While he wouldn't constitute the drastic overall upgrade that might be beneficial for the Twins' offense, he works better as a pair with Kurt Suzuki than Eric Fryer or Chris Herrmann. Splitting time behind the plate makes more sense with Suzuki and Pierzynski than any of the internal options, and of course Pierzynski would act as a nice backup plan if Suzuki ever went down with an injury.
That's all for now folks. We'll be back with more later this afternoon. Enjoy your Tuesday!