Assessing Twins' bullpen with Trevor Richards added, Josh Staumont DFA'd

The Twins made just one minor addition to their bullpen at the trade deadline.

Jul 4, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Trevor Richards (33) delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros in the seventh inning at Rogers Centre. / Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

It was an extremely quiet trade deadline for the Twins, whose lone move was to acquire right-handed reliever Trevor Richards from the Toronto Blue Jays. He's a 31-year-old rental joining his fifth team. Going the other way in the deal is infielder Jay Harry, a 2023 sixth-round pick who was struggling in high-A this year and was not among the Twins' top 30 prospects.

Richards isn't a splashy addition, which explains why it cost very little to get him. He has a 4.64 ERA with Toronto in 52.1 innings this season, which is actually an improvement from his 4.95 ERA last season and a 5.34 mark in 2022. Richards' last season as an above-average reliever came in 2021, when he posted a 3.50 ERA split between three different teams. Once a starter with the Marlins, Richards has a 4.51 career ERA across a seven-year career with Miami, Tampa Bay, Milwaukee, and Toronto.

The upside for the Twins is that Richards has proven to have strikeout stuff. Last season, he struck out 105 in 72.2 innings for a rate of 13 Ks per 9. He was also around 11 Ks per 9 in both 2021 and '22, though he's down at 8.4 this season. Richards' ERA wasn't great last year because he had a high walk rate and gave up too much hard contact, but he had elite strikeout stuff and strong expected stats.

Trevor Richards' baseball savant page from 2023. /

This year, Richards' ERA was in the mid-2s until a really rough July; he's allowed 15 earned runs in his last eight innings pitched. His strikeout stuff has been way down, but he has a 3.28 xERA and a .202 opponent xBA. That's gotta be part of the appeal for the Twins.

Richards has been a two-pitch guy since 2023. His main weapon is his outstanding changeup, which he throws around 57 percent of the time. His fastball sits in the low 90s and complements the change. It seems unlikely that the Twins will want him to add a third pitch back into the mix at this point of the season, so they're probably banking on him shaking off this recent tough stretch and using his changeup to miss bats.

Trevor Richards, Changeup Machine. 👌 pic.twitter.com/WlC3wKdp9M

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 6, 2023

To make room for Richards on the roster, the Twins designated Josh Staumont for assignment. The former Royal had a 0.0 ERA for a while this season, but his expected numbers indicated that wasn't sustainable. He's also had a very poor recent stretch. Still, it's somewhat surprising that Staumont was the one to get DFA'd.

Josh Staumont had a 0.00 ERA through 19 2/3 innings for the #MNTwins despite a poor 15/8 SO/BB ratio while primarily being used in a mop-up role.

Since then, Staumont allowed 10 runs in 4 2/3 innings with twice as many walks (6) as strikeouts (3).https://t.co/RyTwTMXkkL

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) July 30, 2024

Here's what the Twins' bullpen looks like as they head into the final two months of the season:

Closer: Jhoan Duran
Setup guys: Griffin Jax, Brock Stewart
Other righties: Jorge Alcala, Cole Sands, Trevor Richards
Lefties: Steven Okert, Caleb Thielbar

Justin Topa, who is currently rehabbing at Triple-A St. Paul, is close to making his Twins debut. When he does, he could enter the high-leverage mix.

Is that collection of arms good enough? We'll see. Stewart has given up 8 runs in 2.1 innings since coming off the injured list, but he was incredible last season and should theoretically bounce back. Duran and Jax are a strong top two, plus Alcala and Sands have pitched well this year. Topa was excellent for the Mariners in 2023. Maybe Richards is an upgrade from Staumont.

Part of the disappointment of this trade deadline is that the Twins couldn't go out and get a reliable left-handed reliever. They didn't have to break the bank for someone like Miami's Tanner Scott, but they really need a lefty who they can count on to some degree. Okert (4.50 ERA) and Thielbar (5.74) have not been good enough. With that said, it is worth noting that Richards — as a changeup specialist who doesn't throw a breaking ball — has been more effective against lefties than righties throughout his career. If he's able to shake off this rough patch, he could help in that regard in a way Staumont couldn't.