Ex-Twins reliever who struggled in late-season collapse signs with Korean team

Cole Irvin was plucked off waivers and immediately put into high-leverage situations.

Sep 17, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Cole Irvin (24) delivers a pitch in the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. / David Richard-Imagn Images

Former Twins reliever Cole Irvin, who played a small part in Minnesota's calamitous late-season collapse this year, has signed with the Doosan Bears of the KBO in South Korea.

After being designated for assignment by the Orioles, Irvin was claimed off waivers by the Twins on September 16. He was then immediately thrust into a high-leverage role for a reeling team that needed a left-handed arm in the bullpen — and the results were predictably poor.

In four appearances for the Twins, Irvin allowed 6 hits, 4 walks, and 5 earned runs across 3.2 innings. That's a 12.27 ERA. He got one out in a win over the Guardians in his first game with Minnesota, but things went downhill from there.

Two days later, Irvin gave up 4 hits and the game-tying run in the seventh inning of a 3-2 loss to Cleveland. On September 22, in the second game of a doubleheader in Boston, Irvin surrendered a two-out, three-run homer to Romy Gonzalez that put the Red Sox up 3-2 in the fifth. He then allowed two more to reach base to begin a sixth inning that ended with the Twins down 9-2. His final line was 4 earned runs in 0.2 innings.

Three-run go-ahead shot over The Monster for Romy Gonzalez! pic.twitter.com/ZRMERxUAJJ

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 22, 2024

Irvin's last appearance with Minnesota was an unimportant ninth inning in a killer 4-1 home loss against the Marlins on the 24th. He was DFA'd the next day.

In a very small sample size, Irvin — who had a 4.86 ERA with the Orioles in 2024 — pitched in higher-leverage situations than any Twins reliever not named Jhoan Duran or Griffin Jax.

Highest average leverage index by #MNTwins relievers last season:

1.94 — Jhoan Duran
1.77 — Griffin Jax
1.42 — Cole Irvin
1.21 — Brock Stewart

Opponents hit .375/.500/.625 off Irvin with the Twins.https://t.co/34aH6JU4uA

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) November 15, 2024

To summarize: with their playoff hopes on the line, the Twins entrusted multiple high-leverage spots to a waiver claim who had been bad with his previous team. He pitched poorly in two crucial losses, was cut, and will now pitch overseas in 2025.

As Aaron Gleeman put it, "weird s*** happens during a collapse."

For the record, Irvin is extremely, extremely far down the list of people who deserve blame for the Twins' stunning collapse. It's not his fault he was put into situations he probably shouldn't have ever been in. He's merely one of many examples of the dumpster-diving approach to personnel additions resulting in disaster — as it almost always does — for a team whose owners decided to slash payroll by $30 million before the season began.