They were the top two pitching returns for the Minnesota Twins during the fire sale at the trade deadline. Now, Mick Abel and Taj Bradley enter the off-season with questions surrounding their roles for the 2026 starting rotation.
When the Twins acquired them, Abel and Bradley were in Triple-A, working on their mechanics after mixed results in the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays, respectively.
Upon arriving in Minnesota’s farm system, Abel was trying to pick up where he left off with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He dominated in his first three starts with the St. Paul Saints from August 3 to 16, pitching to just a 1.76 ERA in 15 ⅓ innings while allowing only six walks, seven hits, and striking out 23.
However, things weren’t as clean-cut for Bradley with the Saints. His first start was excellent, allowing just one run on five hits and no walks through six innings of work against the I-Cubs at CHS Field.
But his next two starts on the road against the Omaha Storm Chasers weren’t as encouraging. Bradley allowed 11 runs on 16 hits and two walks through 8 ⅓ innings. While the low walk numbers were encouraging, the lack of swing-and-miss on his pitches led to an abundance of hits against Bradley.
Still, Minnesota’s plans for its new, young starters seemed to become clear. Allow them to have three starts in the minors to be evaluated, then join the big-league rotation. And that’s exactly what happened. Abel and Bradley joined the Twins’ rotation ahead of their weekend series against the Chicago White Sox on August 22.
The results couldn’t have been any worse. Abel made the first start, allowing nine base runners to reach and six to score through three innings of work. Bradley pitched the next day and made it through five innings, but allowed seven runs on nine hits and a walk.
Following his lousy first start, Bradley remained in the rotation the rest of the season for the Twins. However, Abel came out of the bullpen for his next outing and had poorer results against the San Diego Padres. He allowed six runs on seven hits and a walk in one inning, and they sent him back down to St. Paul.
While most of the season was a bumpy ride for Minnesota’s starters, and especially their newest acquisitions, the final turn in the rotation in Texas and Philadelphia turned out to be the best from their rotation post-trade deadline. Abel and Bradley, along with Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, Zebby Matthews, and Simeon Woods Richardson, combined to allow just five earned runs in 36 innings. At the same time, Abel, Bradley, Ryan, and Woods Richardson each recorded nine strikeouts in their final starts.
Even though the Twins went 3-3 in the last week, the results from their budding starting rotation were the most encouraging thing the team could hang its hat on for what’s ahead in 2026. Even with such encouraging results to end the year, it’s unclear what roles Abel and Bradley will have in the starting rotation next season.
If the Twins trade either Pablo López or Ryan, or possibly both, that locks Abel and Bradley into the Opening Day rotation. Suppose one or both remain on the team in spring training. Then Abel and Bradley will have to audition for the last spot alongside Matthews and David Festa, because López, Ryan, Ober, and Woods Richardson look like locks for the rotation next year.
Between the two, Abel is the more likely candidate the Twins seem willing to move into a full-time relief role. However, he’s only made eight starts in the majors between the Phillies and the Twins. Abel’s performance in Triple-A this season earned him the International League Pitcher of the Year award. He had a 2.20 ERA with 114 strikeouts and a 1.11 WHIP in 18 starts with the Saints and Pigs.
Abel’s results haven’t translated to the majors. Still, the Twins won’t move him to the bullpen to fill a need there. They will likely convert other minor-league starters, like Marco Raya and Cory Lewis, first because they struggled in the rotation last season.
On the other hand, Bradley hasn’t been used as a reliever since his rookie year in 2023. As things stand, he looks like he’s locked in Minnesota’s last spot in the rotation. He’s pitched 385 ⅓ innings in the majors, but owns a career 4.86 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. The most encouraging thing from him in his six starts with the Twins was his command of the strike zone, allowing only 12 walks in 31 ⅓ innings.
The Twins brought these two in to help stabilize the rotation as the team overhauls into a new era. There’s plenty of upside to using Bradley and Abel in the starting rotation for all of 2026 if possible. Still, the Twins should not have to rely on them so heavily as long as they keep either López or Ryan to help lead a rotation with more upside next season.