The Twins announced that they have signed left-hander Génesis Cabrera to a minor league deal, per Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune. The southpaw will report to Triple-A St. Paul.
Cabrera, 28, has had an up-and-down career. He has good velocity, hitting mid-90s with both of his fastballs, as well as throwing a cutter and a curveball. He previously threw a changeup but seems to have swapped that out for a splitter this year.
Broadly speaking, he has not had great control. He has been able to get some strikeouts, but has been inconsistent in that regard. Overall, he has 303 2/3 innings in the big leagues with a 4.06 earned run average. His 10.9% walk rate is a couple of ticks above par. His 22.1% strikeout rate is close to average but, as mentioned, has oscillated. He struck out a third of opponents in the shortened 2020 season but that dropped to 26% and then to 16.5% in the next two seasons. He got that back up to 24.3% in 2023 but has been below 19% since then.
He has been in journeyman mode this year, likely a result of both his inconsistent results and the fact that he has at least five years of service time, meaning he can no longer be optioned to the minors without his consent. He has had brief stints with the Mets, Cubs and Pirates this year, tossing between 7 and 11 innings with each. Put together, he has a 5.79 ERA and 18.8% strikeout rate in 28 frames. His 6.6% walk rate has been a nice improvement relative to his previous work.
The Twins traded away all their best relievers prior to the deadline. Jhoan Durán, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Brock Stewart and Danny Coulombe were all sent packing in the 24 hours prior to the deadline. Since then, the club has called up various pitchers from the minors, in addition to claiming Thomas Hatch and Brooks Kriske off waivers.
Cabrera will give them another experienced arm without taking up a roster spot. The fact that he’s left-handed makes sense. Currently, Kody Funderburk is the only healthy southpaw on the 40-man roster. There’s not enough time left in the year for Cabrera to get to six years of service time. If he happens to be holding a roster spot at season’s end, he can be retained for 2026 via arbitration.
Photo courtesy of Stephen Brashear, Imagn Images