Reliever Danny Coulombe spent the last two seasons in Baltimore after the Twins traded him for cash just before the start of the 2023 campaign. On February 4, Coulombe reportedly agreed to return to Minnesota, on a one-year deal. The move gives the Twins another left-handed reliever, fitting given Minnesota is short on lefty arms.
A Look at Coulombe
Veteran reliever Danny Coulombe has been one of the better lefty bullpen arms over the last three seasons. The ex-Oriole posted the fourth-best ERA+ (165) from 2022-24, behind only Dylan Lee, Bryan Hudson, and Tyler Holton. And last season, Coulombe struck out 32 over 29.2 IP and a .67 WHIP, an injury-shortened campaign.
The numbers were impressive, one season after Coulombe was a very valuable piece to Baltimore’s AL East championship team. The 35-year-old made 61 appearances for the O’s in 2023 and ranked well-above-average in many metrics, including Chase% (33.9%, 94th percentile) and Hard Hit% (30.4%, 95th percentile)
Despite the strong numbers, the Orioles opted not to pick up Coulombe’s $4MM team option for 2025. However, there were two important notes to take away from that.
One, the Orioles had several lefties — Keegan Akin, Cionel Perez, and Gregory Soto — on their roster. Two, Coulombe does have an injury history. The 35-year-old missed time last season thanks to elbow surgery to remove bone chips. He also missed time in 2022 (hip) and 2023 (biceps).
When healthy, Coulombe has a lot of offerings to work with. His most-used pitch is a high-80s cut-fastball that acts a lot like a slider; above-average horizontal movement and dips down like a breaking ball.
It’s part of Coulombe’s toolset of “junk” pitches, which is anything but junk. The lefty can keep hitters off balance with other offerings, including a sinker, sweeper, and four-seamer. On top of that, Coulombe will break out a hard knuckle-curve with some of the best vertical drop in the Majors.
The move marks Coulombe’s return to Minnesota. He spent three seasons (2020-22) with the Twins.
Per the Minnesota Star-Tribune, the Twins are signing Danny Coulombe to a one-year deal worth $3MM.
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Analysis
Once this deal becomes final, it would mark the first time this offseason the Twins signed a player to a MLB deal this offseason. Minnesota’s made a flurry of minor trades, including adding utilityman Mickey Gasper and ex-Dodger Diego Cartaya, and Minor League signings before adding Coulombe.
The Twins have a shortage of lefties on their 40-man roster at the moment. The only two on the roster are starter/reliever Brent Headrick and reliever Kody Funderburk.
The 28-year-old Funderburk is a ground-ball machine with interesting stuff but is not a swing-and-miss pitcher. And last season, his tendencies and BB% got him in trouble. Headrick, meanwhile, was hurt for most of 2024 and only made one appearance with the big club, in September against the Red Sox.
Minnesota added left-handed relief help in Steven Okert before last season. However, Okert struggled in an uncharacteristically bad season and went to free agency last fall. Okert landed on a Minor League deal with the Astros this winter.
Coulombe has been a reliable arm over the years, including with Minnesota. He can get both lefties and righties — batters from both sides posted sub-.500 OPS figures — out, giving the Twins needed middle-relief help for the upcoming season.