The Minnesota Twins acquired right-handed reliever Justin Lawrence from the Pittsburgh Pirates late Monday night in exchange for cash considerations.
The Twins announced the move after Pittsburgh designated Lawrence for assignment last week. That DFA came after Lawrence struggled mightily early this season, allowing 13 earned runs and walking 12 batters in just 22 innings pitched.
It’s another low-risk flyer for a Minnesota bullpen that’s been patched together all season long.
The numbers tell the story. Twins relievers rank 25th in ERA and 29th in strikeout rate – they’re only ahead of Washington in that category. They also posted one of the highest walk rates in May, which isn’t shocking given the personnel they’re working with.
That’s what happens when you ship out multiple relievers at the trade deadline and don’t really replace them. As Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors put it, “the Twins have done very little to replace the various relievers they shipped out at last year’s deadline.”
Lawrence spent his first four big league seasons with Colorado before joining Pittsburgh last year. That’s worth noting because Coors Field makes life miserable for pitchers.
His career 5.43 ERA looks a lot less concerning when you factor in that ballpark effect. Lawrence throws with a sidewinding delivery that can make at-bats uncomfortable, especially for righties.
The Twins are betting they can get something useful out of a guy who was available for basically nothing. At this point, they don’t have much to lose.
