Even after ratifying left-hander J.A. Happ to a one-year,$ 8MM contract late last-place month, the Twins may not be done addressing their rotation. They remain in touch with one of their own free agents, right-hander Jake Odorizzi, and were in attendance for righty Jake Arrieta‘s throwing conference last-place Friday, La Velle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune reports. The Twins will stay in touch with Arrieta, according to Neal.

Odorizzi spent the previous three seasons with the Twins and compounded for a 4.11 ERA/ 4.34 SIERA in 337 innings. In his best season, 2019, Odorizzi gave an All-Star nod and pitched to a 3.51 ERA/ 4.14 SIERA with a a career-best 27.1 percentage strikeout charge and an 8.1 percentage march frequency over 159 frames. The Twins then sided Odorizzi a $17.8 MM qualifying give, and he accepted it instead of trying his luck in free agency.

Minnesota was no doubt expecting another quality depicting from Odorizzi when it returned him the QO, but it wasn’t to be in 2020. Injuries, including to his back, chest and right middle finger, limited him to 13 2/3 innings of 10-run ball. Odorizzi doesn’t seem to be a free agent at the ideal time, then, but considering his positive track record with the Imperials, Rays and Twins, he could still land a solid multiyear payday this offseason. Other than the Twins, Jon Morosi of MLB.com registers the Angels, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Giants and perhaps the Mets as crews vying for the soon-to-be 31 -year-old.

Either Odorizzi or Arrieta would fill out a Twins rotation that currently has Happ, Kenta Maeda, Jose Berrios, Michael Pineda and Randy Dobnak comprising its top five. Of track, unlike Odorizzi, Arrieta probably isn’t in line for better than a one-year contract. While Arrieta is a former NL Cy Young winner( 2015) with the Cubs, he’s now on the market after a duet of disappointing seasons with the Phillies. Arrieta, 35 in March, put up his worst ERA since 2012 last year( 5.08) in 44 1/3 innings. He likewise entered a skimpy 16.8 percentage strikeout percentage- one of the worst of his job- though he did record an above-average walk rate of 8.4 percentage and a 51.8 percent groundball rate.

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