Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Taj Bradley has been superb to start the 2026 season. Currently, he has three wins, 37 strikeouts, and a 2.91 ERA. He has improved the starting staff by transforming from an inconsistent pitcher into a respectable number-three arm.
Acquired Last Season
After struggling with an ERA close to 5 over three seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, the team demoted him. He was sent to Triple-A Durham in July, ending his tenure with the major league team. The Twins acquired Bradley at the trade deadline for Griffin Jax.
Spring Training
The change in teams and coaching seems to have done some good for the pitcher. During Spring Training, Bradley worked with former Twins pitcher and now bullpen coach LaTroy Hawkins on his mechanics. Hawkins helped him with his control and his confidence. He finished with 23 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings. He showed consistent command and excellent pitch selection. After Tommy John surgery ended Pablo López’s season, Bradley earned a spot on the Twins’ Opening Day rotation.
Early On with Tampa Bay
Bradley’s development on the mound comes after a long journey to the Big Leagues. After the Rays selected him in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, he finally made his MLB debut on April 12, 2023. Despite a challenging rookie year, Bradley went on to pitch in over 20 games a year during his three years with the Rays.
https://www.mlb.com/twins/video/taj-bradley-talks-path-to-the-majors-early-successes
Twins See a Future
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Taj Bradley has been superb to start the season. The organization sees a long future with the right-hander as a quality starter. With fellow emerging arms Mick Abel, top pitching prospect Connor Prielipp, and Kendry Rojas, the team has a positive outlook on their starting rotation and bullpen.
Twins Decent Start
Almost all the predictors have the Twins being the worst team in the American League. This comes after their fire sale last season. Nonetheless, they have started the season off decently. They have had five comeback wins and had a four-game winning streak. Included in their wins are a sweep of the Detroit Tigers and series wins over both the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. This doesn’t sound like a team settling for last place.
Bradley will be needed
If the team’s early success can continue and they can avoid the long losing streaks, they can be competitive. However, this is a young, inexperienced team, and the Twins will need Bradley to remain a force in the rotation. He will struggle at times, but the Twins want him to forget the negative and focus on pitching well and pitching with confidence.
If Bradley can do that, he can keep this team from long losing streaks. While a return to the postseason is considered unlikely by many, the Twins could remain in the mix as a team that could stay around the .500 mark all season. A healthy Bradley pitching as well as he is could be the key they need.
