Taylor Rogers

Rogers once again got the opportunity to be a full-time closer when San Diego acquired him from Minnesota on Opening Day. The southpaw was one of the best pitchers in the league in the first half, racking up a league-leading 26 saves by the All Star break. However, Rogers fell apart in July (9.31 ERA) and the Padres shipped him to Milwaukee as part of the Josh Hader deal. He had a few more blowups with the Brewers and was bitten by the long ball, giving up six of his seven home runs over the final two months. Rogers' slider was still effective, but he lost some zip on his sinker, which sat 94.3 mph on average and was very hittable (.306 BAA, .439 SLG). When you have a two-pitch aresenal and one of your pitches isn't working, you're bound to struggle. However, there's still a lot to like in the lefty's profile. Rogers maintains above-average strikeout (30.7%) and walk (6.6%) rates while his versatility and late-inning experience should benefit the Giants. He'll likely be the setup man to Camilo Doval, but Rogers could enter the mix for saves with Gabe Kapler often liking to play matchups.

Rogers returned to his elite reliever form last season, showing his 2020 decline was more cosmetic than any loss of skills (his 4.05 ERA in 2020 was driven by a poor .404 BAPIP). However, his season was cut short in July by a season-ending left middle finger sprain. Rogers had a career-high 35.5% strikeout rate and 95.8 mph average fastball. He also improved against righties (.713 OPS) after some struggles in 2020 (.833 OPS allowed). Rogers only had nine saves as the Twins began the season with Alex Colome as the primary closer, with disastrous results. While Rogers' ratios may have declined if he had pitched a full season, he showed he's a dominant reliever if his finger is back to full strength. He should emerge as Minnesota's primary closer, but his upside for saves may be limited given that manager Rocco Baldelli has ignored traditional closer patterns.

Rogers appeared to take a step backward last year as Minnesota's primary closer. He took four losses and had two blown saves in 21 appearances. However, his underlying numbers show he was nearly the same pitcher he was in 2019; his 2.83 FIP mirrored his 2.84 FIP in 2019. Rogers' strikeout rate declined from 32.4%, but was still near his career average at 27.5%. His average fastball velocity held nearly steady at 94.6 mph along with his stellar walk rate (5%) and home-run rate (0.90 HR/9). He did struggle against righties (.833 OPS allowed), which had been an issue before 2019. He no longer the top option for saves in the Minnesota bullpen after the club signed Alex Colome, but manager Rocco Baldelli has ignored traditional closer patterns, so expect Rogers to still see some matchup-based opportunities.

Rogers emerged from an unsettled bullpen situation early in the year to become the Twins' clear primary closer with 30 saves. His usage was unconventional as he had 12 saves of more than three outs. Manager Rocco Baldelli wasn't afraid to use him earlier in games based on matchups (30 of his appearances were before the ninth inning). Whenever he was used, Taylor was effective, improving his velocity to an average 94.8 mph fastball (from 93.4 mph in 2018) and his strikeout rate to 32.4% (from 28.9% in 2018). Always dominant against lefties, Rogers has continually improved against righties (.611 OPS vs. RHB last season). Baldelli showed that he is not handcuffed to traditional closer usage patterns, so Rogers may have to occasionally do the dirty work without the reward of the save. That said, he will be the top option in the Minnesota bullpen again in 2020.

Rogers continues to improve against right-handed hitters and will be a key setup man for the Twins. He started the season slow, falling out of his setup role with a 5.48 ERA through May. However, he began to use a slider instead of a changeup in June and had a dramatic turnaround, especially against right-handed hitters. He had a 1.34 ERA after June 1 with a 10.9 K/9. He finished the season with a streak of 26 scoreless innings. Taylor was as dominant as ever against lefties with a .428 OPS allowed, and the new pitch helped limit righties to a .643 OPS (compared to a career .744 OPS allowed). About the only negative is that his usage in the bullpen wasn't consistent, which resulted in a decline from a MLB-leading 30 holds to just 18 last year. He'll figure prominently in the setup corps this season, likely trailing Trevor May and Addison Reed in the hierarchy for saves.

Rogers has become a key member of the bullpen for Minnesota as he moved from being a lefty specialist in 2016 to the primary eighth-inning setup man for much of 2017. His 30 holds led all of baseball last season. Rogers dominates lefties (.560 OPS allowed in 2017) and improved slightly against righties last year (.766 OPS allowed vs. an .811 OPS allowed in 2016). His average fastball velocity (93.8 mph) and strikeout rate (7.9 K/9) are not what one would expect to see from a quality late-inning arm, and he also struggled with his control last season -- his 3.4 BB/9 was his worst mark since he was in Low-A. Rogers' platoon splits and lack of premium bat-missing stuff limit his chances to win the closer role if it were to open. He has shown he can be a productive member of Minnesota's relief corps, but he appears underqualified to handle the eighth inning on a contending team.

Rogers went from being a productive but uninspiring starter at Triple-A, to a lefty reliever in the majors with some success. His rookie season featured a decent 3.96 ERA, but an impressive 9.4 K/9 and a 51.4 percent groundball rate. He was even better against left-handed batters with a .547 opponents' OPS. If he can limit the damage from right-handed batters (.811 OPS allowed), he could have an increasingly important role in Minnesota's bullpen.

The 24-year-old lefty put up a 3.98 ERA (3.21 FIP) in 174 innings at Triple-A last season. He could approach 200 innings in 2016 if he remains a starter, but the Twins are considering him for a lefty setup role this spring.