Twins Claim Former First-Round Pick With 8.21 Career ERA in MLB

Jackson Kowar has only thrown 91 innings in the big leagues, so he could have some upside for Minnesota as a bullpen reclamation project.

Jul 29, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Jackson Kowar (37) throws a pitch against the Athletics during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

The Twins have claimed former Royals first-round pick Jackson Kowar off waivers, the team announced on Tuesday. He's a 6'5" right-handed pitcher who was recently designated for assigment by the Mariners. Minnesota's 40-man roster is now full.

Kowar, 29, has an 8.21 ERA and 58 walks in 91 career innings at the MLB level. He had Tommy John surgery a couple years ago. It's not an inspiring addition. But the Twins need bodies with some semblance of upside in a bullpen that was torn to shreds at last year's trade deadline. Kowar, assuming he remains on the roster, will get to compete in spring training for a spot on the Opening Day roster.

After an excellent junior season at the University of Florida, Kowar was taken 33rd overall by Kansas City in the 2018 MLB Draft. He had a 3.52 ERA in his first full professional season in 2019, which made him a borderline top-100 prospect in baseball in both 2020 (when the minor league season was cancelled due to COVID) and 2021.

Since then, his career hasn't panned out. Kowar pitched well at Triple-A in 2021 but made his MLB debut and had an 11.27 ERA in 30.1 innings for Kansas City. In 2022 and '23, he struggled both in the big leagues and in Triple-A. He wound up in Seattle the following offseason, only to tear his UCL and miss all of 2024.

Last year, Kowar returned to action and had a 4.24 ERA in 17 innings of relief for the Mariners. He was recently DFA'd by Seattle after they acquired catcher Jhonny Pereda from the Twins for cash considerations.

Jackson Kowar in 2023 | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The upside for the Twins starts with Kowar's fastball velocity. He averaged 96.9 miles per hour in 2023, then bumped that up to 97.3 last season after coming back from Tommy John surgery. His changeup used to be his primary offspeed pitch, but last year he leaned heavily on his slider and hardly threw the changeup.

Kowar has struggled immensely in the big leagues, with a 1.93 WHIP to go with his 8.21 ERA. But he has at least struck out 90 batters in 91 innings. Across his minor league career, he has a 4.30 ERA with 434 strikeouts and 174 walks in exactly 400 innings. Kowar has velocity and strikeout stuff, but the only way he'll emerge as any sort of reliable option for the Twins is if he's able to improve his control and limit the walks that have been an issue throughout his career.

Another new arm

In other Twins news, they've agreed to a minor league deal with RHP Eduardo Salazar, according to Jon Heyman. The 27-year-old from Venezuela has pitched for the Reds, Dodgers, and Nationals over the past three seasons. He has a 5.99 MLB ERA but put up good numbers (2.76 ERA) in 29.1 innings in 2024. His career ERA in the minor leagues is 4.43.

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