Two young Twins starting pitchers ended their seasons on a high note

Two young Twins starting pitchers ended their 2025 seasons on a high note this week in Arlington, Texas. Both Taj Bradley and Zebby Matthews showcased their impressive raw stuff against the Rangers and provided a reason for optimism as they head into a huge offseason.

In the Twins' 4-2 loss on Wednesday night, Bradley struck out five of the first six batters he faced and went toe-to-toe with Jacob deGrom. He finished the night having made easily his best start in a Twins uniform.

Over six innings, Bradley allowed two hits, two walks, and one earned run on a solo homer. He generated 11 whiffs and struck out nine batters, with six of those Ks coming on his outstanding curveball. Bradley's fastball sat at 95-97 and got up to 98. He also recorded a couple strikeouts with his cutter and mixed in a handful of splitters.

Taj Bradley's 3Ks in the 6th. pic.twitter.com/3UdMQ1K84y
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 25, 2025

The Twins acquired the 24-year-old Bradley from the Rays for Griffin Jax before the trade deadline a couple months ago. He ended up making six starts for Minnesota this season, and he allowed three or more earned runs in four of those. That included two seven-run blowup outings, which is why his Twins ERA is 6.61.

But Bradley had 32 strikeouts to 12 walks in 31.1 innings for the Twins, and his raw stuff is clearly there. It's all about consistency in execution for Bradley, who has a 4.86 career ERA and 410 strikeouts in 385.1 MLB innings. He's got a strong chance to be part of Minnesota's rotation to open next season.

Another player with a good chance to break camp in the rotation next spring is Matthews. Like Bradley, his numbers aren't great. Matthews, 25, has a 5.92 ERA in his first 117 big-league innings. But 131 strikeouts to 35 walks tell you there's potential for more. He also twirled a gem against the Rangers to conclude his season.

In Tuesday's 4-1 Twins win, Matthews went seven innings and allowed just four hits, no walks, and one earned run (on a solo homer). He struck out six and generated 12 whiffs, eight of which came on his slider. His four-seam fastball also sat 95-97. It was a much-needed night for Zebby, who was coming off of allowing nine earned runs in three innings against the Yankees last week.

Bradley and Matthews won't be handed spots in the 2026 rotation (unless Joe Ryan and/or Pablo López are traded, which is a different conversation). Bailey Ober is still under contract via arbitration. Mick Abel, who pitches on Saturday in Philadelphia against his former team, will be in the mix. Same with Simeon Woods Richardson, who will pitch the regular season finale on Sunday. David Festa, if his shoulder is healthy, will also compete for a spot.

If Ryan, Lopez, and Ober are all still around (which is no guarantee), there will be two spots available for the five-man group of Bradley, Matthews, Abel, Woods Richardson, and Festa. That would lead to some strong competition in spring training. The Twins desperately need at least a couple of their young pitchers to turn their upside into consistent results in 2026 and beyond.

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