Two Recently-Departed Twins Make Big First Impression With New Teams

James Outman and Simeon Woods Richardson are off to quite the start after being let go by Minnesota.

Jun 12, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Detroit Tigers center fielder James Outman (43) celebrates his home run as he rounds the bases during the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

After struggling massively for the Twins this season, two players the franchise recently gave up on made quite the first impression in their debut with a new team this week.

First it was Simeon Woods Richardson with the Blue Jays. Traded to Toronto after being designated for assignment by the Twins, SWR made his first outing this past Monday and threw four scoreless innings in relief in a loss to the Phillies. He struck out three, walked none, and allowed just one hit.

Woods Richardson was awful as a starter for the Twins this season, posting a 7.74 ERA in 47.2 innings pitched. He walked 25, struck out 26, and had a WHIP near 1.9. But he did throw three scoreless innings after being taken out of the rotation and moved to Minnesota's bullpen, which is why the timing of his DFA at the end of May was a little bit odd.

It's only one appearance for SWR with Toronto, who sent him to the Twins alongside Austin Martin for Jose Berrios in 2021. But his fastball velocity was up a tick, and his 2024-25 track record with Minnesota suggests there's a chance he becomes a useful bulk reliever for the Blue Jays moving forward. Then again, his 2026 suggests he might return to giving up runs in bunches soon.

Simeon Woods Richardson | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

A few days later, it happened again. Outfielder James Outman, who the Twins recently designated for assignment, was claimed by the Tigers. He started in center field for them on Friday night in Cleveland, made an early diving catch to save a run, and hit a solo homer in his first at-bat.

First Tiger AB is a HOME RUN! pic.twitter.com/x1s7tH45AQ

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) June 12, 2026

After coming over from the Dodgers in a trade last summer, Outman simply never hit with the Twins. He was 24 for 159 (.151) with four home runs, a .526 OPS, and a 42.5 percent strikeout rate in 174 plate appearances with Minnesota. He was mostly used as a pinch runner.

Outman also struggled immensely with the Dodgers in 2024 and '25 after hitting 23 home runs and finishing third in NL rookie of the year voting in 2023. The most likely outcome is probably that he continues to have a hard time at the plate in Detroit, but maybe a second change of scenery will help him rediscover some of his success from three years ago.

With both Outman and Woods Richardson, the Twins were completely justified in moving on — and arguably should've done so sooner than they did. It'll take a lot more than one game to prove that they can be positive contributors to their new teams. Nonetheless, their respective debuts are the kind of thing that will make a Twins fan go "Oh, come on. Really?"