Former Orioles standout reliever lands one-year deal with AL Central contender

As Orioles fans know, the bullpen in 2024 was a weak spot for much of the year. Losing Félix Bautista to Tommy John surgery was a major loss, and the Orioles felt it all year long. And even with Craig Kimbrel having a stellar first half, his complete collapse down the stretch was one of the biggest story lines for the group all year.

One of the few guys O's fans had confidence in was lefty Danny Coulombe. The 35 year old was exceptional during his two seasons in Baltimore, pitching to a 2.56 ERA in 81 total innings. His 2.83 FIP and 28.4% strikeout rate helped raise our confidence in him, even after the lefty went down with an elbow injury last summer.

Coulombe underwent surgery last July to remove bone chips from his elbow. He wound up missing most of the second half, returning in late September to throw four scoreless outings and adding a scoreless 0.2 innings against the Royals in the postseason.

Lefty Danny Coulombe returns to Minnesota on short-term contract

Despite that strong performance, Mike Elias and the Orioles chose to decline Coulombe's $4 million club option for 2025. It was seen as a surprise at the time, even given the injury risk. The O's bullpen needed help, especially from the left side, and Coulombe's upside was about as high as anyone else in the group.

Fans have assumed that the Orioles let Coulombe walk because of lingering injury issues stemming from that July surgery. Though there weren't any outward mentions of him potentially missing time in 2025, the O's have to have seen something that gave them pause. Because that option was certainly affordable, and Coulombe has been so effective during his time here.

Though there weren't any rumors about the Orioles reuniting with the lefty this winter, that's officially off the table now. Coulombe has come to terms on a one-year deal with the Twins that'll guarantee him $3 million in this upcoming season.

Coulombe spent three seasons in the Twins organization, pitching there from 2020-2022. He wasn't healthy for much of it though, as he threw just 49.1 combined innings during that stretch. He was effective, pitching to a 2.92 ERA and the Twins clearly believe in him enough to warrant bringing him back.

The Twins will surely be better off after this move. Their bullpen depth will be a strength this year, adding Coulombe to a group that includes big time arms in Johan Duran, Griffin Jax, and Cole Sands. Coulombe will likely serve as a high-leverage guy against left-handed batters and will help the Twins in their pursuit to compete in what will be a very competitive AL Central in 2025.