Twins bring back left-handed reliever Danny Culomb In a minor league contract, according to Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer PressThe deal includes an invitation to major league spring training. It was the fourth straight offseason that Courombe signed a minor league deal with the Twins.
Drafted by the Dodgers in the 25th round of the 2012 draft, Courombe made his big league debut in 2014. He moved to Auckland the following year. Over the next few seasons, he established himself as a regular in his A’s bullpen, with a 4.06 ERA he pitched 130 2/3 innings. Although his strikeout and walk rates fluctuate considerably during this time, Coulombe typically strikes out hitters a little more than league average, and his free passes are abandoned a little more often than league average.
The 33-year-old Courombes was released from the A’s at the end of the 2018 season and did not appear in the big leagues again until 2020. Courombe would eventually make it onto the big league roster. In his three years at Minnesota, Culombe pitched 49 1/3 innings and posted an earned run average of 2.92. Advanced metrics looked a bit unfavorable for his job, with his FIP during that time he was 3.81.
This past season has gotten off to a good start for Courombes, cracking the opening day roster. He posted a 1.46 ERA in 12 his 1/3 innings before hitting IL with a left hip impingement in early May. He was activated towards the end of the month, but was unwound the day after leaving IL with the same left hip impingement. Courombe underwent surgery to repair his labrum, ending his season.
Kulomb throws a fastball in the high 90s and mixes sliders, curveballs, and the changeup he introduced last season. Coulombe has been a quietly effective southpaw for the Twins for the past few seasons, and if he can show that he’s fully recovered from surgery in spring training, there’s no doubt he’ll be able to serve the major league team again in 2023.