Randy

Dobnak

Anderson, the third-overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, looked extremely impressive in three Cactus League outings this spring and appears to be on the fast-track to the big leagues. The 21-year-old southpaw possesses enough strikeout upside to make an immediate fantasy impact once he reaches the majors. He’s one of the few pitching prospects worth stashing at the outset of the year, especially in deeper mixed leagues.

Dobnak’s debut with the Mariners started out ok with a scoreless first, but he allowed seven hits and five runs in the second inning. Seattle added a host of filler arms on minor league contracts, and Dobnak stands very little chance of making the M’s out of spring training. Results like this certainly won’t help.

The Mariners lacked rotation depth beyond their big five last season, and addressing that should be an in the plans for this winter. Dobnak, who debuted with the Twins in 2019 but has barely pitched in the majors the last four years, doesn’t really qualify as a quality fallback at this point — he had a 5.84 ERA in Triple-A last season — but maybe Seattle sees something for him to work on.

The option was worth $6 million and included a $1 million buyout. Dobnak never pitched for the Tigers after the Twins included him in the Chris Paddack trade as a salary dump. He’s barely pitched at all in the majors since 2021, though he did allow one run in 5 1/3 innings for the Twins last season. He has a lifetime 4.86 ERA in 140 2/3 major league innings.

Dobnak will head to Triple-A Toledo for the moment as extra organizational relief depth. The 30-year-old’s inclusion in the deal feels like purely a salary dump by Minnesota as he still had nearly $1 million left on his deal, according to reports. He’ll likely operate in middle relief, if he gets the call to Detroit during the final two months.

Dobnak cleared waivers after being designated for assignment. The 30-year-old provides depth for Minnesota, and while he’ll need to be added to the 40-man roster to do so, it wouldn’t be an upset if he made more appearances with the Twins in 2025.

The unfortunate reality of MLB is that picking your team up by throwing 5 1/3 innings in relief will more than likely get you sent down the next day. At least Dobnak has his guaranteed deal, so he doesn’t lose any money in the equation. He’ll clear waivers, and he should be back at some point.

It’s a tough break for the 30-year-old right-hander, as he was brilliant in a long relief outing against the Cardinals on Sunday — allowing just one run on two hits and a pair of walks over 5 1/3 innings. He wasn’t going to be available for the next few days though and the Twins need a fresh arm to supplement their depleted bullpen. Given the $4 million remaining on his salary, it’s unlikely that another team will come calling on waivers, so expect that Dobnak will wind up accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A St. Paul.

It’s merely a procedural move after Dobnak locked up a spot earlier this week in the Twins’ season-opening bullpen. The 30-year-old provides some versatility given his experience in multiple roles and will likely operate in long relief spots.

Dobnak has not been an impactful MLB pitcher since his 2020 season and only pitched 9 2/3 innings for the Twins as a reliever in 2024. He has a career 4.99 ERA in 135 1/3 innings, but he has history as a starter, so he can certainly give the Twins some depth in their bullpen.