Pagan agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Twins on Friday to avoid arbitration, Darren Wolfson of Channel 5 Saint Paul reports.
Pagan had an up-and-down first year in Minnesota with 4.43 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 84:26 K:BB across 63 innings. The 31-year-old should see some high-leverage chances to open 2023 but is unlikely to see regular save opportunities.
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Twins' Emilio Pagan: Takes loss Saturday
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Pagan (3-6) allowed two runs (one earned) on a hit and a walk in one inning, taking the loss in extra innings Saturday versus the Angels.
This was Pagan's second appearance since suffering a lat cramp last Sunday. The right-hander got through the 10th inning without trouble, but he gave up a walkoff two-run home run to Taylor Ward with no outs in the 11th. Through five appearances in August, Pagan has struggled, allowing seven runs (five earned), including two homers, while striking out five in 5.1 innings. He has a 5.23 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 58:18 K:BB through 41.1 innings overall. While he's added nine saves and seven holds, his struggle with keeping the ball in the park (10 homers allowed) has taken him mostly out of the closer conversation.
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Twins' Emilio Pagan: Exits with lat cramp
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The Twins announced Pagan was removed from his relief appearance in Sunday's game against the Blue Jays due to a right lat cramp, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. He retired two batters and allowed a base hit before exiting in the sixth inning.
Anything lat-related is usually worrisome for a pitcher, but assuming Pagan is in fact dealing with nothing more serious than a cramp, he should be able to avoid a stint on the injured list. The Twins are labeling Pagan as day-to-day for the time being and should have an update on the right-hander's status in advance of Tuesday's series opener in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.
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Twins' Emilio Pagan: Picks up win in relief
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Pagan (2-3) earned the win in Saturday's 4-3 win over Baltimore, allowing no runs on no hits while striking out one and walking one over one inning of relief.
Pagan pitched a clean ninth inning to help secure a win for the Twins. He entered the game with his team down 3-2 but picked up the win thanks to two ninth-inning Minnesota runs. This was a step in the right direction for Pagan, who pitched to an 11.42 ERA for the month of June. The good performance helped the righty reliever shave his season ERA to 5.06.
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Twins' Emilio Pagan: Out of closer role
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Pagan will move from the closer role to low-leverage appearances until he gets back on track, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. "Yeah, he's going to pitch earlier in the games and potentially when we don't have the lead and things like that," said manager Rocco Baldelli.
Pagan had become the primary closer among a committee with the Twins amassing nine saves and a 2.45 ERA before June 13. He's struggled since June 21 with two blown saves and allowed nine runs and three walks in 3.2 innings. He was the primary culprit in four blown leads by the bullpen in the past week against Cleveland. Jhoan Duran, who picked up a save last weekend, seems to be the frontrunner for any Minnesota saves in the short term, though others could be in the mix.
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Twins' Emilio Pagan: Blows fifth save
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Pagan (1-3) took the loss in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Guardians, giving up two runs on a hit and two walks without recording an out as the Twins fell 3-2.
The right-hander entered the game to protect a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning, but Pagan walked the first two batters he faced and advanced them both on a wild pitch before Amed Rosario cashed them in with a single. It's noteworthy that Pagan wasn't held back for a potential save situation in the ninth, instead getting the call to face the top of Cleveland's order in the eighth, and given that he's allowed multiple runs in three of his last four appearances while converting just 9-of-14 save chances on the season, time could be running out on his stint as the Twins' closer.
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Twins' Emilio Pagan: Records ninth save
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Pagan pitched a scoreless inning against Seattle on Monday, allowing one walk and striking out two batters to earn the save.
Pagan was tasked with preserving a one-run, ninth-inning lead. He saw the tying run move into scoring position due to a two-out walk and stolen base, but the right-hander struck out Jesse Winker to end the threat. Pagan appears to be the current favorite over Jhoan Duran for ninth-inning duties thanks to a 2.45 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 11.9 K/9. He's blown three saves but has also successfully converted nine opportunities.
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Twins' Emilio Pagan: Secures save
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Pagan picked up his eighth save of the season Saturday against the Rays, striking out two batters while retiring the side in order in a scoreless ninth inning.
Pagan was tasked with protecting a one-run lead after Jhoan Duran threw a scoreless eighth inning and never let the Rays have much of a chance, sandwiching a groundout between a pair of strikeouts. Pagan now has an 8-4 lead over Duran on the Twins' saves leaderboard. The outing lowered the right-hander's season ERA to 2.57.
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Twins' Emilio Pagan: Moves to restricted list
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Pagan (not injury related) was placed on the restricted list Friday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Pagan is apparently unvaccinated and is unable to enter Canada as the Twins take on the Blue Jays for a three-game series this weekend. The 31-year-old should be back with the team for the subsequent series against the Yankees, which begins Tuesday. Rookie Jhoan Duran should operate as Minnesota's top option for save chances in the meantime.
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Twins' Emilio Pagan: Picks up one-out save
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Pagan struck out the only batter he faced Friday, recording his seventh save of the season in a 10-7 win over the Royals.
The Twins were up 10-5 heading into the ninth inning, but after Yennier Cano ran into trouble, Pagan got the call to put out the fire and struck out Nicky Lopez on three pitches. Rookie Jhoan Duran continues to push for ninth-inning work, but Pagan has converted seven of nine save chances on the year with a 2.25 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 22:11 K:BB through 16 innings.
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Twins' Emilio Pagan: Escapes with save
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Pagan allowed one run on three hits in Friday's win over Kansas City. He struck out one and earned a save.
Pagan coughed up a solo home run to Emmanual Rivera followed by a pair of two-out singles. He ended up throwing 14 of 19 pitches for strikes to secure the 6-4 win. It was the first time he's allowed an earned run since April 26 and his season ERA bumped up to 2.13. Pagan has converted six out of seven save chances with a 16:10 K:BB through 12.2 innings.
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Twins' Emilio Pagan: Notches fifth save
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Pagan allowed one hit in a scoreless inning during Sunday's win over the Guardians. He struck out one and earned the save.
Pagan gave up a two-out double to Amed Rosario but finished off a scoreless frame with just 10 pitches. The 31-year-old has now converted five out of six save chances with a 1.54 ERA this season. Pagan threw an inning in each of the last three games, so he'll likely be unavailable Monday against Oakland.
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Twins' Emilio Pagan: Collects third save
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Pagan gave up a hit and walked two batters in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his third save of the season in a 2-1 win over the A's. He struck out two.
After loading the bases with one out, Pagan was able to escape the jam on a Seth Brown fielder's choice that retired Sheldon Neuse at the plate, before the right-hander fanned Chad Pinder to end the contest. Pagan has a seemingly respectable 2.35 ERA through 7.2 innings and has converted three of four save chances, but his ghastly 25.0 percent walk rate highlights just how close to disaster he's come on multiple occasions. If the veteran can't sharpen his control, it could be only a matter of time before rookie flamethrower Jhoan Duran takes over the closer role for the Twins.
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Twins' Emilio Pagan: Suffers first blown save of 2022
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Pagan blew a save opportunity after he pitched two-thirds of an inning, surrendering one run on a hit and two walks while striking out one in Tuesday's win over the Tigers. He did not factor into the decision.
After Caleb Thielbar allowed two Tigers to reach base in the top of the eighth inning, Pagan was called upon to protect the Twins' 3-1 lead with one out in the frame. He proceeded to give up a three-run homer to Javier Baez, the first batter he faced, and walked two more batters before the inning was over. The blown save was Pagan's first of the season and he is now 2-for-3 in save opportunities.
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Twins' Emilio Pagan: Records save
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Pagan earned the save after pitching a scoreless ninth inning in a 2-1 win Friday over the White Sox. He walked two, allowed a hit and struck out one.
Pagan threw 17 of his 34 pitches for strikes and loaded the bases with one out before inducing a pop-out. After running the count full on Jake Burger, he painted the corner for a strikeout to end the game. The righty has recorded a save in consecutive games for the Twins and is the only member of the Minnesota bullpen to close out a ballgame successfully. He appears to be manager Rocco Baldelli's preferred option in save situations but has not officially been named the closer.
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Twins' Emilio Pagan: Earns first save of season
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Pagan earned the save Thursday against the Royals after not allowing a hit during a scoreless ninth inning. He walked one and didn't record a strikeout.
The veteran journeyman got the his first save opportunity of the season with a one-run lead after Tyler Duffey blew his second save earlier this week. Pagan walked Michael Taylor to lead off the inning, but he proceeded to retire the top of the Royals lineup in order on just four pitches. Pagan notched 20 saves in 2019 with Tampa Bay, but Tuesday's outing was just third since. For now, Pagan and Duffey appear to be in a timeshare for closing duties in Minnesota, but Pagan could earn more opportunities if Duffey continues to trend in the wrong direction.
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Twins' Emilio Pagan: Takes loss in relief
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Pagan (0-1) was tagged with the loss Tuesday against the Dodgers after allowing one run on one hit and a walk across one inning while striking out one.
Pagan debuted with a scoreless inning against the Mariners on April 10, but he couldn't repeat that success and was unfortunately tabbed with his first loss of the season in an outing where he tossed 12 of his 20 pitches for strikes. Pagan should deliver most of his value if he gets involved in high-leverage situations, but as of now, he's part of a closer committee and that limits his upside a bit.
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Twins' Emilio Pagan: Part of closer committee
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Pagan will be part of a closer committee that could include Joe Smith, Tyler Duffey, Caleb Thielbar, Jorge Alcala and Danny Coulombe, manager Rocco Baldelli told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "It's not a situation where we're just going to fill that role with someone and say, 'That's how it's going to work,' " Baldelli said. "We will use the quality arms in the back end of our 'pen to match up, try to put them in position to get outs."
Baldelli is likely still sorting out his bullpen after the trade of Taylor Rogers to San Diego, so he could narrow down his options to finish games early in the season. Pagan figures to be one of his first choices, but Baldelli has ignored traditional closer patterns in managing his bullpen. Still, if Pagan starts strong with the Twins he should see consistent high-leverage work.
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Twins' Emilio Pagan: Dealt to Minnesota
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The Twins acquired Pagan and starting pitcher Chris Paddack from the Padres on Thursday in exchange for reliever Taylor Rogers and outfielder Brent Rooker, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
With Rogers moving to San Diego, the Twins will have a void at closer heading into Opening Day, and Pagan could be one of several candidates to vie for saves out of the Minnesota bullpen. Pagan, who is under club control for the next two seasons, is coming off a down 2021 campaign in which he submitted a 4.83 ERA (5.22 FIP) and surrendered a whopping 16 home runs in 63.1 innings. Keeping the ball in the yard has been an ongoing issue for Pagan throughout his career, but he's excelled at making bats miss and limiting free passes, as his lifetime 22.3 K-BB% attests. Even if the Twins aren't inclined to use Pagan in the ninth inning due to his vulnerability to the long ball, he should at least take on a key setup role for his new team.
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Padres' Emilio Pagan: Avoids arbitration with Friars
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Pagan agreed to a one-year, $2.3 million deal with the Padres on Tuesday to avoid arbitration, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Pagan has struggled with the Padres over the past two seasons, but the team will give him another chance in 2022. The 30-year-old had a 4.83 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 69:18 K:BB over 63.1 innings with five blown saves and 19 holds. He could be in the high-leverage mix again next year with a strong showing in spring training.
