The Twins have agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander German Marquez, according to MLB Trade Rumors, adding a name with real MLB pedigree to an organization that suddenly needs pitching depth in a bad way.
This isn't a reclamation project out of nowhere. Marquez logged 975 1/3 innings from 2017-2022, the sixth-most in baseball over that stretch, back when he was a legit mid-rotation piece for the Rockies. Then Tommy John surgery wiped out most of 2023 and 2024, and he's been fighting to get back to that guy ever since.
It hasn't gone well lately. Marquez posted a 6.70 ERA over 26 starts in 2025, then signed a one-year, $1.75 million deal with the Padres this offseason that also fell apart — San Diego designated him for assignment and released him last week after he ran a 5.26 ERA across 13 appearances, with a walk rate way above average and a strikeout rate well below it.
For the Twins, the risk here is basically nothing. Because San Diego is still on the hook for the remainder of his salary, Minnesota would only owe him prorated league minimum if he ever gets the call to the big leagues. He reports to Triple-A St. Paul with opt-outs built in for August 25 and September, so he's got a short runway to prove something before he can walk if the Twins don't need him.
And the Twins might need him sooner than later. Their rotation has taken a beating, with Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez, David Festa, Mick Abel and Mike Paredes all banged up. Depth pieces who've thrown 100-plus innings in a big-league season, even a rusty one, are worth stockpiling when a staff looks that thin heading toward September.
Nobody's expecting the 2019 version of Marquez to show up in St. Paul. But if he finds even a fraction of that old form, this is the kind of low-cost flier that ends up quietly saving a rotation.