Veteran reliever Ron Marinaccio has joined the Twins on a minor league deal, per Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune. The righty cleared waivers and elected free agency after being designated for assignment by the Reds earlier this week. Marinaccio is represented by ACES.
The well-traveled Marinaccio has already pitched for three teams this season. He’s also been DFAed three times. Marinaccio was hammered for 10 earned runs over four appearances with the Reds. He was scored upon in all four outings, including a five-run meltdown against the Marlins on Sunday.
Marinaccio broke camp with the Padres and was a regular in the bullpen through the All-Star Break. San Diego cut ties with the righty at the beginning of the second half. Marinaccio briefly latched on with the Pirates and struggled over a four-game stint.
The velocity is intact for Marinaccio, but he’s lost a few inches of induced vertical break on his fastball since his days as a solid arm with the Yankees. The 31-year-old added a cutter last season. He’s thrown the pitch more than 20% of the time this year, at the expense of his four-seamer. Marinaccio has used his heater at a career-low 42.6% clip in 2026.
Minnesota has added multiple arms to the bullpen through the trade market. Tommy Nance came over from the Blue Jays in early July. The Twins made another deal with Toronto at the trade deadline, landing Jeff Hoffman. The club also acquired A.J. Minter from the Mets. With Yoendrys Gomez emerging as a solid ninth-inning option, Minnesota has a solid relief corps. Marinaccio will serve as depth in Triple-A.
Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images
