The Twins signed right-hander Isaac Mattson to a minor league deal, as initially reported by Tom Reisenweber of the Erie Times-News (Twitter link). Mattson has been assigned to the Twins’ Double-A affiliate in Wichita.
Making his return to affiliated baseball for the first time since last July, Mattson spent part of last season pitching in the independent Frontier League, and has spent the 2023 season pitching in the independent Atlantic League. Over 19 relief innings with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs this year, Mattson looked pretty sharp, posting a 3.32 ERA and 32.43% strikeout rate. His 10.81% walk rate is on the high side, but it’s still a big improvement from the extreme control problems Mattson had with the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate in 2022.
Mattson was originally a 19th-round pick for the Angels in the 2017 draft, and he was dealt to the Orioles in December 2019 as part of the four-player trade package that brought Dylan Bundy to Anaheim. Mattson’s time with the O’s included his first stint in the majors, which consisted of 4 1/3 innings over four appearances during the 2021 season. However, Baltimore outrighted him off its 40-man roster in April 2022, and then released him in July after his struggles with Triple-A Norfolk.
The 27-year-old Mattson has pretty consistently posted high strikeout totals throughout his minor league career, even prior to his full-time move to relief pitching in 2019. Despite lacking the velocity traditionally associated with a high-strikeout bullpen arm, Mattson is an interesting depth arm for the Twins to explore, particularly at the no-risk cost of a minor league contract.
