June 27: The Twins have now formally introduced the collection of Festa’s contract. He’ll make his debut as we speak in Arizona. Proper-hander Ronny Henriquez was optioned to St. Paul in a corresponding transfer.
June 26: The Twins are planning to pick out the contract of right-handed pitching prospect David Festa, stories Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune. KSTP’s Darren Wolfson first reported that Festa had been scratched as as we speak’s starter in St. Paul, seemingly setting the stage for a debut tomorrow.
The 24-year-old Festa will certainly be known as up forward of Thursday’s collection finale towards the Diamondbacks in Arizona. Minnesota has an open spot on the 40-man roster, though the staff will nonetheless must make a corresponding transfer so as to add him to the 26-man roster. He’ll take over for a not too long ago injured Chris Paddack within the Twins’ rotation. Most public shops, together with Baseball America, FanGraphs, and MLB Pipeline, agree that Festa is likely one of the Twins’ prime two pitching prospects, with each MLB Pipeline (No. 99) and FanGraphs (no. 93) together with the younger right-hander amongst their prime 100 prospects. He represented the Twins within the 2023 Futures Sport.
The lanky 6’6″ Festa was a Thirteenth-round decide by Minnesota out of Seton Corridor again in 2021. He’s added appreciable velocity to a heater that now sits round 95 mph and reaches the higher 90s since being drafted. He pairs that providing with a mid- to upper-80s slider that may get whiffs towards righties and a changeup that helps him hold lefties at bay.
Scouting stories from every of BA, FanGraphs and MLB.com credit score every of these three pitches as above-average, with the heater drawing a plus (60) from the latter. Although Festa began the season with some uncharacteristic stroll troubles — he issued a free go to twenty% of his opponents over his first 4 Triple-A begins this season — he’s since reined within the walks and is credited with common or higher command from scouts.
In 59 2/3 innings this season, Festa is sitting on a stable 3.77 earned run common that aligns fairly intently together with his 3.92 FIP. He’s punched out a superb 35.1% of his opponents, and although his 9.7% stroll fee is greater than common, Festa has made vital strides in that regard since his rocky begin to the season. Over his previous 10 outings, he’s solely walked 6.7% of his opponents (whereas putting out a good loftier 37.3% of them).
The Twins view Festa as a possible key piece of their rotation for years to come back, and so they’ll get their first take a look at him tomorrow towards the D-backs. Whereas Paddack’s absence creates a short-term opening within the rotation, there’s not a transparent emptiness as soon as he returns from his bout of shoulder fatigue. Supervisor Rocco Baldelli indicated that the Twins plan to maintain Paddack in a beginning position when he’s reinstated, though provided that that is Paddack’s first full season again from a second profession Tommy John surgical procedure (and that he’s already eclipsed his mixed 2022-23 workload), an eventual transfer to a aid position later within the season appears believable.
At that time, Festa may step right into a extra everlasting spot within the rotation, not less than for the rest of the present season. All 5 of the Twins’ present starters — Paddack, Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Simeon Woods Richardson — are signed/managed by 2025 on the very least. Add in right-handers Louie Varland and Zebby Matthews (the Twins’ different prime pitching prospect who ranks No. 99 at BA presently and boasts a mixed 1.56 ERA and 76-to-3 Ok/BB ratio between Excessive-A and Double-A this season), and the Twins have a budding and enviable inventory of beginning pitching depth on their arms.
That falls below the “good drawback to have” umbrella, after all, and positions the staff to resist accidents or commerce from a place of energy at subsequent month’s deadline or within the coming offseason. Paddack might be a free agent following the 2025 season, however except for that, the Twins’ complete assortment of huge league or near-MLB-ready starters is signed/controllable by not less than 2027.
Turning again to Festa particularly, he gained’t obtain a full 12 months of huge league service in 2024, that means he’ll nonetheless be controllable for not less than six extra seasons — all over 2030. He’s additionally being known as up late sufficient within the 12 months that even when he sticks on the roster, he gained’t decide up sufficient time to achieve Tremendous Two standing. On the earliest, he ought to be arbitration-eligible following the 2027 season, though future elective assignments may push again his timeline to each arbitration and free company.
