Tonkin looks back on nomadic 2024 season

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Twins right-hander Michael Tonkin is 35 years old and seems to get better with age. Take last year: He came out of the bullpen as a middle reliever and had the best season of his career, appearing in 57 games and having a respectable 3.63 ERA with 85 strikeouts in 79 1/3 innings. His four-seam fastball was his go-to pitch and opposing hitters went 26-for-123 (.211 batting average) with 46 strikeouts against that particular fastball.

¡°He¡¯s had pretty good stuff probably his whole life. I think he¡¯s still learning and he has shown the ability to use that stuff at a really nice level, even more recently as he¡¯s gotten older,¡± Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. ¡°Normally, you don¡¯t see it happen at this age, but it¡¯s really a testament to him and the coaches that he has worked with, many of whom are [with the Twins] organization.¡±

While Tonkin had a productive year in 2024, it also may have been the most trying year of his career because he was a walking vagabond. He was designated for assignment four times, played for the Twins and Mets twice, while spending a majority of the season with the Yankees.

¡°It may have been the worst year of my career when it comes to moving around and the frustration of being DFA¡¯d, having to pack up and move across the country that many times,¡± Tonkin said. ¡°It was tough, but, at the end of the day, I continue to have a job and pitch in the big leagues.¡±

For Tonkin, a low point of '24 was during the month of April. He was on the Mets¡¯ Opening Day roster before he was DFA¡¯d on April 5. Four days later, Tonkin was traded to the Twins for cash considerations. But after making one appearance for Minnesota, he was designated for assignment on April 13.

Tonkin was reacquired off waivers by the Mets four days later, but he didn¡¯t last long. He received word on April 22 that the team DFA¡¯d him again. He then wondered if he would get a job. It didn¡¯t help that he was off to a slow start, allowing six earned in nine innings.

¡°I wasn¡¯t throwing the ball well at that point,¡± Tonkin said. ¡°But at the same time, I was never in one place in more than a couple of outings. You are here for a couple of outings and you have to go back to the apartment and figure out how to keep yourself ready for a week. You get thrown to the fire as soon as you get to a new place. It does get a little tough.¡±

But it was on to the Bronx three days later, when the Yankees acquired his services through waivers. It was a Bronx tale where Tonkin¡¯s presence was felt. He tossed 10 straight scoreless appearances -- the second-longest such streak of his career -- from May 26 through June 18. In that span, he allowed four hits with four walks and 13 strikeouts in 13 innings pitched.

¡°The best was when I got things rolling with the Yankees,¡± he said. ¡°I felt I was in a pretty good spot. I love that team. The organization is great. I have nothing but respect for those guys. There was a point and time I was going pretty good for them. To get DFA¡¯d three times in April and then be put in big spots for the Yankees -- at the time, the best team in baseball -- it was pretty cool.¡±

It wasn¡¯t so cool after what happened to Tonkin on August 25, a day after making an appearance for the Bronx Bombers. The Yankees needed a fresh arm for the bullpen, so they DFA¡¯d Tonkin and signed Phil Bickford to a Major League contract and selected him to the active roster.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone was emotional when he gave Tonkin the bad news.

¡°He took it pretty hard,¡± Tonkin said about Boone. ¡°He basically said this was a move they didn¡¯t want to make, but they were in a spot where they had to do something. I was the guy [to go], which sucks, but I guess it¡¯s part of the game. ¡­ [Boone] was great about it.¡±

But Tonkin wasn¡¯t out of work for long. He was reacquired by the Twins off waivers and ended the season on a positive note, making 12 appearances and posting a 3.14 ERA.

Tonkin is in his third tenure with the Twins and is expected to pitch in the middle to late innings. He believes the team are playoff contenders.

¡°It¡¯s young. We have a great starting rotation. I think we are solid in the bullpen. I think this team has potential to do something special this year,¡± he said about the Twins.