Former Guardians reliever’s vagabond winter ends thanks to Twins waiver claim 

Zak Kent’s offseason journey is finally over. We think.

After being designated for assignment by the Guardians at the beginning of the offseason, Kent went on a wild journey that included him being designated for assignment four times by three different teams. 

But he seems to have found a new home with the Twins, who claimed him off waivers from the Rangers on Thursday. 

Former Guardians reliever Zak Kent claimed off waivers by Twins 

The Twins’ claim of Kent comes at a time when Minnesota’s pitching staff has been ravaged by injuries after Pablo López underwent an internal brace procedure that will keep him out for all of 2026 and David Festa suffered a shoulder impingement that will keep him out for the start of the season. 

Last season Kent posted a 4.58 ERA in 17 2/3 innings for the Guardians to go along with a 21.1% strikeout rate and 10.5% walk rate. He also recorded a 2.84 ERA with a 31.4% strikeout rate in Triple-A with the Clippers. 

That production wasn’t good enough for him to stick on the Guardians’ roster for the offseason, but was good enough that teams in need of pitching depth keep claiming him on the waiver wire. 

Kent also offers some additional flexibility via his remaining option year, so the Twins will be able to stash him in the minors even if he doesn’t make the team out of spring training. 

The Cardinals initially scooped Kent up after the Guardians had designated him for assignment and he lasted a month on their roster before being designated for assignment when they claimed Justin Bruihl off waivers. 

He was then scooped up by the Rangers (the organization that drafted him) and he stayed there for a couple weeks before they removed him from their roster to make room for Jordan Montgomery. 

That led to a reunion with the Cardinals that came to an end last week when he was designated for assignment again, which led to his Twins claim. He never appeared in a game in spring training for the Cardinals, but will now shift camps to a different Grapefruit League game. 

Now he’s going to get a chance to earn a spot in the Twins’ bullpen… unless he gets DFA’d again.