Dyson outrighted by Twins, becomes free agent

MINNEAPOLIS -- Relief pitcher Sam Dyson is now a free agent after he rejected an outright assignment to the Minor Leagues from the Twins.

Though Dyson was under team control for one more season, the 31-year-old right-hander underwent capsule repair surgery in his throwing shoulder on Sept. 24, which was expected to keep him out of action for most, if not all, of the 2020 campaign.

Dyson was acquired in a trade from the Giants at the July 31 Trade Deadline in exchange for outfielder Jaylin Davis and pitchers Prelander Berroa and Kai-Wei Teng. Dyson had a 2.47 ERA in 49 relief appearances for San Francisco before he arrived in Minnesota, but he was limited to a 7.15 ERA in only 12 outings (11 1/3 innings) for the Twins as he dealt with persistent issues with what was described at the time as biceps tendinitis before undergoing the season-ending surgery.

Dyson said during the season that he experienced pain in his throwing arm throughout not only the 2019 season, but also his '18 campaign with the Giants. He said that the arm issues caused a dip in his fastball velocity in ‘18, which persisted into his '19 experience with both San Francisco and Minnesota.