Pagan earned the save Thursday against the Royals after not allowing a hit during a scoreless ninth inning. He walked one and didn't record a strikeout.

EDGE Analysis

Pagan got the his first save opportunity of the season with a one-run lead after Tyler Duffey blew his second save of the season Tuesday. The veteran journeyman walked Michael Taylor to lead off the inning, but he proceeded to retire the top of the Royals lineup in order on just four pitches. Pagan notched 20 saves in 2019 with Tampa Bay, but Tuesday's outing was just third since then. For now, Pagan and Duffey appear to be in a timeshare for closing duties in Minnesota, but Pagan could earn more opportunities if Duffey continues to trend in the wrong direction.

Pagan (0-1) was tagged with the loss Tuesday against the Dodgers after allowing one run on one hit and a walk across one inning while striking out one.

EDGE Analysis

Pagan debuted with a scoreless inning against the Mariners on April 10, but he couldn't repeat that success and was unfortunately tabbed with his first loss of the season in an outing where he tossed 12 of his 20 pitches for strikes. Pagan should deliver most of his value if he gets involved in high-leverage situations, but as of now, he's part of a closer committee and that limits his upside a bit.

Pagan will be part of a closer committee that could include Joe Smith, Tyler Duffey, Caleb Thielbar, Jorge Alcala and Danny Coulombe, manager Rocco Baldelli told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "It's not a situation where we're just going to fill that role with someone and say, 'That's how it's going to work,' " Baldelli said. "We will use the quality arms in the back end of our 'pen to match up, try to put them in position to get outs."

EDGE Analysis

Baldelli is likely still sorting out his bullpen after the trade of Taylor Rogers to San Diego, so he could narrow his options to finish games early in the season. Pagan figures to be one of his top options, but Baldelli has ignored traditional closer patterns in managing his bullpen. Still, if Pagan starts strong with the Twins he could get the bulk of high-leverage work.

The Twins acquired Pagan and starting pitcher Chris Paddack from the Padres on Thursday in exchange for reliever Taylor Rogers and outfielder Brent Rooker, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

With Rogers moving to San Diego, the Twins will have a void at closer heading into Opening Day, and Pagan could be one of several candidates to vie for saves out of the Minnesota bullpen. Pagan, who is under club control for the next two seasons, is coming off a down 2021 campaign in which he submitted a 4.83 ERA (5.22 FIP) and surrendered a whopping 16 home runs in 63.1 innings. Keeping the ball in the yard has been an ongoing issue for Pagan throughout his career, but he's excelled at making bats miss and limiting free passes, as his lifetime 22.3 K-BB% attests. Even if the Twins aren't inclined to use Pagan in the ninth inning due to his vulnerability to the long ball, he should at least take on a key setup role for his new team.

Pagan and Robert Suarez look like the readiest options at closer for the Padres, speculates Dennis Lin of The Athletic.

EDGE Analysis

This doesn't seem to be tied to any firm reporting, just Lin's expertise from being around the team this spring. Pagan has 22 career saves across five big-league seasons while Suarez most recently served as an effective closer in Japan.

Pagan agreed to a one-year, $2.3 million deal with the Padres on Tuesday to avoid arbitration, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Pagan has struggled with the Padres over the past two seasons, but the team will give him another chance in 2022. The 30-year-old had a 4.83 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 69:18 K:BB over 63.1 innings with five blown saves and 19 holds. He could be in the high-leverage mix again next year with a strong showing in spring training.

Pagan (4-3) allowed four runs on four hits in just one-third of an inning as he took the loss against the Dodgers on Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Pagan entered to begin the bottom half of the eighth with a three-run cushion and gave it up in the blink of an eye. He allowed three solo home runs to the first four batters he faced to bring the Dodgers back to life and tie the score 9-9. He stayed in to face one more batter and allowed a double to Justin Turner before manager Jayce Tingler had finally seen enough. Turner eventually came around to score as the deciding run on a two-run blast from Corey Seager, handing Pagan a very ugly and disappointing loss. The 30-year-old now has three losses this month and sports a 4.91 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 68:18 K:BB over 62.1 innings this year.

Pagan (4-2) allowed three earned runs on two hits and a walk across one inning, taking the loss to the Cardinals on Saturday.

EDGE Analysis

Pagan entered the eighth inning with a 2-0 lead. The lead quickly evaporated when he surrendered a double, a walk and a home run. The Cardinals took over with a 3-2 lead and never looked back. It was the fifth long ball Pagan allowed in his last seven innings. He has a 4.50 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 67 punchouts over 60 innings this season.

Pagan allowed three runs on three hits, including a home run, over two-thirds of an inning against the Dodgers on Sunday.

EDGE Analysis

San Diego trailed by only three runs when Pagan got the ball in the seventh inning, but four batters into his outing the deficit had doubled to six. The reliever allowed a single to Mookie Betts and a double to Max Muncy before serving up a three-run homer to Justin Turner. The long ball was the fourth surrendered by Pagan in his past five outings, and he has allowed eight earned runs over 4.2 frames over that span to push his season ERA up to 4.21.

Pagan (4-1) lost Friday's 6-3 defeat at the hands of the Astros, allowing two runs on two hits in one inning.

EDGE Analysis

Manager Jayce Tingler selected Pagan to pitch the eighth inning of a 3-3 tie and the 30-year-old rolled to two easy outs before surrendering a hit and Kyle Tucker home run to fall in line for the loss. It's the righty's first loss all season and he still owns an above average 3.58 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 64:14 K:BB in 55.1 innings.