FORT MYERS, Florida — Chris Paddack is about to enter year seven of an injury-plagued big-league career. It’s only now that the veteran pitcher thinks he may have unlocked something that could be the key to keeping him on the field.

Rather than shut things down for a period of time when the offseason began, Paddack kept his arm active. He took one week off and then resumed throwing, making sure to keep his shoulder and elbow moving throughout the winter.

“It’s just crazy. I just turned 29 years old and I wish I would have learned this when I was 20,” Paddack said. “I think it might have saved me going under the knife at least once.”

The new offseason routine, combined with a change in his mindset — Paddack felt he had gotten too comfortable, and spent the offseason rediscovering his purpose — has him feeling rejuvenated as he enters the final year of his contract.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Chris Paddack delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Monday, July 8, 2024, in Chicago. Paddack’s 2025 season was cut short by injury, (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

While there was chatter about Paddack being traded this offseason — he is in the final year of a three-year, $12.5 million extension and he is due $7.5 million this year — he tried his best to avoid the rumors. Along the way, he said he got reassurance from manager Rocco Baldelli, pitching coach Pete Maki and the front office that he was “here to stay.”

Meanwhile, as his name swirled in trade rumors — partially because of the Twins’ payroll limitations —  Paddack was at home, working on shifting his mindset.

“To be honest, I felt like the last couple of years, I’ve been comfortable in this organization,” Paddack said. “That’s just me being honest with myself. I’m not going to hide behind closed doors. I felt I got comfortable. I worked my tail off this offseason to find myself again, to find that drive, find that purpose, find that why and I found it again.”

The security of his contract had a little bit to do with it, he said, but he also got tired of coming up short and not being able to be there for his teammates when they needed him the most.

“That crushes the mind,” he said.

Paddack underwent his second Tommy John surgery in early 2022. He missed most of the 2023 season, coming back just briefly at the end of the year.

Last year, he threw 88 1/3 innings — his most since 2021 — posting a 4.99 earned-run average, but his season was interrupted first by arm fatigue and then by a right forearm strain, which he suffered in July. He did not pitch again after that, though was near ready to return by the time the season ended.

“Normally, those first full seasons back, they are never the most clean or flawless in every way,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “But I think he did a lot of positive things, put a good workload on his body.”

But still, down the stretch, as the Twins were fighting for a playoff spot — and eventually fell out of postseason contention — Paddack could do nothing but watch from the bench, much to his frustration.

He’s determined to not let that happen this year.

A big goal setter, last year Paddack said he wanted to pitch 150 innings. This year, he’s not talking about an innings number or how many strikeouts he wants to rack up. This year, he’s talking about staying healthy not missing starts and if that happens, the strikeouts and innings will follow.

“I was an ace at one point in my career. I know it’s in there,” he said. “I’ve just got to stay healthy. At the end of the day, that is what Chris Paddack is missing in my arsenal is staying healthy.”

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