Twins closer Joe Nathan has been diagnosed with an Ulnar Collateral Ligament tear in his pitching elbow after traveling to the Twin Cities to undergo some tests.

Nathan was forced to leave a Spring Training game on Saturday after feeling tightness in his right elbow, and initially the hope was the soreness stemmed from his off-season surgery to remove bone chips from that same elbow.

Unfortunately for Nathan and the Twins, that was not the case.

The plan going forward is for Nathan to wait a few weeks and let the swelling in his elbow subside, before testing his pain threshold and seeing if he can pitch with the injury. If this doesn’t go well, the next step would likely be to undergo Tommy John surgery, which as Twins fans should know because of Francisco Liriano and Pat Neshek, has a long recovery process.

This is not good news for the Twins and more specifically their bullpen, whose only sure thing entering the season was that Nathan would close out their games.

There aren’t any ideal heirs apparent currently on the roster, but it is unlikely the Twins will make a move outside of their own organization to fill the Closer role. Candidates to take over include Matt Guerrier, Jon Rauch, and Neshek if he continues to come back strong this spring.

But this is also where the Twins so-called pitching depth will help. Brian Duensing, Glen Perkins, and Liriano are still battling for the final spot in the rotation, with one of them also likely to land in the ‘pen. And now, another bullpen spot is seemingly open.

Personally, I like the idea of trying Liriano in the Closer role and seeing how he does with it, provided he doesn’t outshine both Duensing and Perkins in the rotation battle. Something about his stuff and pitching approach has always screamed “Closer” to me, even given his past success and potential to be an “Ace” as a starter.

Other names to keep an eye on for relief help include oft-mentioned here prospects Anthony Slama and Rob Delaney, and others such as and Alex Burnett, Anthony Swarzak, and Jeff Manship.

If Nathan is forced to undergo surgery, the Twins will definitely miss having one of the games best closers to pitch in the 9th inning, but its also something I don’t see as making or breaking their 2010 season. Then again, I do try to be an optimist…

Well, it’s finally here. With Pitchers-Fielding-Practice’s (PFP’s) kicking off 2010’s Spring Training schedule and several position players already in camp, it’s officially Baseball Season.

And I couldn’t be more ecstatic for it to begin with the way the Minnesota Twins fared in the offseason.

They traded fan favorite but often-frustrating Center Fielder Carlos Gomez for Shortstop J.J. Hardy, solving their outfield logjam and giving them a long-term answer at SS. They brought in Jim Thome to provide some pop off the bench and DH when needed. Reliever Clay Condrey was picked up to provide another bullpen option. Then to cap it off, they signed Orlando Hudson to play Second Base and add a proven #2 spot in the lineup hitter before mashers Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. I’ve said this already, but if they can ink Mauer before the regular season starts, it may well be the best offseason in Twins history as they move into their brand-spanking-new-and-shiny Target Field.

Most of the roster is already set, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some battles or someone could surprise the Twins faithful. So, on to the stories of the spring…

Spring Training Storylines/Questions:

1. The Battle for the final starting rotation spot.

This seems to be a three-man race between lefthander’s Francisco Liriano, Brian Duensing, and Glen Perkins, but righthander’s Anthony Swarzak and Jeff Manship also got some MLB experience last year.

Duensing was the early favorite after pitching so well in a pennant race for the Twins at the end of last season, posting a 5-2 record and 3.64 ERA in 24 appearances, including 9 starts. But the hot-topic around camp has been the resurgence of Liriano in the Dominican Winter League, where he led his Leones del Escogido team to a playoff championship, where he posted a 3-1 record and 0.49 ERA in 7 starts while fanning 47 batters in 37 innings of work. Teammate Alexi Casilla, whose team played Liriano’s in the playoffs, says the “Franchise” is back after facing him.

I think the best-case scenario for the Twins is if Liriano retains his newfound confidence and recaptures some of his past dominance, as he’s still the only starting pitcher on the roster that has the stuff to be an Ace. I don’t think we’ll see the same stratospheric dominance of ’06 Liriano, but anything close to that (or end of ’08 Liriano) is a big improvement and boost to the starting rotation.

Also, much has been made of Perkins’ off the field clashes with the Twins front office during last season when he suffered a shoulder injury, and numerous trade rumors this offseason. But if he pitches well, all will be forgotten/forgiven, and he also has had success coming out of the bullpen in the past, enhancing his value.

2. Will there be a backup Center Fielder on the roster?

Forced to make room on the 40-man roster after signing Thome, the Twins tried to sneak Rochester Red Wings CF Jason Pridie through waivers, but the New York Mets claimed him. This left the Twins without a capable MLB backup in CF.

Right Fielder Michael Cuddyer played a few games there last season, and Coach Ron Gardenhire has stated he could also give Nick Punto and Alexi Casilla some looks during the Spring, but none of these names are an ideal fit for this position. Former outfielder Jacque Jones was signed to a Minor-League contract and given an invite to spring training, but has been out of high-level professional baseball the last 2 years.

If there is a hole on the Twins roster, this is it, with Denard Span as the only true Center Fielder. If he needs a day off or suffers an injury, the Twins could be forced to do something strange or out of character, which I’ll get at shortly…

3. Who will be the backup Catcher with Mike Redmond gone and Jose Morales out with a wrist injury?

I see two candidates for this position to start the season, and they are Drew Butera and highly touted prospect Wilson Ramos.

Butera has shown an ability to handle pitchers and play solid backstop defense, but does not have a good track record with a bat, where his career line in the minors is a .214 Batting Average and .612 OPS. Hitting for a backup catcher is not necessarily a requirement, but these are glaring stats to me.

Ramos on the other hand, has been a much better hitter in his career, and in an injury shortened 2009 season, batted .317 with a .795 OPS in 54 games for the AA New Britain Rock Cats. He also fared extremely well in the Winter Leagues, hitting .332 with 12 HR’s (3rd in League) and 49 RBI (1st in League) in 54 games. He was also named the Florida State League’s Best Defensive Catcher in 2008 while playing for Fort Myers, so his defense is recognizably solid. The only knock on him is his inexperience in catching/handling Major-League level pitchers.

4. Is there anyone who can surprise and unexpectedly come north?

Some names to keep an eye on include Relief Pitcher’s Anthony Slama, Rob Delaney, and Alex Burnett; and Position Player’s Luke Hughes, Danny Valencia, and 2-Time Twins Minor League Player of the Year, Ben Revere.

Revere’s name is mentioned only because of the hole on the roster at the backup CF spot. I don’t envision the Twins letting Revere sit on their bench for most of a season or start his MLB-service time in that role, but if something happens with Span, I would have to think Revere gets serious consideration for a call-up due to the reasons mentioned above.

Slama has dominated every level in the minor’s he has pitched at, and if this continues at AAA this year or he impresses strongly in Spring Training, the Twins almost have to give him a shot to find out exactly what they have with him. His numbers are simply too spectacular to ignore though some have reservations about his overall ability and MLB projection. To these people, I only like to point out the fact that Pat Neshek was treated the exact same way while dominating the minors much like Slama (though Slama’s numbers outshine his), before being given his chance. Well, Neshek ran with it and turned into one of the League’s most dominant setup-men while he was healthy, so why not give this guy his chance?

The aforementioned Catcher, Wilson Ramos, is also a key name to watch. Gardenhire has mentioned he wouldn’t mind having Ramos come North to start the year, but it’s also tough to justify starting his service time when you have the best Catcher in Baseball already there and negotiating a long-term contract (get it done Front Office!). Then again, Gardy has been known to get his way on roster moves like this one, simply taking the guy he likes best (see: Nick Punto).

Many fans would like to see Valencia start the season with the Twins, as he would be in a low-pressure situation playing 3B and presumably batting 9th with the lineup they have assembled, but a strong spring where he obviously outshines all other options is the only way I see this happening as most believe he could use some more seasoning at AAA. With that said, barring injury, I have to think Valencia will be on the Twins roster at some point this season.

‘Til next time…

Links:

-Reliever Pat Neshek is excited to be back in camp.

-The Minneapolis Star Tribune’s LaVelle E. Neal III gives 9 questions facing the Twins in Spring Training.

-For the second year in a row, left-handed reliever Jose Mijares has caused stirs in camp, this time because he was late to report.

-Starter Glen Perkins, who may or may not be on the trading block, says he has put his issues with the Twins from last year behind him.

-Mlb.com and mlblogs.com’s Kelly Theiser gives some thoughts on day 1 of camp.

-Twins Spring Training Schedule.

Going into the offseason I gave 5 questions in regards to what I would like to see happen before the Minnesota Twins took the field for their first game in Target Field, and General Manager Bill Smith has seemingly answered all of them (except the one Twins fans are still pining for…). They were as follows:

1. Can the Twins sign Joe Mauer to an extension? And for how much?

My answer now is still the same. It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when. One of the biggest issues heading into these negotiations was if Mauer would be satisfied that the Twins organization was serious about contending for a World Series Title going forward. Well, I think the Front Office has answered any doubts that Mauer may have had with this offseason, so we can put that conversation to rest.

2. Who’s going to be in the Starting Rotation next year?

They brought Pavano back, and although they didn’t necessarily pick up an ‘Ace’ like I wanted them too, I’m getting more and more optimistic that Francisco Liriano will bounce back and take that role this season (end of 2008 version, not 2006, and is something I was hinting at near the end of this post).

Nick Blackburn, Scott Baker, and Kevin Slowey are the other locks, and there is a solid group of guys behind them in Brian Duensing, Glen Perkins, and Anthony Swarzak that could step in when needed.

Its not a Top-flight starting rotation on or near the level of the Yankees or Red Sox, but every starter the Twins send out to the mound can shut a team down on any given day, and I like that in a starting rotation.

3. What to do with the Bullpen?

While they haven’t exactly “blown it up”, what they have done, is improved in some areas and brought back the guys who performed well for them last season. Jon Rauch, Matt Guerrier, and Jose Mijares (at times) were solid as setup-men and are back, Clay Condrey was brought in after Bobby Keppel was released to eat up some innings, and Pat Neshek is ready to make his comeback from Elbow Surgery.

Despite his efforts in the playoffs last year, Joe Nathan is still one of the games best closers, and whoever is left out of the starting rotation from the group of Duensing, Perkins, and Liriano, will provide another strong arm for the pen.

Also, I’m going to say this name a lot going into this season, but watch out for reliever Anthony Slama, a pitcher who likely will start the season as the closer or a crucial-setup man for AAA Rochester. Look for him to burst onto the Twins scene at some point in 2010, much like Neshek did a few years back.

4. What will the infield left of First-Base look like next year?

Vastly different, which is a good thing. J.J. Hardy was brought in via trade with the Milwaukee Brewers to fill the Shortstop position for the foreseeable future, and now that Orlando Hudson has signed to play 2B, the Twins could have one of the most solid middle-infields in Major League Baseball.

With Hudson on board, Nick Punto and Brendan Harris will provide a serviceable but not spectacular platoon at 3B, hopefully until prospect Danny Valencia’s bat proves ready at AAA.

5. Too many outfielders, too little playing time?

This conundrum was also solved via the J.J. Hardy acquisition, as the Twins sent exciting and frustrating CF Carlos Gomez to the Brewers. This locked the Twins starting outfield as Delmon Young in LF (who plays better when he’s getting regular playing time), Denard Span in CF (one of the top leadoff hitters in the AL), and Michael Cuddyer in RF (hit a career high 32 HR’s last season). Jason Kubel is available to play either of the corner spots as well.

The only thing missing from this picture is someone capable of backing up Span in CF, which will likely be AAA OF Jason Pridie, but this could also be the one remaining spot where the Twins do something else going into 2010, or where someone could impress in Spring Training to nab the final roster spot.

I also gave 2 predictions going into the offseason, and those were:

1. Target Field is going to Rock.

Can you even question this?

2. Joe Mauer is your 2009 AL MVP.

Everybody knew this was going to happen at the time, but it was great to see all the same, and an exclamation point on a monster season.

Anyway, 2010 is looking bright for the Twins, and as soon as this whole Joe Mauer contract stuff is worked out, it will be arguably the best offseason in the history of the Minnesota Twins.

(Pitchers and Catchers report in 12 Days!)

UPDATE – 5PM: Heh, in reference to my prediction at the end of question #5, The Twins have signed former Outfielder Jacque Jones to a Minor League Deal after OF Jason Pridie was claimed off waivers by the Mets. Pridie was put on waivers to make room on the 40-man roster for Orlando Hudson. The Star Tribune’s Joe Christensen reports.

The Twins have reached an agreement with Second Basemen Orlando Hudson, one of the best Free Agents that was still on the market. The deal is a 1-year contract totaling $5 million dollars, $2 million less than what Hudson made with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

Hudson is a two-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner at second base who posted a line of .283/.357/.417 last season batting 2nd in the Dodgers lineup to start the season, then 3rd when Manny Ramirez was suspended. Late in the season Hudson hurt his wrist, and the Dodgers stuck with the hot-hand in Ronnie Belliard at 2B going into the postseason.

I like this move on so many levels, but what jumps out at me initially, is the money, and not just for Hudson alone, but the entire Twins roster. After bringing in Jim Thome and reaching several arbitration avoiding deals with other players, the Twins 2010 payroll was pushing $90+ million dollars, easily their highest ever Opening Day payroll. But Bill Smith and Co. weren’t done.

Hudson was reported to be in talks with the Washington Nationals, but these broke down when the sides couldn’t come close to agreeing on $$. The Cleveland Indians were also reported to be interested, but something about that sounds fishy to me, and I wonder if any of those rumors were true. After Jarrod Washburn turned down the $5 million dollar offer the Twins reportedly gave him, and Carl Pavano was resigned, they switched their focus back to the holes at 2B and 3B. More specifically to Hudson, a player whom I think is a much better fit and fills a much bigger need.

We can pretty much assume Hudson will bat in the 2-hole between Denard Span and Joe Mauer, and in comparison to the lines of the guys who were tried there last season by Ron Gardenhire, it’s a major upgrade.

2009 Stats:

Orlando Hudson: .283/.357/.417 – 9 HR’s, 62 RBI’s.

Nick Punto: .228/.337/.284 – 1 HR, 38 RBI’s
Brendan Harris: .261/.310/.362 – 6 HR’s, 37 RBI’s
Matt Tolbert: .232/.303/.308 – 2 HR’s, 19 RBI’s.
Alexi Casilla: .202/.280/.259 – 0 HR’s, 17 RBI’s.

Kudos Bill Smith and the entire organization, for putting together the best team possible to open the new era of Twins Baseball at Target Field.

Links:

-Orlando Hudson’s Career Statistics.

-MLB Trade Rumors reports.

-The Startribune’s Howard sinker, Joe Christensen, and LaVelle E. Neal III give their thoughts on the signing.

-ESPN’s Rob Neyer thinks Hudson is a perfect fit for the Twins.

-Buster Olney, also of ESPN, takes an interesting look at what batting in the 2-hole will mean for Hudson and the Twins. (Requires an Insider subscription to see the whole article.)

The Twins have added another piece to their efforts at repeating as AL Central Division Champions in 2010 by signing former thorn in their side and veteran slugger, Jim Thome. The deal is reported to be for 1.5 million, with incentives tied to plate appearances possibly adding another 750K.

While playing with Division rivals Cleveland and Chicago over his career, Thome smashed 57 of his 564 Career Home Runs (12th All-Time) against the Twins, his most against any opposing team. Most recently, his Twin Killing ways can be retraced to the 2008 season, where his solo blast off starter Nick Blackburn was the difference in that years version of game 163, a 1-0 loss.

While at first glance Thome doesn’t seem to be an ideal fit as a lefthanded slugger joining a team already loaded with lefty sluggers, he does bring something the Twins have been seriously lacking for nearly 20 seasons, that being a dangerous bat off the bench that will provide a plethora of options and flexibility in Ron Gardenhire’s lineup.

The only times the Twins even attempted to Pinch Hit in 2009 was when one of their regular stars was on a day off, and you could see why when the other names on the bench were Tolbert, Harris, Punto, Casilla, Gomez, Morales, or Redmond.

But now, each and every gameday, whether Thome is in the lineup to start or not, there will be someone on the bench that an opposing manager will have to think about in the later innings, and this wasn’t the case at any point in 2009 or in the many years prior.

Other Offseason Notes:

-The Twins avoided any arbitration hearings by coming to terms with 8 players earlier this month, including Brendan Harris, Delmon Young, Carl Pavano, Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain, Pat Neshek, Francisco Liriano, and newcomer J.J. Hardy. More details on the signings can be found here, courtesy of the Star Tribune’s Joe Christensen.

-The Twins remain interested in the services of Second Basemen Orlando Hudson, and pitcher Jarrod Washburn. Fox Sport’s Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi give the rundown.

It has been a slow (understatement) offseason thus far for the Twins after the Carlos Gomez for J.J. Hardy swap immediately after their playoff exit, but after granting reliever Bobby Keppel his release so he could play for the Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan’s Pacific League, General Manager Bill Smith was quick to replace him on the Major League roster, signing former Philadelphia Phillies reliever Clay Condrey to a one year contract.

Condrey saw action in 45 games for the Phillies last year, compiling a 6-2 record and 3.00 ERA in 42 Innings Pitched, Striking Out 25 hitters and Walking 14. He also missed an extended period of time with an Oblique injury.

Looking at a game-by-game breakdown of his performance, it was rare that he pitched longer than 1 inning, and had several games where he only faced 1 or 2 batters.

To me, this isn’t necessarily a move that improves the Twins subpar Bullpen of last season, but is more of a replace a guy from the Major League roster that they are losing (Keppel), with another Major League pitcher of the same or similar quality. Condrey’s numbers outshine Keppel’s at first glance, but 2009 was by far his best season as a pro, and he is 34 years old.

A small move, but at least it’s something in an otherwise quiet thus far offseason.

Links:

-Clay Condrey’s Career Statistics.

-Minneapolis Star Tribune Twins writer, LaVelle E. Neal III, reports the signing.

-Philly.com’s report of losing Condrey. (read the comments to get an idea of what we’re getting)

Since I’ve gotten older however, the wishlist hasn’t really had the same appeal. It has evolved into more of a shopping list that I’ve put off shopping for than a gift wishlist, and I’ve become much more content with plain old gift cards to Best Buy and Kohls.

It also no longer gets the effort from me it used too, case in point:

When the family asked for the (in)famous Christmas list this year, I sat down before I went to bed one night, and in less than ten minutes came up with simply this: (copy and pasted)

Stores:

-Best Buy
-Kohls
-Herbergers
-JC Penny

Stuff:

-Vikings Jersey. Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, Chad Greenway.
-Twins Jersey. Denard Span, Justin Morneau.
-Digital Camera.
-Computer Desk.

Thats the list.

I should have added Antoine Winfield to the Vikings list, I’d take any Twins jersey really, I lost my digital camera, and could use a new (smaller) desk.. Nothing I’d consider all that wishful, and nothing that I would be disappointed about if I didn’t get.

So, in looking at the list again and the unimaginative form it has become, it got me thinking back to those outrageous wishlists I made as a kid.

So I decided to make another list, in homage to those of the past, and with Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings coming and going without much activity in Minnesota, I thought I’d keep their interests in mind on this one.

2009-10 Twins Wishlist:

-A retractable roof for Target Field.
-A bench player who poses a threat in PH situations. (and isn’t on his day off)
-A second or third baseman with a high Average and/or On-Base-Percentage to bat in the 2-hole. (Chone Figgins? Orlando Cabrera?)
-A second or third baseman (depending on above) with RBI or On-Base potential. (Joe Crede? Orlando Cabrera?)
-Nick Punto in the Utility role. (Where he excels…)
-A frontline starter to help anchor the rotation. (Ben Sheets?)
-A contract extension for Joe Mauer. (obvious)
-Johan Santana.
-Sunshine and warm skies on April 12th.

All in all, I’ll still be satisfied with whatever the Twins do (on the list or not), and I’m betting (wishing) that the Front Office has something up their sleeve (possibly already) that will surprise everyone.

Just like all those Christmases as a kid.

-Happy Holidays!

I’m sure you’ve all heard by now, but after receiving 27 of 28 First Place votes in the balloting (what’s with that Japanese guy voting for Miguel Cabrera anyway?!?!?), Twins’ Catcher and uber-Minnesota sports idol Joe Mauer, is your 2009 American League Most Valuable Player.

The most coveted of the season’s Awards is the exclamation point on a season where he also took home the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards at the Catcher position in the AL.

For the season, Mauer batted .365 (1st in MLB), with an On-Base Percentage of .444 (1st in MLB), and slugged .587 (1st in AL, 3rd in MLB). He also added career high’s in HR’s with 28, and RBI’s with 96, all while missing the entire month of April with a back injury. (Obscure Stat I’d like to point out: Mauer’s 191 hits for the season in 138 games, was good for 9th in MLB, in 113 less At-Bats than the League’s Hit’s leader Ichiro Suzuki, with 225. Project Mauer’s average to the same number of At-Bats, and you get 233 hits).

Oh, by the way, in the era of ‘Sabermetrics’ and all the other crazy statistics (Which I don’t think hold any quantifiable value, like ‘Revised Zone-Rating’) that don’t take into account the difficulty of plays and how they actually happen on the field, Mauer won the Triple Crown in the AL with his line of .365/.444/.587.

He is also the 1st Catcher in MLB History to do a ridiculous amount of things this season when it comes to his statistics, but I’ll let the links at the end give you all that crazy information.

Bottom Line, Joe Mauer had one of the best, if not THE best, season’s EVER offensively for a Catcher in Major League Baseball, and the MVP Trophy is the icing on the cake for an incredible season where he flirted with .400 for over half the year and was a force down the stretch to help push the Twins into the playoffs.

In closing, my favorite memory of Joe’s 2009 season came in his first game, in his first 2009 at-bat, where on his very first swing of the season, he hit a HR over the left field fence at the Metrodome. Second’s later I received a text message from a friend that read only “He would”. So true.

Congrats Joe! Hopefully it is the first of many over an already prolific career!

Links:

-The M & M boys these days aint from New York, but now fellow MVP’s (which makes them the M^2 & M^2 Boys) Mauer and Justin Morneau, are much more than just teammates.

-La Velle E. Neal III examines Mauer’s season and the legacy he is creating.

-Joe Christensen takes a look at all the factors coming into play in regards to keeping Mauer in Minnesota beyond 2010.

-When Mauer was drafted in 2001, many sportswriters/fans in Minnesota cried foul for passing on pitcher Mark Prior to take the hometown kid #1 and save money. Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune was one of them, and admits here, that they were all “morons”.

-To add to his list of accolades, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman named a day in his honor.

-ESPN’s Jim Caple, takes a humurous, Minnesota native Coen Brother’s inspired movie look, at the saga that will be Joe Mauer’s next contract negotiations.

Right out of the offseason gate, Twins General Manager Bill Smith has, in theory, killed two birds with one stone. The birds being the roster question marks, and the trade of beleaguered yet talented Center Fielder Carlos Gomez for beleaguered yet former All-Star Shortstop J.J. Hardy being the stone.

Gomez’s departure solves the outfield’s “logjam”, penciling in Delmon Young, Denard Span, and Michael Cuddyer as Target Field’s opening outfield, and brings in a middle-infielder who’s had great success in the past, but struggled this year, onto the roster to hold down the SS position for the foreseeable future (and doesn’t have “Punto” across the back of his jersey).

So cross off #5 and most of #4 off my list of questions for 2010.

This was a good move for the Twins even though its not a slam dunk. Hardy is still young (27), plays phenomenal defense, and has hit 24 and 26 home runs in a season before. Gomez has hit 12 in his career, and Hardy’s 11 last season while he ’struggled’ was still more than the total of Nick Punto, Brendan Harris, Matt Tolbert, and Alexi Casilla.

The move may eliminate Orlando Cabrera from contention for a return, but I would still like to see the Twins bring him back, either to play second base or fill in around the infield when needed (*wink-Bill Smith). There are still questions at second and third after this move, but 2 questions is better than 3 when it comes to the 4 infield spots in my book.

I’m a little sad to see Gomez go, but the team will not miss what he did for them as much as they will appreciate what Hardy can bring to arguably the most important position on the field. There isn’t that great of a fall off defensively with Span in CF instead of Gomez, and Span’s offensive production speaks volumes more than Gomez’s.

If Bill Smith has proved anything in his short tenure, its that he’s not afraid to make deals, lets hope this one works out how he envisions. Now, on to questions 1, 2, and 3 Mr. Smith…

Mauer Wins 2nd Consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award

In what should be a prelude to an Award Season fleecing by Joe Mauer, he has been named the AL’s Gold Glove winner at catcher.

This comes as no surprise, as Mauer has been heralded as an elite defensive backstop since being drafted 1st overall in 2001. It’s his second consecutive after winning his first last year, and provided he stays healthy, will be the leading candidate to win it every season he plays for at least the next 10.

It was a great ride on the way to winning the American League Central Division Crown, but October is a big-boys club, and the Twins in comparison to the Yankees, Angels, and Red Sox, are barely out of puberty.

There were games they could have won, and should have won, but that’s how it goes in the postseason when you make all the big mistakes you hadn’t the entire season and the team that’s taking advantage of them is the Yankees.

Needless to say I’m cheering for Torii Hunter and the Angels tonight and going forward this postseason, but its time to take a look at the future of the Twins and their move into Target Field to open up 2010:

5 Questions Heading Into Target Field:

1. Can the Twins sign Joe Mauer to an extension? and for how much?

Its not a question of if to me, its a question of when. But you can not ignore the fact the Joe Mauer has this team by the balls if he wants to go down that road. The Front Office doesn’t even want to think about a Twins team without hometown hero Mauer as its catcher, but he’s due to become the highest paid catcher ever (by a significant margin), if not the highest paid baseball player ever.

If Mauer does leave, and heads easterly instead of westerly, I will swear him off completely and go out of my way to make known my disgust with him, but I can’t see that happening. Justin Morneau has told Mauer that if he leaves he would never talk to him again. The entire male baseball fan demographic in the state of Minnesota has a man-crush on him, and every 13 to 40 year old female baseball fan has a real crush. Its not hard to see that he isn’t going anywhere in my opinion.

The problem is, will signing the uber-star “Baby Jesus” to the monster contract he deserves hinder the Twins from becoming a perennial contender in the years ahead? They say they will be willing to spend more money on the team’s payroll as they move into the revenue boosting Target Field, but I have to believe Mauer’s contract alone will reach the Pohlad’s penny-pinching plateau of increase, and that’s not even including the pay increases in the future for player’s like Jason Kubel, Carlos Gomez, Denard Span, Delmon Young, etc… This is a young team with a lot of guys who will become eligible for arbitration and new contracts in the near future which will also increase the payroll. Point being, despite the move to the new stadium, there’s still not much wiggle room to improve the team from outside sources, which the Twins are in dire need of doing to contend beyond the first round of the playoffs in the future.

2. Who’s going to be in the starting rotation next year?

To me, Scott Baker and Nick Blackburn are the only slam dunks. Kevin Slowey is probably another lock, but injuries slowed his development and maturation this season, so he still has questions.

I don’t know what to say about Francisco Liriano. After coming back at the end of the 2008 season so strong, 2009 again looked bright for “The Franchise”, but he couldn’t get out of his own head as the year went on.

Carl Pavano definitely earned the opportunity to be offered a contract extension by the Twins in his brief stint this year, but the Twins need a legitimate “Ace” to round out their rotation in addition to keeping Pavano. He and Blackburn showed flashes of dominance at times, but aren’t true every start stoppers, which is essential to a World Series contending team.

Glen Perkins, Anthony Swarzak, Brian Duensing, et. al., all have questions as well, and won’t be handed anything in Spring Training 2010.

3. What to do with the bullpen?

Blow it up.

A lot of people are calling for the trade of closer Joe Nathan, saying he is now ‘overpaid’, but I couldn’t disagree with them more even though there are concerns. How soon we forget that when he signed his last contract the deal was praised as being both team friendly and in their best interest. To me, the issue with Nathan is not his contract or his pitching ability, but the change in approach he has taken over the last 2 seasons. When he first came over from the San Francisco Giants, he was a Power closer that blew away hitters save opportunity after save opportunity with a 95+ MPH fastball that touched 97-98 far more than 95. Now, he has “grown” to be a pitcher who mixes in a lot of breaking balls, and because of this has seen his fastball velocity dip to a consistent 92-93 instead of 95+. Lose the breaking stuff (which caused him to fall behind 3-0 to A-Rod and give up the infamous game-tying HR in Game 2 of the ALDS) and start blowing smoke again Joe and you’re good.

Trade acquisitions Jon Rauch and Ron Mahay have earned a return chance as situational lefty and righty matchup pitchers, and Matt Guerrier rebounded to be a respectable setup-man, but beyond them, the bullpen in 2010 should look a lot different.

The return of Pat Neshek should also see some improvement to the pen, but players coming off an elbow surgery can not be counted on in their first year back. This is where the Twins Minor League system actually has the potential to help next year.

Two big-time relief prospects ended the year at AAA Rochester, and in my opinion, could have helped the Twins this season (they were both on my Twins 10 Prospects To Watch list at the beginning of the year). Them being Righthander’s Robert Delaney and Anthony Slama.

Delaney struggled a little adjusting to AAA hitters after his promotion, posting a 4.53 ERA in 36 games, but his track record suggests he will adjust and improve his still respectable 1.21 WHIP (his Minor League career WHIP is a fantastic 1.00) in 2010 if he doesn’t accomplish that before the 2010 opener and end up in the Twins pen. He isn’t overpowering, but posesses impeccable control and his 5.4 to 1 – K to BB ratio demonstrates his ability to make hitters miss.

Slama began the year at AA New Britain as the closer and saved 25 games for the Rock Cats before being promoted to Rochester, making 11 appearances. Take away 1 game where he surrendered 5 runs and he posted a 0.64 ERA in 14 IP with 18 K’s while surrendering only 7 hits. Like Delaney, Slama isn’t necessarily overpowering, but has a deceiving delivery and a plus slider that is responsible for his astronomical 13.3 K’s per 9 IP numbers over his minor league career.

4. What will the infield left of First Base look like next year?

The year ended with Matt Tolbert and Brendan Harris sharing 3B-men duties with trading deadline acquisition Orlando Cabrera at SS and “ballplayer” Nick Punto at Second.

Cabrera was a big help in pushing the Twins to the postseason, and I think they should try to bring him back for at least one more season, but he is not a long-term answer on a team lacking any long-term answers at SS.

Punto, Harris, and Tolbert combine to make up arguably the most unproductive infield in the history of Major League Baseball (throw in Alexi Casilla and its without a doubt the worst, despite his game 163 winner). Losing Joe Crede to injury inflates this argument obviously, but you can only role with what you’ve got, and that’s what it is.

Which brings up Third Base. There is a prospect sitting at AAA that many fans have called for to get the first shot next year, that being Danny Valencia. But all indications are he isn’t quite ready to make the jump, and he is the one prospect in the system the Twins can’t rush.

A potential solution? Bring Crede back one more year and give him the chance to play on natural grass and its forgiveness to his back compared to the Metrodome’s turf. I haven’t seen any injury updates on him lately, but a similar incentive laden contract that protects the Twins in case of further injury again doesn’t seem too much to ask.

Punto, well, I don’t want to talk about Punto, and if you have to ask why, I might just punch you in the face. So with him and Casilla, 2B is a crapshoot next year again.

5. Too many outfielders, too little playing time?

Not really, this “problem” is easily fixed by leaving Carlos Gomez in AAA to start next year. He has demonstrated he is a top-notch defender as far as running down fly balls in centerfield, but everything else is a mess. Big time arm, zero accuracy. No plate discipline. No power. No ability to move runners over. For all his speed he can’t steal a base to save his life. Short version is he needs more time in the minors to be taught the game of baseball.

That leaves Delmon Young in LF, Denard Span in CF, and Michael Cuddyer in RF with Jason Kubel able to fill in at the corners and DH. That will work just fine for me.

2 Thing’s I’m Sure Of:

1. Target Field is going to rock.

2. Joe Mauer is your 2009 American League MVP.

To Sunnier (literally) days ahead!