Kuzul

Many Twins fans are upset to see their electric center fielder, Denard Span, traded for pitching prospect Alex Meyer.  

As frustrating this may be for Minnesota, it really shouldn’t be a surprise when considering the history of the Twins, their current player issues and GM Terry Ryan.

Consider the Twins’ Way of building a team.  

Traditionally, this means developing players through small ball offense, fundamental defense, and accurate and consistent pitching.  Note how the definition says the Twins develop players and nothing about trading for or acquiring developed players.  

The Twins are not known to trade for proven players.  Sure, the Twins acquired actual big leaguers such as Josh Willingham, Jim Thome, Brian Fuentes and Jon Rauch.  Yet, some of these big league players went through some sort of development with the Twins.  

The Twins even developed Joe Nathan when he came to Minnesota.  Prior to becoming the league’s best closer from 2004 to 2009, he had one save to his name and spending his pre-Twins days as a struggling starter and solid middle reliever.  The Twins do not generally pick up All-Stars; they develop them.

Everyone knows by now that the Twins biggest issue this offseason is starting pitching.  It is well known that the Twins finished with one of the worst starting rotations in MLB, ranking extremely low in most pitching stats (see MLB.com).  

Therefore, the Twins are desperately seeking starting pitching.  They have yet to make an impactful move for the pitching staff this far.  Combine this thought with “potential versus proven performance” and it should not be a surprise that the Twins acquired a minor league pitcher for Span; not to mention the Twins’ abundance of talented and cheaper-than-Span outfielders.  This leads to the final point.

General Manager Terry Ryan.  Ryan has assumed the role of full-time Twins General Manager.  Twins fans are all familiar with Ryan’s miracle-like work in the 2000s, when low team payrolls produced winning ball clubs.  With Span’s departure, the Twins free up at least $11.25 million over the next two years.  

Can we expect another miracle from Terry Ryan?  We will see.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Unlike my previous articles which focused on the Pioneer Press‘ Tom Powers’ idea that the “Minnesota Twins need more useful players, not stars,” this article looks at a different side to Minnesota’s typical strict budget roster moves.

It is not normal for the Twins to rebuild by stacking their team full of proven stars.  However, after two horrible seasons, is it time to break this mold? The following article reviews five free agents the Twins should consider splurging on for 2013 (to rebuild their rotation and jump start the offense).

Note: All players were listed as Free Agents when this article was written, via BaseballReference.com and MLBTradeRumors.com.

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For the final article in my series on Twins offseason moves:

In the spirit of the Pioneer Press‘ Tom Powers’ idea that the “Minnesota Twins need more useful players, not stars” if the Twins want to make substantial improvement next year, I present an article addressing one of the Twins’ biggest needs this offseason: relief pitching.

Without a true closer and without too many reliable relievers, the Twins need to consider the following players if they want to have a solid bullpen in 2013.

Note: All players were listed as Free Agents when this article was written, via BaseballReference.com and MLBTradeRumors.com.

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With just two games left in the 2012 season, the near-.400 Minnesota Twins need to start thinking about their 2013 campaign.

Once laying claim to the AL’s top-ranked defense, reliable pitching and timely hitting helped the Twins win six American League Central Division Championships from 2002 to 2010.

The 2012 Twins season tried and failed to regain this winning formula.

At the end of the 2012 season, the Twins find themselves in largely the same position that they did at the end of 2011.  Here are some reasons why the the Minnesota Twins have a long climb from the cellar in 2013.

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In 2012, the Twins most likely will not have the AL MVP, Rookie of the Year, Gold Glove Winner, Cy Young or Relief Man of the Year. Still, the Twins are still in the running for a few official MLB awards.

This article discusses realistic chances of Twins winning official awards and assigns fictional team awards to key players.

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With fewer than 20 games left in the Minnesota Twins’ 2012 season, Joe Mauer is ranked fourth in the AL batting race and nine points behind the first-place Mike Trout.

Despite this slightly overwhelming gap this late in the season, Mauer should not be counted out as the 2012 AL batting champion.

This article examines current statistical trends of the AL’s top five hitters to determine Mauer’s favorable odds in winning the batting title for the fourth time in seven seasons.

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With a month left in the 2012 season, the Minnesota Twins must start addressing positional shortcomings if they want to reach .500 in 2013.

From 2002 to 2010, the Twins won six American League Central Division Championships through league leading defenses, strong pitching, and clutch hitting. Since 2011, the Twins have steered clear of this formula and have gone 115-175 (.396).

What needs must the Twins address in the offseason to right the ship? Read on to find out. 

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For over a decade, Ichiro Suzuki has been the face of the Seattle Mariners‘ franchise. When he made his debut in a Mariner’s uniform over 11 years ago, not only did Seattle fall in love with him, MLB did.

Over this stretch of baseball history, the MLB would come to know Ichiro as a slap-hitting, extra-base robbing superstar. He was the Emerald City’s most exciting player since Ken Griffey Jr.

Since his departure to New York this season, the image of the superstar outfielder in a Mariners uniform is now but a distant memory.

This article relives the high times in Ichiro’s Mariners career.

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