It's Christmas time in Twins Territory and what does GM Terry Ryan have to show for it after another 95 loss season in 2012. He made two good trades bringing in power arms Alex Meyer and Trevor May to a depleted farm system. He added a solid middle of the rotation starter in Vance Worley. However, he then disappointed everybody by signing free agent pitcher Kevin Correia to a terrible 2-year, $10 million deal. He signed pitcher Mike Pelfrey to a 1-year, $4 million deal with incentives. Pelfrey had TJ surgery in May and is trying to make it back for the start of the 2013 season. Rich Harden was inked to a minor league deal but he has suffered from injuries his entire career and missed all of 2012. It was Tweeted by Charley Walters this morning the Twins are expected to have a payroll of around $83 million. So if this is true the fans really got scrooged. Jim Pohlad is a real life version of Ebeneezer Scrooge caring more about profit than winning baseball games. Here is what the other teams in the A.L. Central have done.

1. Detroit Tigers- Owner Mike Ilitch has opened up his wallet again to sign outfielder Torii Hunter and starter Anibal Sanchez.

2. Cleveland Indians​- They hired Terry Francona and signed free agents Mark Reynolds and Nick Swisher. Traded Shin-Soo Choo, Jason Donald, Tony Sipp, and Lars Anderson for Trevor Bauer, Drew Stubbs, Bryan Shaw, and Matt Albers. Signed LH pitcher Scott Kazmir to a minor league deal.

3. Chicago White Sox- They re-signed ace Jake Peavy to a 2-year deal and brought back pitcher Gavin Floyd. Signed infielder Jeff Keppinger and added Angel Sanchez in the Rule 5 draft. Signed outfielder Dewayne Wise to a 1-year deal.

4. Kansas City Royals- Signed pitcher Jeremy Guthrie to a 3-year, $25 million deal. Traded four very good prospects to TB for stud James Shields and pitcher Wade Davis.

The division has gotten much stronger, tougher, and more competitive. I'm pretty sure not even the most optimistic Twins fan can find positives in what has been a very questionable and CHEAP off-season. Nobody expects the front office to increase payroll after another bad season, but it's certainly fair to ask them not to reduce it either. As of right now the Twins have cut payroll by $33 million in two years since Target Field opened. I'm sorry if nobody else will admit it, but this is just not acceptable. Feel free to leave me any comments because your opinion matters to me.

You are so right and it is so true. We get fool that ours christmas won't be come for 3 more years. Right or wrong what can we do till then, just line his pockets? Can you trust a liarer and a cheapskate? It is a very sad time to be a Twins fan and I see no reason for it!

You are reaching on your comments on how the other teams improved. Detroit essentially moved Young for Hunter. Temporary upgrade. Chicago signs a gut after a career year, resigns their own players, lose their almost all star catcher. That is improvement? Scott Kazmir was not even the best pitcher on his indi team league last year. Wade Davis was repeatedly tried as a starter by Tampa. Ended up back in the bullpen.

Bankers want a return on their investment. The big dogs of free agency are not going to a last place team. (Jackson is another 3-4 starter, look back and see how teams have used him) The mediocre are not really worth the money unless you are trying to fill out a roster.

The spending/ non-spending is a tough call. The Twins conceivably could've kept one of Span or Revere and then just been a middle-infielder and a bench out of offense competition. They could've spent $20-25 million on a couple more higher end free agents, and appear to be much more competitive than they are now. As the team currently stands, they want Correia for 2014 but not Pelfrey. Might as well trade Morneau, entertain offers on Willingham, and go ahead and start Buxton in 2013 (it worked for Harper and Trout). If we need to suffer, be it watching the so-called potential, rather than the rehads and minor league free agents.

No, the savings from last year (spent in the draft, supposedly) and the epic savings this year, combined with the TC money coming in next year...I still see the Twins paying off their aprt of the Target Field loan sooner rather than later.

Of course, season ticket holders get a 10% discount on concessions in 2013.

Final question: who will be the Twins lone All-Star in 2014. Well, I guess Mauer is a fer sure if he wants to play. But if not Mauer, than who?

"He made two good trades bringing in power arms Alex Meyer and Trevor May to a depleted farm system."

The real question is how the minor league system became so depleted with pitching prospects? The Twins should be trying to steal away some scouts who actually know what they are doing. That is where the Twins need to pump some of their money they refuse to use on a fielding an actual competitive team.