Twins roster on July 4

This Twins team is not a playoff team. That shouldn't be a surprise. The over under 73 wins looks generous now. They are not 15 million dollars or a serviceable reliever away from 90 wins.

At some point this season it will be time to invest playing time in the future in spite of the growing pains. As I chose a date to put in the headline, I tried to account for the "Super Two" arbitration deadline. There will be some players with 2+ years of service time that will be eligible for arbitration following the 2014 season. The deadline is always a moving target. This year it is harder to project since the threshold changed from 17% to 22% in the new CBA. It probably has shifted from June to sometime in July... hence the arbitrary July 4 date above.

I would like to see the Twins invest playing time in the future. My roster...

Starters

Hendriks, Blackburn, Liriano, Diamond, Swarzak

Bullpen,

Capps, Perkins, Burton, Slama, Waldrop, Burnett, Duensing

Catcher

Mauer, Doumit

Infield

Morneau, Parmelee, Plouffe, Valencia, Dozier, Casilla

Outfield

Willingham, Span, Benson, Revere, Thomas

Who's out?

Burroughs, Gray, Maloney can be outrighted

Pavano, Marquis, and Carroll can be traded. We would get very little in return. I was tempted to add Capps to this list and add Guerra to the roster. Guerra certainly needs to get to AAA soon.

The Twins should seriously listen to offers for Liriano, Willingham, Doumit and Morneau.

The roster as constructed is short on middle infielders and has too many outfielders. Thomas can easily join the outright list .

The Twins will win fewer games with this roster. In return, we may get some answers to questions for 2013.

Can Dozier provide at least average defense at the SS position? If not, we need to address SS in the winter and move him to 2B.

Does Plouffe's bat play well anywhere? I don't think it plays well at corner OF. I would like to see him at 2B and 3B. Probably not going to work either. This is the year to find out.

How will Benson adjust to major league pitching? He won't solve it this year. He will probably need 1000 PA's before he can be counted on with the bat. Let's start banking some of the 1000 this year.

Can we find hope in the starting rotation? I can't see any solutions. I don't think Diamond is a solution and maybe another name will surface by July. I do think Pavano and Marquis have little left. Moving them now means I won't see them in 2013.

The bullpen is a mess too. Too early to tell which if any will be valuable members of a 2013 pen. I arbitrarily chose Burton to hang around. Maybe by July someone will rise from the cast offs they signed this winter.

Most importantly, I do not want to enter the off season wondering if Dozier can play SS. I want to know if Plouffe has value to a major league team. I want to see if there is any piece to a starting rotation that we can count on next year. I want some younger players to start taking their major league lumps soon.

better yet try to predict the off-season 40-man, who will be around from present company to start 2013. I doubt that anyone will bring a top-notch prospect...probably a possible overpaid aribitration player.

Guerra moved to AAA today. Let's see him in July also.

I agree, the Twins can not expect anything back for Pavano, Marquis and Carroll. Given their current level of play, they all have contracts that exceed their value. If they can get a team to take the contract. Great. If they include a minor leaguer similar to those the Twins received for Delmon. Better.

I suggest that the Twins invest the playing time in players who could be part of the solution... even if it leads to additional losses in 2012.

The few assets they should be willing to trade are decline phase players still playing well. Willingham and Morneau may be the only two chips that can return real starting pitching prospects.

There are possible LF and DH solutions in the minors for next year. There are no starting pitching solutions. Those positions are also easier to acquire in free agents.

Ticket sales will be down.