BBWriterMan

The Twins clearly still need some middle infield help, most specifically at shortstop (Pedro Florimon is not the answer). What do we think of Danny Espinosa of the Washington Nationals? I think he'd be a solid fit, and could be acquired cheaply.Here's an article I did last week on the topic, please feel free to read, react, disagree, etc. Link: Minnesota Twins Rumors: Should a Young Infielder Be on Their Radar?

If the Twins are truly "sellers" as July's trade dealine approaches, who do we think could be dealt? The obvious one is Justin Morneau, perhaps followed closely by Josh Willingham. Other than that, I think Jamey Carroll could appeal to other teams, and Ryan Doumit as well. It seems the Twins could have a glut of options for the starting rotation soon (Gibson, DeVries, Deduno), but I don't see other teams having significant interest in anyone. Here's a post I recently did at Rant Sports.com on the topic. Any feedback is welcome. Link: MLB: Five Minnesota Twins That Could Be Traded

I would have liked to have seen the Twins sign Myers, particularly over Correia or even Pelfrey, but I do wonder if they even made a competitive offer. The Indians are no more of a contender than the Twins are, so that could not have been a deciding factor for him.

I don't think Webb has a ton of upside at this point, but in the position the Twins are in they have to pursue every avenue to find pitching.

Here's my look at the Twins signing of Jeff Clement. Link: http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/2012/11/26/mlb-news-the-minnesota-twins-sign-jeff-clement-to-a-minor-league-deal/ Certainly not an exciting move, but it feels like Clement's last chance to prove he's more than a "Four-A" player.

In terms of cost, Figgins may be a good option. But in terms of what he can still offer at this stage of his career, I see some Tony Bautista/Juan Castro/name another low-cost veteran the Twins have signed in recent years in him.

It feesl like the Twins would be selling high on Willingham, but I agree that they would not get much for him in a trade. At least not anything (a starting pitcher?) of equal value. It's better to hang onto him and deal Span, in my opinion.

Yeah, but I do think the Giants will have to pay some of that money next year to get a deal done with anyone if they are serious about unloading him.

I know it's unrealistic in a lot of ways, but does anyone else but me see Tim Lincecum as a possible trade target for the Twins? It occurs to me the Giants may need an outfielder like Denard Span, even if they win the World Series with Gregor Blanco and Angel Pagan manning left and center frequently. That also assumes the rumors the Giants will make him available are true, but I also don't see there being a ton of potential trade partners since he's due $22 million next year.

Sign Greinke and deal Span for another mid-level starter? That sounds like a good plan to me

Oh, I didn't realize he dropped Boras as his agent. I should have done a little more investigation, but I didn't see that particular news when researching him.

Obviously the Twins will target starting pitching this offseason. This may have been discussed already, but what do we think of Edwin Jackson as a potential free agent signing? I think he could be a solid No.2/3 starter (maybe closer to a #3), but the fact he is a Scott Boras client is a big factor in where he lands and how inflated his salary is/will be. The Nationals paid $11 milion this year for a slightly below .500 record (10-11) and an ERA a shade over 4.00 (4.03), but he did make over 30 starts again and pitched close to 190 innings. If my recollection is correct he set a career-high in K/9 at 8.0, and he still won't turn 30 until next September. I think Jackson will be on the Twins' list of free agent targets, but they will quickly lose interest if the salary numbers get too high. They may be able get two starters of comparable ability and age for the same price as Jackson on a one or two-year deal, so they should let someone else overpay.

I like Josh Johnson as a trade target for the Twins, even with the questions of his injury history and what the Marlins would want in return. Someone else may have mentioned elsewhere in this thread, but I think he has one year left on his deal at a fairly significant salary? ($10-plus million?). That alone may be enough to make the Twins hesitant to seriously consider a trade for him.

I absolutely agree, Baker at any level as long as he is healthy is better than most that made a start this year.

Your "work" needs work if you are trying to be a writer. This will be last word on this, then I'll let it go- I like to think I do good work, and others seem to give me positive feedback whether they agree with what I say or not. And I'm not "trying" to be a writer, I am one and have a fairly solid resume of work. I don't think it's right to degrade others if you don't have the guts to put your writing out there yourself?

The powers that be did tell me I could post links to my work here, but maybe I should refrain if others are offended. Oh, and I'm not "trolling for traffic"-it's called promoting my work, but call it whatever you want.

Thanks, that's good advice. I guess I just didn't appreciate the insinuation that I am not well-informed. I agree with you, but I'm not so sure about the option? A cheap option ( around $1 million) maybe?

Sorry, I actually just joined late last week and did not peruse the archives re: Baker. And there actually was some new news that he is throwing off flat ground now, which prompted my article. Just trying to get some renewed discussion going, and bring people like me that did not participate here previously the chance to do so.

I think it's safe to say the Twins will not pick up Scott Baker's $9.25 million option for next year, but I do think they could bring him back at a much lower salary if he looks healthy coming back from TJ surgery. I really think other teams will have tepid interest in him at best, so it may come down to him taking the Twins' offer or simply not signing a major league contract that has any type of guarantees with any team for 2013. What do you all think? Here's my analysis of the situation, featured at Rant Sports.com Link: http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/2012/10/02/mlb-rumors-should-the-minnesota-twins-bring-back-scott-baker/

I don't think it's too soon to look back on 2012, and debate who was the Twins' best free agent signing from last winter? We clearly can't overlook what Josh Willingham did this year, but I said Ryan Doumit at the time of his signing and I think that held true. Simply put, the Twins needed someone that could catch, be little if any dropoff offensively from Mauer and make for a better offensive lineup on the days Mauer did not catch. Doumit fit that bill, and allowed Mauer to have a healthy season by being able to play first base and DH more often. Playing left field on occasion, even though he is clearly not suited to being an outfielder, enhanced Doumit's value even more.

Here is my analysis of the Nishioka situation, feature at Rant Sports.com Link: http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/2012/09/28/mlb-news-the-minnesota-twins-release-tsuyoshi-nishioka/

Even if the Twins had a major need for offense, there is no way the Angels give up Trumbo for anyone they can offer.

It's pretty clear the Twins need starting pitching, and they should leave no stone unturned in that pursuit. On that note, here is an article I recently wrote for Rant Sports.com taking a look at Santana as a potential free agent target for the Twins. Check out the link here: http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/2012/09/26/mlb-rumors-minnesota-twins-free-agent-target-ervin-santana/ Any and all feedback is welcome, and let's get a discussion going. What do you all think of Santana as a potential Twin in 2013 and beyond?