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Minnesota’s biggest off-season move was signing Jason Castro to a three-year deal worth $24.5 million. The team had a clear need at catcher and Castro was the 13th best available player according to ESPN.com. But are there other free agent fits after a 103-loss season? Here are five names the Twins could still be considering.Jason Hammel, RHP Hammel posted a 3.68 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP over the last three seasons in Chicago and Oakland. With other Cubs’ starters ahead of him, the team could afford to let him go. The Twins need more pitching and he would slide into the rotation nicely. He might be a good candidate to sign to a one- or two-year deal so he could recoup some value. At the start of next season, he will already be 34-years old so he will not have many more opportunities to be a free agent. Doug Fister, RHP Fister is only two-years removed from a terrific season in Washington where he threw for a 2.41 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. He has posted ERA totals greater than 4.15 in each of the last two seasons. Fister is younger than Hammel and he has pitched 237 fewer big league innings. He has pitched over 160 innings in each of the last four seasons where he was used exclusively as a starter. Like Hammel, there is an opportunity for him to produce a bounce back season. Scott Feldman, RHP Feldman was one of the players I targeted when completing my 2016 Twins offseason blueprint. I would offer him a two-year deal with some incentives since he has shown some positive signs since joining the bullpen. Minnesota’s bullpen has been overused in recent years so a new arm could add some life to a worn-out group. If he continues to make strides in the right direction, the Twins might be able to deal him for prospects at the trade deadline. Stephen Drew, 2B/3B/SS Drew will be entering his 12th big league season and he has shown the ability to play multiple positions around the infield. He could provide some insurance with young players like Miguel Sano and Jorge Polanco scheduled to start. He got on base almost 34% of the time last year. His .864 OPS was his highest total since his rookie season. Drew could take over the role vacated by Eduardo Nunez while providing a veteran voice in the clubhouse. Austin Jackson, OF Minnesota is scheduled to start the year with Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Eddie Rosario, and Robbie Grossman as the team’s outfielders. The young trio of Buxton, Kepler, and Rosario all have things to prove. Jackson would add a veteran bat who can play all three outfield positions. If any of the young core needs more seasoning in Rochester, Jackson could take over the starting duties. Derek Falvey, the Twins Chief Baseball Officer, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, “The reality is, we’re standing here today with players still available in free agency that I don’t think any of us would have predicted in October. Things change.” Regardless of whether the front office pursues any of the names listed above, it looks like the Twins are incredible longshots to make it to the World Series. Mytopsportsbooks.com, which already has MLB Futures odds posted, lists them at 200-1 right now. While the odds seem to be against a World Series run, it seems likely for the Twins to head to Fort Myers with a player or players who are not currently on the roster. Who would be a good fit with the club’s current direction? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Breaking news... The Twins aren't going to win the World Series in 2017. It's going to take time to turn this organization around. Derek Falvey might have packed up some of Cleveland's magical roster dust but even Theo Epstein didn't turn the Cubs around in a year. Each off-season starts with a plan. Here's my blueprint to get the organization moving in the right direction.Arbitration Decisions Trevor Plouffe might be the toughest decision in the group but it makes sense to keep him around. Sano hasn't proven he can be an everyday third baseman. Plouffe provides some Sano insurance and he can be used at other places in the line-up. His name has been part of the hot stove discussion over the last couple of years. It wouldn't be a surprise if Plouffe ended up on another team by the middle of the season. The Twins Daily blueprint included non-tendering Hector Santiago and Brandon Kintzler. I think it makes sense to keep both of them. Minnesota's roster doesn't have an overload of pitching. It would be easy to get rid of both of them and some of it will depend on the other members being traded away in the coming months. Here's the arbitration player rundown: -3B Trevor Plouffe – $9 million -SP Hector Santiago – $9 million -IF Eduardo Escobar – $3.5 million -SP Kyle Gibson – $2.5 million -RP Brandon Kintzler – $2.5 million -RP Ryan Pressly – $1.5 million Total: $28 million Dealing Dozier Brian Dozier's value is never going to be higher. He is the leader of the team on and off the field but the Twins need pitching. Also, Dozier's not likely going to be part of the next winning team in Minnesota so it makes sense to trade him. The Twins Daily offseason handbook names the Mets as a potential trade partner because of their surplus of young pitching. This is where I deal Dozier. If the Mets come calling with the right package, the Twins will have to listen. Left-handed pitcher Steven Matz has posted a 3.16 ERA through 28 career starts and he's the main piece of the puzzle. There would likely be other prospect pieces involved but Matz is the center of a Dozier swap. Free Agent Frenzy... Well, Not Really This might be one of the worst free agent classes of all-time. There's not a lot of talent and the second-tier of players is quite a drop-off. Teams are going to spend money but it doesn't mean it is going to be wisely spent. With the Twins deciding to part ways with Kurt Suzuki, there's a need to add a new backstop. Former Twins catcher Wilson Ramos will likely get the biggest free agent deal. The Twins Daily plan and Brandon Warne's plan included signing Jason Castro. He's a cheaper option and could help bridge the gap to some younger catchers in the Twins farm system. There are no great options and Falvey will have to decide how close Mitch Garver is to being an everyday catcher. With little depth in the catching market, I think Castro finds a bigger deal with a team that is closer to winning. Minnesota will be left with some of the scraps. I give Alex Avila a one-year deal to platoon with John Ryan Murphy. I think Garver should be getting regular at-bats by mid-season. The bullpen also needs an upgrade. Names like Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen are going to sign huge contracts. I offer Scott Feldman a two-year deal with some incentives as he has shown some positive signs since joining the bullpen. Who knows? Maybe he turns into a valuable asset that the Twins can trade in the future. With Dozier gone, I look to add a veteran infield option to help pick up some of the slack. Stephen Drew has played both shortstop and second base and he showed a little upside in 2016. He'd be cheap and would be easily expendable if other in-house options show they are MLB ready. Here's the rundown of my 25-man roster. Feel free discuss my plan in the comments section. Click here to view the article