A Recap of the Twins' Offseason

The last time the Twins organization saw this many changes in one season was back in 2007, when perennial all-stars Torii Hunter and Johan Santana departed.  In trying to avoid replicating a disastrous 99-loss season, Minnesota sacked Bill Smith and reinstated Terry Ryan as General Manager, who stepped down in that same 2007 season.  The moves Ryan have made since then have mostly been positive, as he's helped situate the Twins to be better than they were in 2011--thought that wasn't all that difficult.

There are still many holes, however, and many of the problems that produced 99 losses last year are still present.  While the Twins will probably be better, hopes are not nearly as high as they've been in years past.  Let's take a look at each of Terry Ryan's moves one-by-one and evaluate their effect on the prospects of the 2011 Minnesota Twins.

Matt Capps- The gift that keeps on taking.  In mid-2010, Bill Smith traded top catching prospect Wilson Ramos for the overrated Matt Capps.  In the 2010 off-season, Smith retained Capps for the next season for more than $7 million, a result of Smith's complete over-valuation of the save statistic.  In December of 2011, Terry Ryan decided to re-sign Capps for $4.75 million.  While that represents a significantly smaller sum than his previous salary, it was still far too much, especially considering the number of quality relievers available as free agents.  Aaron Gleeman depressingly captures exactly what the Twins could have done to improve their bullpen with that $4.75 million they spent on Capps.  Oh, and they also would have received an extra draft pick if Capps had signed with another team.  Ouch.

Jamey Carroll- This was meant as a move to fill the chasm that was created at shortstop last season when Tsuyoshi Nishioka turned out to be woefully under-prepared for the Major Leagues.  Of course he's still around and could be better this year, but nobody's hopes are very high.  Carroll will presumably begin the year as the starting shortstop, a role that he adequately fits.  He's 37 years old so his good defensive ratings from last year are no bet to continue, though, and his slap-hitting tendencies won't make up for his defense if it's below average.  Considering the black hole the Twins have often been sporting at shortstop over the last decade, however, this move is solid.  2 years at more than $7 million total may be a little high, but all around this was a decent acquisition.

Ryan Doumit- I don't think there's anything to complain about with this signing.  For the low price of $3 million, the Twins have added a switch-hitting catcher who can also play the outfield.  With Denard Span and new acquisition Josh Willingham locked into outfield spots, Doumit will either play DH or take the third outfield position from Ben Revere.  In addition, he provides a very capable option at catcher if Joe Mauer gets injured or just to fill in on his regular days of rest.  Doumit is no superstar but he's a great fit for the Twins at a great price.

Josh Willingham- The biggest move of the Twins off-season was essentially choosing to sign Willingham over re-signing Michael Cuddyer.  Cuddyer's popularity with Minnesota fans and the media is well-known, but the fact of the matter is that this was the correct move to make.  Cuddyer signed with the Rockies for $30 million over 3 years, while the Twins got Willingham for $21 million over the same period.  In addition to saving $9 million, Minnesota will also get two extra draft picks because another team signed Cuddyer.  And, despite that, they really didn't lost much, if anything, in terms of on-field production.  Willingham is a poor-fielding right-handed power bat, just like Cuddyer, except that he gets on base a little more while hitting for a slightly lower average.  It's sad to see Cuddyer go, but Ryan did well in making this tough decision.

Joel Zumaya- This was a low-risk, high-reward signing that will probably give the Twins little to no value.  Zumaya hasn't pitched since mid-2010, when his elbow shattered while pitching for the Tigers against Minnesota.  The likelihood that Zumaya will be healthy and effective at all in 2012 is low, and the likelihood that he will be both of those for anything resembling an entire season is essentially zero.  Nonetheless, for $800,000 it was worth the risk.  In the past, when healthy, Zumaya has been a top-flight reliever, something the Twins sorely need with the departure of Joe Nathan.

The Oddities of Baseball

In the few days since the World Series was wrapped up by the Red Sox, I've seen more strange baseball headlines than I ever have in such a short span. Clearly, I had to give my thoughts on them. Some are not so weird, but still deserved to be mentioned because of their significance.

• It starts with Alex Rodriguez's announcement that he would opt out of the final three years of his contract. That was not surprising in itself, but the timing was. He, or rather his agent, Scott Boras, notified the Yankees sometime during Game 4 of the World Series so that the FOX announcers reported the news during the eighth inning. Sports analysts and writers everywhere piled on him for doing it then, and upon reading their points, I agree. It was a selfish thing for A-Rod to do, but I suppose that's nothing new for someone who is making $25 million each year.
• Joe Girardi was then officially introduced as the Yankees' new manager. Isn't he only like 43 years old? That wasn't a problem when he was managing the baby fish down in Florida, but don't you think some of the older guys won't respect him quite as much because they played at the same time as him? He later chose the number 27 for his jersey, as in I will get the Yankees their 27th championship. I hope not.
• Joe Torre was subsquently hired as the Dodgers' manager, replacing Grady Little. It will be interesting to see how Torre fares away from the Yankees.
  Since he will be a free agent, Curt Schilling issued a list of thirteen teams he would be willing to sign with only a day after the World Series ended. He said he is just looking for a one-year deal. To no surprise the Twins weren't on the list (not that they'd be at all interested anyways) and neither were the Yankees.
• The Tigers, who quickly got better by trading for Edgar Renteria, quickly got worse. Joel Zumaya may be out until midseason or more after injuring himself trying to remove items from his father's attic. The house is in California, just a few miles from the rampant fires burning right now, and Zumaya went to help his father, who had a broken leg, save some things. Instead, a box fell on his shoulder and he required surgery on it.
• Barry Bonds has decided that, although it doesn't matter to the Hall of Fame, it makes a difference to him whether or not his 756th home run ball is branded with an asterisk. He said he will not be associated with the Hall of Fame if it is displayed, including not attending his induction ceremony. Sounds good to me: an asterisked ball and no Barry Bonds. I don't want to see him there anyways. Bonds said, "You cannot give people the freedom, the right to alter history. You can't do it. There's no such thing as an asterisk in baseball." Yes there is, Barry- you put it there.
• And the funniest headline in a long time: the Toledo Mud Hens, a minor league affiliate of Detroit, have offered Alex Rodriguez a contract in response to a quip made by Hank Steinbrenner. In the contract, he would receive bonuses for hitting 75 home runs in a season or leading the team to ten straight league titles. But they already have the league MVP playing third base, so they asked in the letter, "Would your client be willing to play a different position?" I'm putting my money on him accepting and playing left field.