The Minnesota Twins couldn’t decide whether they were contending or not last season, and fell out of the race late in 2007. Their typical blueprint, built on defense and pitching, is beginning to struggle against the likes of Cleveland and Detroit in the increasingly tough AL Central. With the Tigers and Indians looking like they are in the driver’s seat in the division, the Twins are in the midst of a very turbulent, rebuilding offseason which saw long-time GM Terry Ryan step down and could very well see their best player traded away for prospects. In trying to boost the offense and get their team salaries under control, new GM Bill Smith has turned over a lot of projected regulars, and it looks like he’s not done yet. This ought to be a very interesting team by the time Opening Day hits.

Offense

Minnesota scored 718 runs last season, ranking 12th out of 14 teams offensively. Torii Hunter’s career year served only to offset a down year by Morneau, and the team just didn’t get enough out of Nick Punto and the corner outfielders, in particular. The team line of .264/.330/.391 shows a need for all the offensive categories to improve, and Bill Smith has done what he can to address those needs without giving away too much. The all-new middle infield will be patched together out of a mix of mediocre talent.

C: Joe Mauer (.293/.382/.426 with 7 HR and 60 RBI in 406 AB)
One of the best pure hitters on the team, he will continue to be an All-Star as long as he’s healthy. The Twins want to extend him this season.

1B: Justin Morneau (.271/.343/.492 with 31 HR and 111 RBI in 590 AB)
Still maturing as a hitter, Morneau should be good for 30 HR and 100 RBI for many more years. Look for the Twins to lock him up with an extension during the season, if not before.

2B: Brendan Harris (.286/.343/.434 with 12 HR and 59 RBI in 521 AB with Tampa Bay)
Alexi Casilla (.222/.256/.259 with 9 RBI and 11 SB in 189 AB; .269/.345/.344 with 20 RBI and 24 SB in 320 AB at AAA)
With Luis Castillo gone, the Twins are gambling that either Harris or the 23-year old Casilla is ready to take over the job. Harris will probably be slightly better than league average offensively, but isn’t very good in the field. While Casilla won’t match the BA or OBP of a veteran, he is athletic and offers many of the same tools Castillo once had. His .298/.368/.374 minor league line over 4 seasons gives reason for hope.

SS: Adam Everett (.232/.281/.318 with 2 HR and 15 RBI in 220 AB with Houston)
Everett is one of the slickest gloves in the business, but if he can’t hit .250 in the NL, I don’t see much hope of him holding that starting job for long. Perhaps the Twins could start Harris at 2B when Everett plays short in order to balance the offense and defense.

3B: Mike Lamb (.289/.366/.453 with 11 HR and 40 RBI in 311 AB with Houston)
Nick Punto (.210/.291/.271 with 1 HR and 25 RBI in 472 AB)
Lamb could give the Twins decent production from 3B, though it will likely still be below average at the position. Lamb has never really been able to keep a starting spot because of his bad defense, which is where Punto comes in. He will be used in a super-utility role, which is how he’s best used.

RF: Delmon Young (.288/.316/.408 with 13 HR and 93 RBI in 645 AB with Tampa Bay)
Young doesn’t really have the plate discipline yet, but he could very easily develop into a power bat for the Twins. He has all the tools, it’s a matter of how quickly he’ll come along. Minnesota needs him to be a run producer right now, and he might respond well to that.

CF: Craig Monroe (.219/.268/.370 with 12 HR and 59 RBI for Detroit and Chicago Cubs)
Jason Pridie (.318/.375/.539 with 10 HR and 39 RBI in 245 AB in AAA)
Munroe has started 77 games in his career in CF, but I just list him here because I have no idea who else they’d play. Maybe they’d prefer to flip-flop him and Young, though Young hasn’t really distinguished himself when he’s played CF. Pridie had the best year of his career in 2007, but his line is not terrible for a centerfielder at .279/.326/.432 in 6 minor league seasons. He is just 24 years old, so he could be an eventual option here, but I’d really think twice about expecting him to start this season.

LF: Michael Cuddyer (276/.356/.433 with 16 HR and 81 RBI in 547 AB)
Cuddyer is a very solid player, and could produce league-average numbers in LF with a good year. Is arbitration-eligible, so will make a good chunk of change on the Twins. They need to get a replacement besides Jason Kubel in line, just in case he walks after 2009.

DH: Jason Kubel (.273/.335/.450 with 13 HR and 65 RBI in 418 AB)
Kubel would be a decent hitter if he weren’t a DH. I’d like to see the Twins acquire Mike Piazza or somebody like that on a one-year contract to fill this role.

If Young becomes what some project him to be, this offense will be alright in a year or two. But right now, finding a CF should be Bill Smith’s top priority, at least until Ben Revere is ready.

Pitching

As usual, Terry Ryan kept the farm system flush with quality arms, and that is Minnesota’s strength entering this season. It will be interesting to see if Santana and/or Nathan are dealt in rebuilding this team.

Rotation: Johan Santana, Francisco Liriano, Boof Bonser, Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins

While most of the starting staff is young and needs more seasoning, a very strong starting five could easily arise out of this group. Gone is Carlos Silva and the promising Matt Garza, but there are some decently capable guys left behind. Maybe the most exciting change is the expected return of Liriano, who is seen as an eventual replacement for Santana, should he be traded or leave through free agency after 2009.

Bullpen: Pat Neshek, Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain, Dennys Reyes, Carmen Cali

This bullpen will be solid once again, and if the Twins decide to trade their closer away, there are some capable arms here. I imagine they’ll non-tender Juan Rincon and bring up some younger guys for a look.

Closer: Joe Nathan

Nathan has been one of the most consistent closers in baseball, but his escalating contract may require him to be moved before the year’s out.

Defense

The Twins’ infield will not be recognizable this season, both for the new names, as well as the, er, “defense” that will be occurring on the diamond. This team needs a defensive boost, and maybe dealing for a guy like Coco Crisp is what they need at this point.

On the Farm

SP: Nick Blackburn (33-32 with a 3.68 ERA and 5.57 K/9 in 6 minor league seasons)
This big control artist reached triple-A last year, and could see some action if Santana is indeed traded. Is projected to become a regular member of a big-league rotation.

3B: Brian Buscher (.276/.343/.393 in 5 minor league seasons)
Won’t provide a huge boost, but considering the competition at the hot corner…

2B: Matt Tolbert (.280/.345/.405 in 4 minor league seasons)
This 26-year old could be a fallback in case the middle infield situation doesn’t work out.