As a Yankee fan they are a gift (up to this point) because of their record both in and after the season, which is somewhere between .200 and .300 in the 21st century. As an appreciator of cost efficiency, there playoff results absolutely kill me:
Grade: D-
Notable Additions:
Tsuyoshi Nishioka
Notable Subtractions:
Matt Guerrier, Ron Mahay, Jesse Crain, J.J. Hardy, Brain Fuentes, Joe Crede, Orlando Hudson, Nick Punto, and Jon Rauch.
Why?: They lost what could be a bullpen in itself this Offseason in addition to what could be an infield on its own. Now I am aware of the fact that they have replacements for most of those positions and should at least come close to last year’s success. So they should have a higher grade… if the grade were for the state of the team, but it aint, it’s for what the Twins did in the Offseason which was get an infielder and lose all that listed above.
Now by talking with other baseball fans I realize that many just wondered “What? How are the Twins going to even come close to last year’s success when they lost that much talent?” First, Joe Nathan was the second best closer in baseball since he became a closer after his trade from San Francisco (still one of the worst trades in MLB history even after the hype died down). Do you not think that would make up for at least two of the reliever’s departures (Pat Neshek making up for one other)? Second, had Justin Morneau finished the season like he started, .345 AVG 36 HR 120 RBI. Now I realize this would have been pretty unlikely but that would have at least put him in the MVP discussion if not won it for him and he is typically a second half guy. Thirdly, the Twins always outplay their expectations. For example, SI predicted them to finish in last place in 2008 after they lost Johan, and Torii. What did they do? Only tied for the lead in the division and eventually lose their playoff spot to the White Sox in a one game playoff:
I realize that there are a lot of “if”s in there but we must not forget that they did win 95 games without two of the faces of the franchise. I also remind people that they have made it to the playoffs more than anyone besides the Yankees since 2002 (they’re tied with the Angels).
Again, most of the fate of the team seemingly rests on how the injured players rebound but with the Twins they are coached in such a manner that whenever someone is injured there is always a person that steps up right behind him and temporarily. Though, if Morneau does comeback to full strength it will be the final piece that puts them over the top in the playoffs because of not only the statistical aspect he adds to the team but the protection he provides in the lineup to Joe Mauer. Also, I am not sure if it is over-looked by the common fan or not but if anyone was paying attention there was a party in support of Delmon Young as AL MVP at the end of the year.
Predicted Record Range: 91-96 this is assuming 2 out of the three injured Twins get back to true from by the all star break but if only one does then you can shift this scale down a few games.
Next Up: Chicago White Sox
I don’t know if any of you noticed but mine is the
featured blog on the Mlblogs home page. So I would like to take this line to thank whoever was responsible for making that happen.
Observing Baseball 
Yes it certainly is a powerless feeling being a fan in the offseason but from seeing people get cut at the high school level I must say that cut day is the one day not to be envied. Although, I must clarify that the Twins are not my favorite team. For those who don’t know, the reason why my background was that of the Twins is in the Read About Me section on the right hand margin. For those too lazy to click on that, I wanted to leave my team biases behind as a writer ( I am a Yankee fan). Having a Twins’ backdrop was symbolic of that. I wanted to show that I appreciate all teams which I thought the Twins best exemplified. Though, I have grown an attachment to the Twins through this process.
Thank You again for commenting,
Mateo
You are preaching to the choir here.
Sometimes you just want answers to some of the horrifc decisions or deletions that tend to happen over the Winter.
Sure some were financial, others were guys who either did not fit the system or did not produce numbers that made the elevating salary a reality.
But in the end, it is the final 25 guys that make up the roster on April 1st that you hope are the best 25 in camp.
Guys come and go, but when there is an exodus you wonder if the ratys are deserting a sinking ship, or just looking for more morsels of food………Hopefully it is about the cheese.
Rays Renegade
http://raysrenegade.mlblogs.com