Goodbye Sweet Prince. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

The Twins have actually made a flurry of moves this off-season.  Now, most of these moves have been pretty minor (double meaning, do you get it?????).  However, it may be the non-moves, or moves that have not happened yet, that are more interesting.  First, I’ll go through the moves that the Twins have made so far, then I will bring up a few moves that have not happened… yet.

Outright Changes

The Twins have removed quite a few players from their 40 man roster in the past couple weeks.  Most of these players are the definition of marginal.  In fact, only two were even picked up by other teams.  The rest all made it down to Rochester (over to Rochester?) and can stay in the organization in various ways.  Let’s start with the two players who were claimed by other teams.

Alexi Casilla – Claimed by the Orioles

I’m going to need a minute here.

Ok, one more.

Ok, watch this.

I feel better now.  I don’t feel great.  Alexi Casilla was my favorite player and I have no idea why.  I guess I do have a soft spot for the scrappy players who really aren’t very good.  Alexi can’t hit.  I know this with my head.

My heart?  My heart hurts.  My heart burrrrns.  It’s so cold.

I wanted Casilla to be a good player.  I wanted him to grab the reigns of second base and ride them all the way to prosperity.  I wanted to be able to watch him make crazy acrobatic plays for 15 years.  I wanted him to harness the speed that he clearly has and steal 50 bases.  I wanted him to learn how to take a walk and maybe mix in a double.  Instead, I’ll say goodbye.  It’s so hard.  I did listen to the whole song while typing this.  He’ll probably be a utility guy in Baltimore, the only role he is realistically capable of playing.

Goodbye Sweet Prince. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

Carlos Gutierrez – Claimed by the Cubs

This does not bother me on a personal level.  It is disappointing though.  Not because he was anything special, but because he was a first round pick out of college and he never made it to the “Bigs” as they say.  He was hurt most of this year, although his peripheral stats were great in the limited AAA innings he threw last year.  He walks a lot of minor league batters, which means he will probably walk a lot of major league batters if given the chance.  At least he wasn’t the Twins’ only first round pick that year, and Aaron Hicks could still make the 2008 draft a success.

All of the following players were sent outright to Rochester:  Jeff Manship, Luis Perdomo, Kyle Waldrop, P.J. Walters, Matt Carson, Esmerling Vasquez, and Samuel Deduno

Manship, Perdomo and Waldrop are just relievers.  Not all relievers are just relievers, much like not all meeps are pleeps.  However, these three are just relievers.  If you need one of them, you can just add them to the 40 man roster and call them up.  They aren’t anything special, so you can then just send them outright to the minors and odds are no one will claim them.  Exhibit A:  a few days ago when this exact thing happened.

Vasquez was a converted just reliever who put up interesting AAA stats in Rochester.  He came up in September and was pretty awful.  He is 29 years old today (Happy B-day Esmerling!) and likely to be an emergency starter next year, if that.

Walters and Deduno were emergency starters last year, who got way more time with the Twins than expected, due to the severity of the emergency.  Walters was completely unimpressive to me but was signed to a minor league deal, with an invitation to Spring Training in 2013.  There is no real harm there, but hopefully he will only pitch as a Twin in 2013 if things go South to the extreme.

Deduno was “effectively wild” which I think is code for “terrible, but nice.”  He had a walk rate in the Mitch Williams range, which means he may have a future as the worst talking head on the MLB Network (non-Eric Byrnes division).  Deduno basically had 2 good starts, with all the other starts either traditionally terrible or peripherally terrible.  There is nothing wrong with enjoying a bumpy ride while it is in progress.  Signing up for that ride again is a completely different story.  There was no reason to give Deduno anything more than an opportunity next year.  The Twins clearly agreed and that is fine with me.

Matt Carson is just a guy.  He is an older outfielder with no major league track record.  The one strength of this organization is in the outfield, so Carson doesn’t really have a long-term role in Minnesota.

Waiving “Hello”

Josh Roenicke and Tommy Field – Claimed from the Rockies

Goodbye Sweet Prince. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE

Nothing to get excited about here.  Roenicke could be a middle reliever if things click and Field might be a utility infielder.  The Twins are just two punches from completing their utility infielder punch card, so Field was a wise move.  The beat writer in Colorado seemed to think the Roenicke loss was a big one for the Rockies, which means Roenicke was probably either a nice guy, a good quote, or both.  His numbers don’t point toward his loss being substantial, as he has a K/BB ratio just hovering over 1.

Non-Moves

Scott Baker is now a free agent.  A couple weeks ago, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Twins would quickly decline Baker’s option, and then sign him to a new contract.  This has not happened.  Baker seems like a really good fit, what with him being a long-term Twin and his recent injury history.  An incentive-laden, one-year deal to build his market value seemed like a good idea.  However, other teams play baseball too.  It makes sense for Baker to look and see if he can get a deal for 2-3 years and for good money.  The Twins are almost certainly going to need pitching, so they will likely be waiting if Baker can’t find that deal.  I like Baker, and I hope the Twins bring him back.

Carl Pavano is now a free agent.  Pavano will be 37 next season, was not healthy this season and also was not good when he was healthy this season.  Those factors, when added together, do not make Pavano an attractive free agent.  Those factors, by themselves, are troubling enough.  Pavano should be cheap and likely won’t command more than a one year contract.  As last resorts go, the Twins could honestly do a lot worse.  However, my hope is that they don’t need a last resort, or go in the complete opposite direction and gut the team to rebuild.

Matt Capps is now a free agent.  Capps is not popular in Minnesota.  It’s true.  Capps is 29, still doesn’t walk many batters and has a decent track record.  It is hard for Twins fans to look past all the failure they have seen, but it really would not surprise me if Capps was a decent reliever in 2013.  I would be extremely surprised if he was a decent reliever for the Twins.  That ship seems to have sailed.  Look at the list of right-handed relievers on the market:  It’s not great.  Capps might get a better contract than we are expecting.

Drew Butera was not a part of the mass layoffs.  This confuses me, but does not surprise me.  There will be a day when Drew Butera makes a million dollars in a season.  $1,000,000.00.  This will happen.  I’ll leave you with that.  And this… for Alexi.

I’ll miss you every day. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE

On the plus side, last week witnessed the Twins debuts of Pedro Florimon and Matt Carson. Both played well this weekend, but neither is likely to be more than a role player for the Twins over the long run. Alas, that’s the best news in this edition of TWIT, because the Twins are stuck in a heavy malaise.

Coming up this week: three games in Oakland against the 65-55 Athletics and four games in the sweltering Texas heat against the Rangers, who are currently 70-50. Since the Twins’ top two hottest both pitched this weekend, they’ll be sending the dregs of the rotation to face the A’s, so that series could be a bloodbath. Scott Diamond and Samuel Deduno will both pitch in the Ranger series, but Texas is always a strong hitting club. In short, the Twins will be lucky to come out of this week with more than a pair of victories.

If everyone on the Twins had hit like Joe Mauer last week, it would have been a good week. Unfortunately, only Mauer hit like Mauer. Photo by Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE

Twins Goals for the Week Ahead:

1. Score Some Runs! You know how many runs the Twins scored in Seattle? Six. Sure, the Mariners are a decent pitching team, but it’s not as if the Twins ran into Felix Hernandez. No, instead they were stymied by such pitching legends as Hisashi Iwakuma and Blake Beavan. Can they manage a few hits against the great Dan Straily in Oakland? Stay tuned.

2. Make a Decision on Span. Denard Span injured himself over a week ago in a game against Tampa. He’s been “day to day” since then. He’s already missed more than half the time he would need to spend on the 15 day Disabled List, and the Twins have been prevented from calling up another hitter (like Chris Parmelee). Yes, things are going exactly according to the plans of Twins head trainer Dr. Nick Riviera.

3. Make a Rotation Change. Aside from Diamond, who is a consistent starter, and Deduno, who is inexplicably effective, the Twins’ starters have been getting knocked around lately. It’s time to shorten the leash. The next time a Twins’ starter has a bad start, they should consider promoting Esmerling Vasquez or Liam Hendriks from AAA.

Weekly Winners:

Joe Mauer. Mauer was the best hitter on a slumping team this week, going 8-24 (.333) with a home run. He even stole a base, once again proving that he can do it all.

Deduno. Deduno raked in a win on Monday, and he would have won on Sunday if the Twins were capable of scoring. He notched two quality starts and pitched a total of 13 innings with five earned runs (3.46 ERA). He also walked 11 batters in those 13 innings, which leaves us wondering how exactly he manages to not get shelled every start.

Jared Burton. It was tough to find winners this week. Burton pitched a scoreless inning in a tight game on Saturday, and he didn’t do anything to mess up the rest of the week, so he makes the list.

Weekly Worst:

Nick Blackburn. Friday was another discouraging start for Blackburn, who dug a two run hole in the first inning and went on to allow five in the loss. He finished the game with an ERA of 7.39. If he were to end his season today, that number would tie him with Jim Deshaies (1994) for the worst ERA ever by a Twins’ pitcher with at least 80 innings pitched.

Trevor Plouffe. Hopefully Plouffe is just suffering the after-effects of his thumb injury and he’ll snap out of it soon. But whatever the cause, he has been ice cold at the plate. Last week, Plouffe was just 1 for 22.

Alexi Casilla. Brian Dozier was demoted, but the team still managed to bench Casilla two games this weekend, another sign that they don’t have much confidence in Casilla for the future. He went 2 for 14 at the plate.

Weekly Worst:

Tsuyoshi Nishioka returns for this week’s games, during which the Twins will face the slumping Cleveland Indians on the road and the Wild Card hopeful Rays at Target Field. It is to be hoped that Trevor Plouffe will return as well, but he will not be present for the Cleveland series. In between the two series, the Twins have a Thursday off day that might allow Plouffe extra time to heal.

Two things to look forward to in the coming week are Scott Diamond and Samuel Deduno’s starts against Cleveland. Both pitchers shut the Indians down a week ago; Diamond hurled a three hit shutout, and Deduno surrendered just two hits in seven innings. They’ll start back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday, so be sure to tune in for those games. On the other hand, you might want to miss Saturday’s game, in which Nick Blackburn is the likely starter against Tampa. In six career starts, Blackburn is 2-4 with a 7.20 ERA and 1.97 WHIP against the Rays. Those ERA and WHIP totals are his worst against any American League team.

Twins Goals for the Week Ahead:

1. Catch the Indians! Not long ago, the Twins were stuck in last place in the American League. But thanks to some key wins and a long Indians’ losing streak, Minnesota starts this week a mere three games behind the third place Indians. With a series sweep, the Twins could find themselves tied for third in the Central Division. Respectability is not far off.

2. Win another series against the East. Was that series win at Fenway a fluke? Or is it a sign that the Twins are no longer helpless against the AL East’s premier clubs? We’ll find out a little more when the Rays come to town. Tampa is fighting for a playoff slot, but the Twins are playing for pride.

3. More strong starts. It remains to be seen whether Diamond, Deduno, and Cole DeVries are for real, but they’ve been pitching quite well lately. Since the All Star break, this trio has a 5-3 record and a 3.56 ERA in 81 innings. It’s just the kind of competent starting pitching the Twins craved all season long.

Casey Fien: the next Jared Burton? Photo by David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

Weekly Winners:

Casey Fien. The latest in a long line of minor league free agents to contribute to the 2012 Twins, Fien has been providing excellent late-inning relief. Last week he made it into three games, tossed three innings of scoreless relief, and notched three strikeouts. Fien is fast becoming a reliable complement to Jared Burton and Glen Perkins at the back end of the ‘pen.

Justin Morneau. At one point in late June, Morneau’s batting average was a pitiful .229. Now it’s a respectable .270. Morneau was one of the heroes of the Boston series, rapping eight hits in the first three games, the majority of them against left-handers.

Ben Revere. The hits keep on coming, and now Revere owns a 19 game hitting streak. He went 11 for 27 last week (.407 average), and he’s becoming a threat for the American League batting title. L.A.’s Mike Trout is still 23 batting points ahead of Revere, but Revere’s average is climbing fast, and he should accumulate enough plate appearances to finally qualify for the leaderboard late this week.

Weekly Worst:

Danny Valencia. Valencia did not have a terrible week at the plate – he went 5 for 18 with a home run – but he makes this list because he left Minnesota on a down note. After a promising rookie year, Valencia slumped along with the rest of the team in 2011. Unlike many of his teammates, he did not snap out of it this year, instead posting his worst numbers as a pro. He leaves Minnesota with a .198 batting average.

Jeff Gray. It was actually a good week for the Twins, so it was pretty tough to find contenders for the Weekly Worst list. Gray lands on the list because he gave up a game-losing home run to A.J. Pierzynski on Tuesday. Giving up a homer to Pierzynski always stings for the Twins, and when that homer costs a game against the division-rival Sox, it’s even worse. Fortunately, Gray redeemed himself later in the week by pitching well and earning a win at Boston.

Alexi Casilla. Playing time continues to be scarce for Casilla, and he is not making the most of it, at least not at the plate. He had just one hit in nine at bats last week.