Let’s ignore Francis for a minute and concentrate on Jackson. This means one of two things: either the good folks at Fox Sports and MLBTradeRumors.com are trying to play a joke to get my hopes up, or the Twins really are getting serious about addressing the gaping hole in their rotation.

I am an unabashed Jackson advocate. I view him as the best pitcher on the free agent market, aside from C.J. Wilson. He has amazing “stuff” including a fastball that averages nearly 95 mph and a very productive slider. But the amazing thing about Jackson is his perfect combination of youth and experience. At 28 years old, he is one of the few pitchers on the market who could conceivably improve over the next couple seasons. But he already has enough of a track record to make him a safe bet. Jackson has pitched at least 180 innings and won double digit games for each of the last four years. In three of those seasons, he notched at least 148 strikeouts. Furthermore, he has pitched in the postseason for two World Series teams: the 2008 Rays and the 2011 Cardinals.

In short: Jackson is a durable, and he’s a winner. (more…)

Let’s start the day off with some thoughts about pitchers. One guy the Twins could sign, one guy the Twins could trade, one they mercifully did not sign, and one who’s already here.

Joe Christiansen of the Strib mentioned Chris Capuano‘s name as one of the “bargains on the free agent market” that the Twins could potentially pursue. When I first looked over the lists of free agent pitchers, I ignored Capuano, but upon further review, he might not be a bad choice. Capuano went 11-12 with a 4.55 ERA for the Mets last year, but look at his peripheral numbers: 8.1 K/9 and a nifty 3.67 xFIP. Perhaps more importantly, he made 31 starts last year, which indicates that he’s fully recovered from an unfortunate bout with Tommy John surgery. He is apparently seeking a two year deal; MLBTradeRumors.com pegs him in the 2 year, $8 million total range. $4 million per season would not be a bad price for the Twins, who need durable starting pitchers more than anything else. I’m not totally thrilled about the idea of bringing Capuano in, but the Twins could do a whole lot worse. Anyway, he’s at least a name to watch.

On the other hand, instead of bringing in a veteran like Capuano, maybe the Twins could be looking to trade one away. Scott Baker or Francisco Liriano would yield the highest return, but Carl Pavano is the most intriguing candidate. He’s proven to be quite stable and durable over the last two seasons. (more…)