Brett Tomko.

He hasn’t pitched more than 100 innings in the Major Leagues since 2007, but  38 year old Brett Tomko could be a cheap arm with tremendous upside, in part because… Who am I kidding?  Brett Tomko (surprisingly not profiled in the 2011 TwinsCentric Offseason GM Handbook) would be a disaster for the Minnesota Twins (Or any other organization).  When all else fails, general managers and owners should keep one rule in mind: No Tomkos.

The Twins will likely look to sign at least one starting pitcher and a couple of bullpen pitchers before heading to spring training, here are a couple of guys that the Twins should kick the tires on:

If it isn’t Brett Tomko, Edwin Jackson  is easily the best free agent starting pitcher left.  Jackson throws hard and throws a lot of innings.  His durability and ability to pitch deep into games could limit the number of innings that will be thrown by a Twins bullpen with more question makes for 2012 than they had a year ago.  Jackson is probably priced out of the Twins’ range (three years, $33 million+), but if management is serious about contending in 2012 and beyond, locking up the 28 year old Jackson would be a step in the right direction.  (more…)