Master Plans

Bob Collins on the Boone acquisition:

It is low risk from an on-field perspective and especially from a front-office perspective.

And if staying about the same, perhaps a slight (fingers crossed) improvement was all the Twins needed, it'd be even a better deal.

Too bad it's not.

That's about the size of it.

There are three pick-ups the Twins really could use if the front office is serious about making a pennant drive, now or next year:

• An infielder who really can mash the ball, rather than one who use-ta-could a couple years back.
  
• A corner outfielder who can hit better than Jacque Jones or Shannon Stewart.
• A #2 pitcher better than Brad Radke.

A real commitment to a pennant drive this year requires Terry Ryan to go get at least one of those pieces in the next few weeks. Anything less is just shuffling feet, wishin' and a-hopin'.

But maybe this isn't the year Terry Ryan really wants to make a push, anyway. Should he just mark time and set his sights on 2006, instead?

Next year, the club has Santana and Radke signed for a combined $16.75m. Another $6.95m is dedicated to Nathan and Silva. Hunter will enter the last guaranteed year of his contract, at $10.75m. That brings the committed payroll to $34.45 million.

Jacque Jones' $5m can come off the books; $7.25m of this year's budget is gone if the club exercises its $500k buyout of Joe Mays; and $2.4m of the current budget (plus whatever raise he might get in arbitration next winter) can be cleared by trading Lohse. Shannon Stewart will enter the final year of his deal at $6.5m; Romero is set to make $2.2m; Castro is guaranteed $1 million. Let's set those last three aside as possibly expendible players who could be dealt to clear $9.7m of payroll.

Everybody else still under contract is due to make a relatively small amount. For less than $40 million, the Twins have their front 3 starting pitchers and at least one spot open for someone like Scott Baker, the core of a strong bullpen, Hunter in CF, Morneau at 1B, Mauer at Catcher, Ford at a corner OF spot or DH, probably Bartlett at SS, and maybe Cuddyer will be around to play 3B or 2B. Plus the cheap utility guys and Redmond will be back. And LeCroy could be back for around $1.5 million.

That's most of the essential parts of the current roster, returning for duty next year. Mauer and Morneau will have a full season of experience under their belts. Hunter should be motivated to play in what is essentially his contract year. The core of the pitching staff is intact. The GM just needs to find a corner outfielder (assuming Kubel is not ready to start every day), possibly a 3rd baseman and/or a 2nd baseman, and one starting pitcher. And he could have somewhere between $15-20 million to fill those spots.

Ponder the thought: on top of an already solid roster core, Terry Ryan really could have the budget to go get at least one premium batter or pitcher next winter. A real impact player.

And maybe that's the team, Your 2006 Minnesota Twins, which really stands the best chance of going back to the World Series in the near future. Maybe TR should be saving his trading chips for the winter and next July, rather than spending them now.

What do you think?