I think it goes without showing the Twins are above (or should I say below?) and beyond the worst team in the MLB. Every day they find new ways to surprise us about how awful this team really is. Realistically speaking though, it CANNOT get any worse. It's an extremely "dark" time for Twins fans as Nick Nelson points out, but resist the temptation to avoid daylight for fear of humiliation. There are many bright spots about the position we are in. Here are a few reminders.
#1 The AL Central is WEAK
Remember all the hype surrounding this year's Tigers team? Yeah, me too. As of now, they're sitting at 14-14 and aren't even in the division lead. Things could definitely be much better for them , but even with the small sample size that team has far too many flaws to be in serious contention. All of our rivals have plenty of holes in their organizations and we should be a little thankful that the Twins aren't in the AL East or AL West.
#2 The Farm
With the exception of the Royals, a point could surely be made the Twins have the best farm system in the Central. The White Sox have to be sitting at #29 or #30 (Brewers?) and the Tigers don't have much to rave about either. The division leading Indians don't have much minor league talent to offer either, especially after they shipped Drew Pomeranz and company to Colorado in the blockbuster Ubaldo Jimenez trade last year. Keep in mind that we have a ton of picks in this years rule 4 draft. In 2013, the Twins should also get a high drafting order to contribute to the minor league system.
#3 $$Money$$
Target field is an elite venue in today's modern baseball. Since it's construction, the Twins have been able to increase payroll and general spending. Simply put, this team isn't a small market clubhouse anymore and never will be for some time. The best thing about having a large market is the ability to afford and woo free agents. It is much easier and quicker to rebuild with free agents than it is draft picks. It may only take 3 or 4 years to produce a quality team with the combination of free agents and draftees. Typically, it may take a decade to rebuild through the draft for a small market team and that's if all goes according to plan. This luxury will become even more visible when a few bad contracts come off the books.
#4 Health
The Twins haven't had much trouble with the disabled list thus far. Having every player healthy is crucial when it comes to turning things around. The situation could be much worse if the Twins were throwing inexperienced players into games instead of veterans. Speaking of youth, it shouldn't be too long before we get some news on Kyle Gibson's recovery from Tommy John either.
Some of this could be said about last season's Twins, but it still applies now. Being 7-21 is complete mockery and I know it sucks, but small changes have big effects. A few shakeups could at least make the Twins competitive for now. At this point, that's all I can really ever ask for.