Nick Nelson

Why not? How does signing 1 or 2 free agent starters and trading Morneau or Span for pitching help hinder your long-term rebuilding efforts?

Many people say no, I say yes. The lineup is where it needs to be and the bullpen is close. The question is, can Terry Ryan build a moderately decent rotation from the ground up in one offseason?

The shortstop carousel continues. This organization's inability to identify even serviceable options at one the most important positions on the field is mind-blowing.

You simply can't expect a guy who allows a .303/.358/.475 hitting line against RHB to succeed long-term against lineups that are stacked with righties. I do think he's capable of more as a starter than he showed this year and could probably settle in as a decent No. 5, but why use him in that role when he can be one of the league's most effective lefty specialists out of the bullpen?

I haven't changed my view on Duensing. I've always viewed him as a guy should be pitching from the bullpen. He was higher on the last list because he was actually in the Twins' rotation.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?1039-SP-Depth-Chart-9-14

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2350[/ATTACH]An updated glance at the Twins' starting pitching depth chart, with a couple weeks remaining in the season. Barring any major developments over the rest of the month, this is how we view the team's SP pecking order heading into the offseason: 1. Scott Diamond. He's gone through some struggles recently, with a 6.64 ERA over his past four starts, but that was to be expected. In addition to the fact that he was bound for some regression, he might be wearing down with 183 innings pitched this season. Nevertheless, he's clearly at the head of the pack. 2. Sam Deduno. Against all odds, the 29-year-old continues to turn in quality starts despite an ugly 48-to-43 strikeout-to-walk ratio. After tossing a dud against the Rangers on August 24, he's bounced back with a 1.80 ERA in three starts since. Most impressive, he's struck out 18 and walked only six in 20 innings during that span. 3. Cole De Vries. He's done for the season after suffering cracked ribs on a comeback line drive last week, but De Vries has seemingly positioned himself well by turning in a solid 4.11 ERA and backing it up with decent peripherals (outside of his ugly homer rate). Still, it's difficult to trust his stuff. 4. Liam Hendriks. The rookie's path to becoming a better pitcher is clear: attack the strike zone more and bring down that .350 BABIP. He's continued to struggle in both areas since rejoining the rotation, but at least he's dialed down the long balls since his earlier stint. 5. P.J. Walters. After a fairly impressive stretch earlier in the year, he spent two months on disabled list and in two starts since returning he has been flat-out terrible. Still, his performance when healthy should be enough to merit another shot in Rochester next year. 6. Esmerling Vasquez. His strong performance in Triple-A earned him a September call-up, but two putrid outings since joining the Twins – in addition to the fact that he's been used almost exclusively as a reliever in the minors lately – confirm what we already thought: he's not equipped to start in the bigs. --- 7. Kyle Gibson. Among pitchers not currently in the rotation, Gibson has to be the most likely candidate to claim a spot out of spring training next year. He pitched well in a short minor-league rehab stint this year and will hopefully be fully on track after throwing in the Arizona Fall League. 8. Brian Duensing. His struggles as a starter (6.92 ERA) and success as a reliever (2.98 ERA) should have the Twins convinced of what his role needs to be. 9. Anthony Swarzak. Like Duensing, Swarzak is clearly meant to be pitching out of the bullpen. He's a useful long reliever but nothing more than an emergency spot starter. 10. B.J. Hermsen. Dark horse for a rotation spot next year? Probably not, as the Twins aren't apt to rush young prospects, but the 22-year-old's long track record of success – which continued this year as he posted the fifth-best ERA in the Class-AA Eastern League despite younger than anyone in front of him – cannot be ignored.

Interesting stuff. I have to imagine another concern for the Twins would be that in the late months of a season like this, where the team drops out of contention, they'd be cannibalizing their own attendance because some fans would be more interested in going to check out the prospects in St. Paul than the crummy big-league product at Target Field.

I tend to think there's a cause-and-effect dynamic at play. Did the 2011 Twins lose because they lacked synergy, or did they lack synergy because they lost?

I think you're the one that doesn't get it. Your diatribes are tiring and completely off-topic. Getting outscored by your opponents is not a great recipe for fielding a winning team. We got it. Thank you for that spectacular piece of baseball wisdom. No one is suggesting that to be the case. Contrary to what you believe, the Orioles have done some good things to improve their club, things that the Twins should take note of moving forward. If the Twins can move to the middle of the pack in pitching while maintaining a productive lineup, they'll have a chance to contend next year. Countless teams have made the playoffs or come close despite lacking upper-echelon offenses & pitching staffs. Getting caught up in the Orioles' run differential is pointless, and derailing the potential for a quality discussion.

Well they've done it multiple times before so, basically, you're wrong. In 2009, the Twins won the AL Central with a 4.50 ERA that ranked 11th in the AL. In 2008, they came one game short of winning the division with a 4.16 ERA that ranked 7th in the AL. In 2003, they won the division handily with a 4.41 ERA that ranked 7th in the AL. Three average (or worse) pitching staffs, three contending teams. And that's just in the last ten years. There are plenty of examples outside of the Twins, too.

Do you deny that the Twins would have a chance to turn around and contend if they have a league-average pitching staff next year? If not, why are you even arguing? They don't need the same amount of luck that the O's have experienced to compete in the AL Central.

Should be interesting to see what kind of market Liriano has during the offseason.

The central point of this article, which apparently whizzed right over your head, is that the Orioles were able to make substantial enough improvements on their formerly league-worst pitching staff to hold their own in the tough AL East, and without expending a whole lot of money or resources in the process. You're correct that the Twins probably couldn't compete in the AL East next year. Good job.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?1030-Orioles-Provide-Hope-for-the-Hopeless

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2326[/ATTACH]Many believe there's no way the Twins can possibly turn things around quickly enough to be a competitive team next season. They're on their way to a second straight 90-plus loss season, their starting rotation is an absolute mess and their best prospects are still probably a couple years away from making an impact. To those people, I present the 2012 Baltimore Orioles. A year ago, the O's finished last in the AL East for a fourth straight season, and their 4.89 team ERA was the worst mark in the majors. Now, they find themselves in the thick of the postseason race,tied with the Yankees for first place in what is routinely baseball's toughest division. Their 4.09 team ERA is exactly on par with the American League average. With three weeks left in the season, they've already posted their highest win total since 1998. It's a pretty remarkable story, and one that should provide a spark of hope for despondent Twins fans. For while Baltimore's shocking rise has been heavily influenced by good luck (they're 17 games over .500 despite being outscored by opponents this season), their circumstances are also far more daunting than the Twins. The Orioles had been in the gutter for the better part of two decades, rather than two years, and they play in the treacherous AL East rather than the perpetually mediocre AL Central. The most relevant ingredient in Baltimore's turnaround is their pitching staff's rise from worst-in-the-world to middle-of-the-pack. If the Twins, who currently rank 28th out of 30 MLB teams in ERA, could simply move to the middle in 2013, there's no reason why they couldn't take a shot at the Central division with some good breaks (and after the last two years, it definitely seems like they'll be due for some good breaks). How has Baltimore done it? To quote Terry Ryan, they've done it by exploring every avenue. You've got your unconventional free agent signing in Wei-Yin Chen, who's come over from Japan with great success. You've got your savvy trade acquisition in Jason Hammel, brought over from the Rockies for Jeremy Guthrie (who fell apart in Colorado). You've got your out-of-nowhere unheralded minor-league free agent in Miguel Gonzalez. You've got young players who have previously struggled, like Chris Tillman and Zach Britton, taking steps forward. And you've got a lights-out relief corps. The O's rank fourth in the AL with a 3.17 bullpen ERA. Baltimore didn't go on a spending spree to repair a broken pitching staff. They got creative, showed patience with young arms and benefited from some good fortune. There's no reason to rule out a similar scenario for the Twins, especially when you consider that the GM Ryan has made numerous good moves since retaking the helm (even if that's not reflected in the team's record) and he figures to have a decent chunk of money to spend this winter. "Be like Baltimore." For many years it would have been an insane model for success, but for the Twins and Terry Ryan, it will make for a great offseason formula.

He's 33, already signed for two more years, and the Twins have tons of OF depth in the minors. I love the guy, but this would make zero sense.

It's true that Perkins was more valuable to them in his "bullpen ace" role, but he gives them a cheap solution at closer and removes the temptation to once again overpay for one ridiculously. You can find pretty good setup men for a fraction of the price that the Twins have paid for established closers like Nathan and Capps.

I looked around and couldn't find anything. I don't believe these details have been made public. That might mean the incentives are not terribly significant, but maybe not.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?1023-In-Perk-We-Trust