You sign a guy like James Shields to get the performance at the front of the contract and hope the performance at the back of the contract isn't too painful. Trading for James Shields means you give up assets for a smaller window until you hope he isn't a disaster. He might still be an asset this year and next, but I think the Twins would be better served looking for a Catcher or SS that has a longer horizon and a pile of relievers. C and SA are probably more expensive, but definitely worth it.
the Twins traded away a 4th outfielder they signed earlier in the year away from the A's to get Milone. Why would the Twins get more than a Sam Fuld type back in return for Milone? The Twins already have three Sam Fuld type catchers in Suzuki, Fryer, and Hermann.
Susac for Arcia and Meyer would be awesome. I would think it would take more. Every team knows catchers are valuable commodities to hold on to, even as backups.
Watching the Twins feed, and the Carrier commercial comes on, and I think; "Wouldn't it be great if in 15-20 years I was watching this same commercial with Miguel Sano, including the Kent Hrbek type career"