Mid Market..We Will See

I'm not sure the twins acted "large market" in the offseason. Hardy was in the minors last season. Hudson was benched in the playoffs with the dodgers and didn't find too much interest as a free agent. They only offered arbitration to pavano, its not like they extended him 3 years. By the way, where would they be had he not accepted? Thome came here for no other reason than he wanted to. Yes, they did sign Mauer but only because they absolutely had to. The real test is now that we are almost half way through the season, how will they address their most glaring handicaps? 3rd base, and starting pitching to start. We could use power in the bullpen. We need help there too. Great players will cost cash and talent in return. Fading teams will dump salary in exchange for lower tier players and prospects. There's opportunity there too. Hopefully, the club doesn't panic because they've struggled badly of late. Cliff lee could be a big mistake. If the rumors are true, which they probably are not, duensing, ramos, and another lower tiered prospect would be too much considering their needs extend beyond a starting pitcher.

Where's Joe Crede?

The Twins need to seriously consider another go around with Joe Crede given their offensive inconsistancy. I have no idea if Crede's healthy or interested but it's an option worth exploring. Supposedly Crede's off again-on again availability was considered by the Twins to be a liability but what do they have now? Morneau, Mauer, Hudson, and twice Punto has been unavailable for multiple games. Considering Harris is wasting a roster spot with his inexplicable two year deal he signed last winter it probably wont happen. Valencia seems to have slow hands and lacks quickness at the plate and I seriously doubt his major league contribution potential certainly in the short term. Obviously we haven't seen much of him so my take may be premature but we'll see. He certainly deserves the chance given his track record, age and the Twins 3rd base production.