This won't be long, and won't have any surrealism or sarcastic attempts at humor. It's a simple thought and question; what can the Twins hope to get in a trade for Liriano?

The problem being, that what they need is starting pitching. And Liriano is a starting pitcher. There aren't going to be many teams willing to part with a starter worth much of anything to get a starter who may or may not do well in a new environment.

The Twins could move him for maybe-maybe not pitching prospects. (Sorta what they did with Santana.) Or they could try to get the best prospects they can, pitchers or no. There's always the possibility of the three-team trade, with Frankie going to team A that needs pitching, team A trading someone to team B that needs hitting, and team B trading a hurler to the Twins.

Another thought that popped into my head was maybe trading for a pitcher done for this season due to injury, but likely to bounce back next year. I don't know if anyone fitting that description is available. And there's always the possibility of letting Liriano walk to get that supplemental pick. (Which might be more appealing than, say, two nondescript AA guys.)

One thing that stands out about Terry Ryan is that he generally got good value for his trades. Bill Smith wasn't bad at signing free agents, but in trades he seemed to get cheated like your dumb cousin at a used-car dealer. Past performance is certainly no indicator of future results, but I'd be surprised if Ryan moved Frankie just to move him, Delmon-style. I think he'd want a promising return or be willing to take that draft pick.

What do you think the Twins will do? What do you think they should do? Talk amongst yourselves. Share secret fishing spots and disgusting tales of debauched sexual depravity. Or not.