It's early, but with departures of a few players last week, are any holes beginning to develop?
Pending free agents and players with options for 2008 will be left off of my rosters, while players entering arbitration and those carrying "serf" status will remain on the list.
Pitchers
Name Status Active Roster
Scott Baker Yes
Ricky Barrett
Nick Blackburn Yes
Boof Bonser Yes
Julio DePaula Yes
Matt Garza Yes
Matt Guerrier Arbitration Yes
Jose Mirajes
Pat Neshek Yes
Glen Perkins Yes
Denny Reyes 2008: $1.00 MM
Juan Rincon Arbitration Yes
Johan Santana 2008: $13.25 MM Yes
Errol Simonitsch
Kevin Slowey Yes
Oswaldo Sosa
Total Pitchers: 16
Catchers
Name Status Active Roster
Joe Mauer 2008: $6.25 MM Yes
2009: $10.50 MM
2010: $12.50 MM
Mike Redmond 2008: $0.95 MM Yes
2009: $0.95 MM (t)
Total Catchers: 2
Infielders
Name Status
Jason Bartlett Arbitration Yes
Chris Basak
Brian Buscher Yes
Alexi Casilla Yes
Justin Morneau Arbitration Yes
Nick Punto 2008: $2.40 MM Yes
Total Infielders: 6
Outfielders
Name Status Active Roster
Michael Cuddyer Arbitration Yes
Garrett Jones Yes
Jason Kubel Arbitration Yes
Darnell McDonald
Denard Span
Jason Tyner Arbitration Yes
Total Outfielders: 6
60-Day Disabled List
Name Status
Jesse Crain 60-Day DL
2008: $1.05 MM
2009: $1.70 MM
Francisco Liriano 60-Day DL
Jose Morales 60-Day DL
Alejandro Machado 60-Day DL
Excluding the four players on the 60-Day, the Twins currently have 30 players on their 40-Man roster. Joe Nathan has a club option for 2008 worth $6.00 MM. Carlos Silva and Torii Hunter, the Twins two largest free agents, are also off the list. Rondell White definitely is not coming back.
Where does this leave Minnesota in regards of needs to fill? There are the obvious holes at third base and designated hitter in your starting lineup, but looking up and down the 40-Man roster you don't see a lot of depth in regards to major league experience. Winning with youth isn't impossible, but that youth needs to be talented and it also needs to be surrounded by players good enough to produce. Taking a realistic look, it's obvious that the Twins have a long way to go before staking their claim as a competetive team in 2008.
Bill Smith's first winter on the job is the equivalent of jumping in head first. While financially he isn't in the fiscal pickle Terry Ryan inherited from Andy McPhail, that doesn't make his first year any easier. He's faced with a pending free agent center fielder who is the most popular athelete in the state, a disgruntled and outspoken southpaw who happens to be the best pitcher in baseball and is in the last year of a contract, and an offense that is in desperate need of upgrades throughout the starting nine and the bench. Really, the phrase "one day at a time" was coined for people in Smith's situation.
Once the off-season officially begins and the very first moves fall into place, it will become easier to piece together exactly what the Twins are looking to do and exactly which direction the organization plans on taking the team. Free agents like Morgan Ensberg or Mike Sweeney will become popular names once again, at least in propaganda pools; but more importantly it will be interesting to see what kind and caliber of player, as opposed to what players specifically, begin to fill out the empty spots on the 40-Man roster.
We'll start browsing potential and possibly affordable free agents this week. Speculation is the rule until November.