Minnesota Twins

I’m sure that tonight many Twins fans are again ruing management’s decision to send Matt Garza to the Rays before the 2008 season.  The deal has definitely played out better for the Rays so far, and the Twins could sure use Garza’s strong right arm this season. Nevertheless, Twins fans still have plenty to be hopeful for in this deal.

With inconsistency taking a death-grip over Minnesota's starting rotation this year, the Twins are rumored to have been interested in just about every pitcher on the market. Unquestionably, Dan Haren and Roy Oswalt are the two most coveted trade targets this season, and the Twins would no doubt love to bring in some pitching help.

Rumors are one thing; feasibility is a whole different animal.

When the Minnesota Twins completed a six-player deal for Delmon Young, Brendan Harris, and Jason Pridie for Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, and Eduardo Morlan, many questioned whether the Twins made the right move.

In his two seasons with the Rays, Young accumulated 16 home runs, 103 RBI, 226 hits, and 12 stolen bases.

To be honest, some players have better seasons than that in just one year.

As the trade deadline approaches, Minnesota Twins fans are hoping the team adds another arm to the rotation to help push the Twins to an AL Central division title and beyond.

It was about this time last year when the Twins added Carl Pavano to the rotation.

I think of all the words that New York Yankee fans could use to describe Carl Pavano, workhorse would not be one of them.

While Pavano clearly wasn’t a workhorse in New York, he has been one in Minnesota, and in 2010, he has become one of the best pitchers in the American League.

Pavano tossed his second complete game in a row last night as he and the Minnesota Twins blanked the Baltimore Orioles 5-0. Pavano allowed just five hits, walked one, and whiffed four in the 102-pitch effort.

The Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians just concluded a three game series at Target Field.

Some big issues were being made over the smallest of plays—the bunt.

It started in the first game of the series when Cleveland left fielder, Trevor Crowe, was at the plate. With two outs and nobody on base he had the audacity to bunt for hit.

Television color commentator Bert Blyleven and dugout reporter Roy Smalley both questioned Crowe's tactic. 

He is Mr. Minnesota.

The $184 Million Dollar Man. 

More importantly, Joe Mauer is the reigning AL MVP coming off one of the best statistical seasons baseball has ever seen.

Yet this season he has been just an average Joe (no pun intended). 

It isn't the lack of Mauer Power this season or pedestrian .297 batting average that should worry Minnesota fans, but instead it should be his comments after Tuesday's loss to the Cleveland Indians.

At this time last season, you couldn’t have paid me to wear a Delmon Young t-shirt.

I hated the way the guy played, pure and simple.  I wanted an everyday outfield of Span in left, Gomez in center, and Cuddyer in right, even though Gomez’s numbers were as erratic as ever.  Gomez offered speed and excitement, for better or worse. 

Young was epitomizing why many writers had called GM Bill Smith’s first trade with the Twins a disaster.

Heading into the All-Star Break, Twins fans split into two camps.

The “oh God, it’s all over” camp reacted to the hometown nine’s recent run of form—a poor one, dropping them into third place in the decent AL Central.

When the Twins and Brewers swapped Carlos Gomez and J.J. Hardy in the off-season, Minnesota GM Bill Smith and Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin were looking to improve their squads.

As both teams crank up the second half of the season they find themselves in third place of their repsective divisions. Both players have spent time on the DL list this season; Gomez for a strained rotator cuff and Hardy for a wrist injury. They also share the same number on their jersey, but the similarities end there.

So who's gotten the better end of this deal?