Friday

Good Friday the 13th Morning to everyone! I hope that your day is wonderful and free from any strange occurrences! As promised throughout the week, today is a day when you the readers will be able to participate with the website. Earlier in the week, I first asked a Discussion Question. A number of you chose to respond, and today your voices will be heard. Yes, I will through out my two cents on the question, but it will be brief, and I will let you speak your mind.

First, those of you in the Twins radio network region, I will again be the voice behind The Blogger Minute on the Twins Magazine Show before Saturday night's game. I believe that the show will originally air at 4:30 on WCCO and most of the affiliates. If it doesn't appear before the pregame show, it will likely after following the postgame show.

Second, if you happen to be at one of the Twins games this weekend, be sure to pick up your copy of Gameday Magazine. As you may know, Gameday is sold outside of the Metrodome for just $1.50 each. Not only do you get the magazine, but you also get a scorecard in it! The reason I mention that at this time is because in this issue, there is an article reviewing many of the Twins blogs. Included in the article is a review of SethSpeaks:

Now, some may find it offensive, but I figure all publicity is good publicity. Plus, I've never claimed to be an attractive man. Plus, I am a chick magnet, so I love it!! Anyway, be sure to pick up your copy(ies) outside the Dome on this homestand!

So, there is the question. Who will comprise the Twins roster when they (hopefully) move into their new stadium in 2009? Will it be many of the current Twins? Will it be a new group of your prospects?

Well, obviously, that is almost four years away. The easy answer is, who knows?!!?? There will be injuries. There will be trades. Some top prospects could be traded to other teams for veterans to help the Twins toward a World Series run. So much could happen. But if you're like me, you really enjoy thinking about such things. Earlier in the week, I ran my One-Month Update on the Twins minor league system. The system is loaded with quality arms and bats. I am excited to think about this question and based on many of the responses, you were too. So, let's get to it. Here are my thoughts on the Twins 2009 roster, followed by yours. I hope you enjoy it and please feel free to add to the discussion. Even if your thoughts don't appear here today, please e-mail me with your thoughts and I can always add them for future reference.

Alright, this is fun. I have not specifically taken salaries into account in this discussion. Yet, I haven't completely discounted them either. For instance, Torii Hunter is set to make about $22 million from the Twins over the next two seasons. By 2009, he could be making $15 million. So, as much as I would love to see him still patrolling centerfield, I just don't see that as a viable fiscal decision. So, here is what I think:

Catcher - Joe Mauer - This is pretty obvious. He will just be approaching free agency. If the Twins do have a new stadium, they will hopefully anticipate increased revenue. With that, they need to keep their most valuable and marketable player. That is Joe Mauer. There are certain players that you 'break the bank' for, and Joe Mauer will be one of them.

First Base - Justin Morneau - Same thing. Morneau is such a power and average hitter that if the Twins want to prove to their fans that they are serious about continuing to contend with their new stadium, they need to sign him to whatever contract they can. I would like to think that they will have signed both Mauer and Morneau to long-term deals to take them beyond their first couple of free agent seasons. Morneau must still be here!

Second Base - Jason Bartlett - On-Base machine Jason Bartlett has since moved from shortstop to 2B. Although he did fine defensively at SS, it is felt that he can help the team more at 2B.

Third Base - Michael Cuddyer - Although many wanted him to move to 2B in previous years, the Twins are thrilled to still have Michael Cuddyer manning the hot corner. He has blossomed into one of the better offensive and defensive 3B in the league and is a key run producer in the middle of the Twins lineup.

Shortstop - Trevor Plouffe - Defense is one of the keys for the Twins, so although he may not be quite ready with the bat, Trevor Plouffe is able to play a very solid defensive shortstop. He has a rocket for an arm and has developed a good eye at the plate to go with the occasional power.

Left Field - Alex Romero - So many thought that he was a questionable future big leaguer, but Romero blossomed into a very solid hitter. And although he is a question mark defensively, he is no worse than Shannon Stewart in the field, with a far better arm.

Center Field - Lew Ford - The team's leadoff hitter is their most veteran contributor. Like Shannon Stewart before him, Ford is an instigator at the top of the Twins lineup. He is starting to get a bit spendy though, so watch out for Denard Span and Trent Oeltjen to take over the job in 2010.

Right Field - Jason Kubel - Many were worried about what would happen to Kubel after he missed the entire 2005 season due to a major knee reconstruction. However, those questions were answered by mid-2006 and Kubel has become an All-Star outfielder. Although he is still not a great fielder, no one is willing to run on Kubel's arm.

Designated Hitter - Matt Moses - Sure, Moses occasionally gives Cuddyer a day off at 3B, but he is simply a great hitter and needs to be in the Twins daily lineup. That means DH for now.

Bench - Garrett Jones is the left-handed pinch hitter and plays 1B once in a while. The team experimented with him in the OF, but it didn't go so well. From the right side, they generate some power from OF Josh Rabe. Denard Span does make the team as a defensive whiz in the late innings, and usually comes in the pinch-run as well. Luis Maza is the utility infielder, as he is able to play all three positions and hit as well. The backup catcher is Javy Sanchez.

Johan Santana - As with Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, if the state of Minnesota is willing to participate in the construction of a new stadium, the Twins must make a decision to put a quality product on the field. Johan Santana, having won three Cy Young Awards already, is vital to that concept. So, the Twins have actually signed Santana to another four year deal to keep Santana from the Yankees.

Scott Baker - The right-handed starter moved into the rotation full-time in 2006 and immediately paid dividends with an 18 win season. Since then, he has continued to pitch very well, and remains.

Francisco Liriano - Although he was never able to match the success of Santana, Liriano becomes a very consistent contributor for the Twins, even winning 20 games one year.

Jay Rainville - OK, everyone else is picking Anthony Swarzak as the 23 year old to contribute to the Twins 2009 success, but Jay Rainville passes him along the way.

Anthony Swarzak - Alright, Swarzak will be ready too. These two pitchers will pretty much strike out a batter an inning, while walking very few.

Closer - Jesse Crain - Crain has been a key cog in the bullpen since late in the 2004 season. However, now that Joe Nathan has bolted via free agency, the Twins are entrusting their closer role to Crain. It is an easy transition for him as he has been pitching in crucial roles for years now.

Travis Bowyer - The hard-throwing Bowyer is dominating the 8th inning, much like Juan Rincon had in previous years. He has added a breaking ball and is making hitters look silly.

Pat Neshek - Speaking of looking silly, Neshek is using is sidearming motion to make hitters look silly.

Jay Sawatski - And Jay Sawatski is dominating the 6th and 7th innings when necessary.

Ricky Barrett has become the poster child for left-handed relievers. He throws hard with some nasty secondary pitches. Lefties and righties alike are unable to hit him.

Glen Perkins - After numerous attempts in the starting rotation, Perkins is deemed to be better out of the bullpen. He certainly could start for 28 of the other teams in baseball, but on this team, he is perfect in this role.

Summary - So there you have it, my 2009 Minnesota Twins opening day roster. How close will it be? Who knows? Probably not close at all for the reasons I gave above. But, just looking at this roster, it is a team that should compete, but it is also a team that will not cost too much. As long as the owner at the time is smart enough to keep those key members of the roster, there is no reason to believe that the Twins will not continue to compete for years to come.

Alright, those are my thoughts, what about yours. Thanks again to everyone who e-mailed me your thoughts on the 2009 Twins. Again, if you want to add to the conversation, send me an e-mail and I will add it as I receive them.

(Ed. Note - following this e-mail, David and I discussed that both Mauer and Morneau will be entering free agency following the 2009 season. I hope that the team has already signed both to contract extensions beyond 2009! Secondary Ed. Note - after reading this, you will better understand why I so frequently encourage people to read The Baseball Savant's site!)

This is a lot of fun, and although I know next to nothing of the Twins, I'll give it a shot! I'll only do the starting lineup and the rotation and closer. Trying to guess all 25 players would be HARD for me!

C-Joe Mauer: I'm not sure how it all goes with arbitration and how many years the Twins get him before he's eligible for free agency, but I'm thinking it's 7 years from the time they draft him so they have him through 2007. I'm guessing they lock him up with an extension for a couple years before that, so Mauer should be with the Twins in 2009. The Twins don't seem to have any catching stud prospects in the minors so assuming Mauer's knees hold out, he should be catching for the Twins in 2009.

1B-Justin Morneau: Again, I'm not sure how the whole free agency works, but for some odd reason I think a player is eligible for free agency after 6-years if he doesn't make the majors but it goes up to 7 if he does. This sort of hurts the Twins if this is true with Morneau because it would mean Morneau has been in the Twins system for 7 years after this season. Because of this and nobody is screaming about his free agency at the end of the season, I'm guessing I'm totally wrong on this one! Either way, Morneau should be there in 2009.

2B-Juan Portes: I think this is a stretch here, but Portes will be 23-years old in 2009 and the Twins surely don't want Nick Punto or Luis Rivas still playing 2B or even Cuddyer at that point. Portes supposedly has some tremendous upside with the bat and the chance to get a Marcus Giles at the top of the order will be too hard for the Twins to pass up. Besides, if by the time Portes is 23, he should either be up at 2B or petered out as a prospect.

3B-Matt Moses: Moses had some injury concerns last season but he's putting those to rest as he is obliterating the Florida State League to the tune of 342/395/586 without missing a single game so far this season. He could walk a little more and strikeout a little less but given that this is really his first taste of playing full-time, the 20-year old is back on track. He'll be 24 in 2009, and 3B will all but be his.

SS-Trevor Plouffe: Bartlett will be 29 by the time 2009 rolls around. I'm actually hesitant to not put in Bartlett, but I think it's a testament to how good the Twins system is in that in 2009, they should be extremely young, but extremely good. The only stretch I think I have so far is Juan Portes playing 2B and that could easily be Cuddyer or Rivas I suppose although I would hope not. Plus, maybe Bartlett could move to 2B if Plouffe is ready. At this point I'll stick with Portes though.

LF-Lew Ford: Here is where it gets a little dicey for the Twins. They don't really have any OF prospects to note outside of Kubel being a fixture in RF. I think Jacque Jones is only signed through 2005 and he's putting up a pretty good season so I'll assume the Twins won't afford him nor should they. I'll stick with sweet Lew although, again, I'm unsure of how long the Twins have him for. At this point, it's a wonder why Ford isn't playing LF as it is.

CF-Torii Hunter: The Twins rely on defense and Hunter provides this. I have him being signed through 2006 and then something in 2007 of an option, but right now the Twins have to keep Hunter because in my opinion, I don't think Denard Span is going to work out simply because he's useless defensively. The Twins would probably err on the side of defense I would say, but not on offense when the offense upside is only Denard Span. Of the players the Twins might have to pay for, it might be Hunter and even then it's risky seeing that Hunter might not be that good in a 3 seasons! Maybe the Twins should start looking for a college centerfielder in the draft the next couple of years.

RF-Jason Kubel: Obviously. If Portes develops, can you imagine a lineup featuring Portes, Mauer, Moses, Morneau, Ford and Kubel? Good grief!

DH-Terry Tiffee: Terry has some defensive issues and 2009 the kid will be 30 years old so maybe he'll still be around to DH. In his time as a major leaguer, he's proven he can do some hitting so there is at least some upside to having him around as a DH. He's a big guy so maybe DHing will suit him more and be able to get him into the lineup.

SP1-Johan Santana: Santana is the type of player that the Twins have to keep! He can't go the way of the Yankees and his push for 300 wins should be in the Twins Cities!

SP2-Francisco Liriano: He should be ready by next year possibly. At New Britain this season Liriano has K'd 49 in just 42IP while walking only 15. He's only allowed 4HR and 38 hits. He's easily passed the AA-test and the next test to overcome will be the one in the Show. Huge fastball that touches 97mph with the big change and curveball. He's probably an ace in most organizations, but Johan doesn't pitch for most organizations!

SP3-Scott Baker: Baker only has the ceiling of a #3 starter thinks Baseball America and I can see that as well since he doesn't really have overpowering frontline starter stuff especially when compared to Santana and Liriano. I'm just not sold on JD Durbin at the moment.

SP4-Brad Radke: The old-timer of the rotation, he'll be 36-years old in 2009, and he could easily be the #3 starter over Baker. I can flip-flop Baker and Radke but they should comprise the 3-4 spots in the rotation. He'll probably be the best #4 starter in baseball if he's pushed this far down.

SP5-Anthony Swarzak: This guy is amazing and is doing a great job this season at Beloit despite being just 19-years old. If Swarzak develops correctly, he's likely the #3 behind both Liriano and Santana and could even push Liriano a little bit although he doesn't have the same stuff as Liriano. That would effectively push Baker and Radke in the 4-5 roles which is ridiculous. So far this season in Low-A, Swarzak has given up just 25 hits and 14 walks in 34IP while striking out 43 hitters and giving up just one dinger!

CLOSER-Jesse Crain: His stuff is disgusting and by 2009, we should pencil in Crain for 45-50 saves a season. I don't want to be a homer here, but Neshek has a shot here too. Probably won't ever get the opportunity to close in Minnesota because of Crain and Nathan and possibly Rainville, but it wouldn't be hard to see Neshek having some type of Eddie Guardado type of career in that he goes from being a fantastic set-up man to closer due to some type of roster construction or injury and saves 40-games before getting a big payday. He's already 24 and Everyday Eddie was in Minnesota by the time he was 22-years old, plus Eddie is a lefty. Knowing 2005 is his third go around in AA-ball doesn't help, but he says he's sitting at 94mph so combined with his delivery, it has to amount to something. I'm surprised the Twins aren't pushing him to AAA.

The Twins pitching situation is ridiculous. I picked 5 starters and that isn't even taking into consideration top prospects like Adam Harben, Jay Rainville, JD Durbin, Kyle Waldrop, Glen Perkins, and Justin Jones. Plus, you always have my perennial favorite Grant Balfour when he comes back from TJ surgery. Hopefully by that time the Twins will give him another chance to start.

I don't know if any of this will come true, but I'd much rather see the Reds in this situation than the Twins!!!

And with that, I am going to call it a day and a week. I hope you have a great weekend! Thanks again for stopping by this site. If you have any questions, comments or ideas for future postings, please e-mail me.