A.L. Central Preview: Twins Lack Power, Health and Stars

The Minnesota Twins had a difficult road to travel in 2011. Injuries and poor play devastated the Midwestern club, and they narrowly avoided a 100-loss season despite spending a club-record $113 million in salaries.

The Action: There has been much movement to and from Target Field in the off-season. Longtime Twin Michael Cuddyer went to the Rockies as a free agent for a three-year, $31.5-million contract; Jason Kubel left when he signed a two-year, $15-million contract with Arizona; and closer Joe Nathan inked a two-year deal (plus an option) with Texas worth $15 million.

General manager Terry Ryan traded starting pitcher Kevin Slowey to Colorado for a player to be named later; subsequently Slowey was dealt a month later to the Cleveland Indians. Ryan also used the free-agent market to sign starting pitcher Jason Marquis, outfielder/DH Josh Willingham, catcher/1B Ryan Doumit and shortstop Jamey Carroll.

It’s A Lock: Carl Pavano, Francisco Liriano, Scott Baker and Marquis should get most of the starting assignments, while Matt Capps will close most of those games. Willingham is settling in with the club, and manager Ron Gardenhire should find plenty of opportunities for him to swing his bat; it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him slotted into the cleanup slot either. Speedy Ben Revere should also find a home somewhere.

Hedge Your Bets: The club needed to use 142 defensive replacements, and the situation seems equally hazy this season. It’s far from certain whether Mauer can regain the stroke which saw him smack 28 homers in 2009; he’s hit only 12 since then.

Morneau says he’s recovered from his injuries, but the 2006 American League MVP has missed a lot of time in the past two seasons and hinted at retirement if he can’t return to the style of play he’s become accustomed to.

Joel Zumaya is also considering calling it a career after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, the latest in a long line of injury woes for the firethrowing reliever. There is some doubt about the health of center fielder Denard Span, who crashed into a wall but said he “feels fine.”

3B Danny Valencia doesn’t really put up the power numbers expected at the position; in fact, no Twin in the current lineup other than Willingham is a proven power hitter. With Cuddyer gone, Trevor Plouffe or Rene Tosoni could get more playing time.

The Payoff: The MLB futures betting has the Twinkies far back in the chase for the divisional title and the World Series crown. With fan favorites and long-serving stars abandoning ship, it will take some luck and much effort for this ragtag bunch to endear themselves to the Twin Cities faithful.