Trade Deadline Closing In…Tick Tock Tick Tock

As the trade deadline nears, the Twins have still yet to make a move. The talk of the town was the possibility of acquiring 2B Freddy Sanchez from the Pirates. Well, yesterday, he was moved to the Giants. There have also been rumors of Athetics SS Orlando Cabrera, who is hitting very well as of late. I’m not so sure the Twins would move on him, besides the fact that Twins GM Bill Smith said the Athletics wanted the Twins’ top 3B prospect Danny Valencia. Not so sure about that, but keep dreamin’ Billy Beane.

Looking at the AL Central right now, I see 3 mediocre teams that all have a chance to runaway with the division if they make a move. The Detroit Tigers are 2 games up on the Twins and 3 on the Chicago White Sox. It’s anyone’s division at this point.

Needs Within the Division
The Tigers could use bullpen help now that reliver Joel Zumaya is out for the season. They might also need another starter since Dontrelle Willis is on the DL right now for an “Anxiety Disorder”. I’m sure they are exploring all possibilities of filling at least one of those roles.

The White Sox need to perform to their potential. They’ve been injury riddled and now that they have Carlos Quentin back, they need to start playing HR ball again in order to start winning games. P Mark Buehrle threw a perfect game last week and continued pitched well for the better part of the game against the Twins on Tuesday. But, Buehrle alone cannot win them the division. They could really use a veteran starter to secure the rotation.

The Twins, however, need a lot. I suppose it’s probably easier for me to see their needs because I look at them a lot closer than the other teams, but that’s the nature of writing about a team in your hometown. A middle infielder that can hit is the top priority. SS Marco Scutaro from the Toronto Blue Jays has been mentioned and he would be a sensational pickup. He can play 2B, SS, and 3B in addition to hitting the ball well. He’s hitting .291 right now with 8 HRs and 46 RBIs. Most importantly, though, is that is OBP is at .385 right now which means he can hit in the 2 hole and the Twins lineup would be one to fear. Think about it…Span, Scutaro, Mauer, Morneau, Kubel, Cuddyer, Crede….that’s a great 1-7.

The Twins, as of right now, could also use some starting pitching help. Kevin Slowey is done for the year. Francisco Liriano is day-to-day and even when he is healthy he’s incosistent at best. They’d like to get Seattle’s Jarrod Washburn, but I don’t think they have the prospects to get him. There’s no way Blue Jays’ Roy Halladay will come to the Twins. They may just have to fight with who they have.

A lot of people say they need bullpen help, which isn’t all that far-fetched, but I just don’t think it’s a top priority. If the starters went longer into games, the bullpen would be more rested. Matt Guerrier and Jose Mijares can’t pitch every night without eventually getting tired and leaving a few pitches up in the zone. If used correctly, they are solid 8th inning guys.

I really hope Bill Smith takes a leap of faith and spends a little money to get someone like Scutaro. He’d be a perfect fit into this lineup and he’s a Gardenhire-type player. He’s scrappy, can play defense well at a number of positions, and he hits the ball well. Please Pohlad family, will you spare some of your millions and get the team a decent player before 3pm tomorrow? Pretty please?

Tags: al central, bill smith, francisco liriano, freddy sanchez, jarrod washburn, joe mauer, jose mijares, kevin slowey, marco scutaro, mark buehrle, matt guerrier, mlb, Twins