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Home | Sports | Twins

Central teams busy, unlike Twins, so far

Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Kansas City have made offseason moves, but not all of them have been good.

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

Last update: November 25, 2008 - 7:06 AM

It's been a fairly quiet offseason thus far for the Twins, with Pat Neshek's elbow surgery the biggest development to date.

Meanwhile, their American League Central rivals are remaking themselves, though not all for the better.

For those who haven't been following every headline, here's a look around the division to get you up to speed:

White Sox

Key stat: Chicago has won three division titles in Kenny Williams' eight seasons as general manager.

Who's gone? Ken Griffey Jr., Joe Crede and Orlando Cabrera are free agents, and Chicago traded Nick Swisher to the Yankees.

What's next? Second baseman Alexei Ramirez is moving to shortstop.

Biggest development: Chicago signed Cuban third base prospect Dayan Viciedo for a reported $11 million. He's only 19, so it's farfetched to think he'll help in 2009, but he is immensely talented and could be a future star.

Looking ahead: After trading three prospects to get Swisher from Oakland a year ago, the White Sox moved him to the Yankees for infielder Wilson Betemit and two marginal relief prospects.

Williams probably has something else up his sleeve. He could look to move Jermaine Dye or Javier Vazquez, and free-agent second baseman Orlando Hudson would change this team's dynamic in a hurry.

Indians

Key stat: Cleveland went 40-28 after the All-Star break, while the Twins and White Sox each went 35-33.

Who's gone? The Indians traded C.C. Sabathia, Casey Blake and Paul Byrd during the season.

What's next? Like the Twins, Cleveland wants a third baseman and bullpen help after its relievers posted a major league-worst 5.13 ERA last season.

Biggest development: If healthy, Adam Miller could emerge as a bullpen force, perhaps even at closer. The hard-throwing righthander has been among the Indians' top prospects for years, but injuries have held him back.

Looking ahead: The Indians have been named as potential suitors for Colorado's Huston Street and Houston's Jose Valverde, along with free-agent closer Trevor Hoffman. Cleveland also could wind up bidding against the Twins for Blake.

Royals

Key stat: Kansas City's victory total has increased each of the past four seasons: 56, 62, 69, 75.

Who's gone? Mark Grudzielanek is a free agent.

Biggest development: The Royals traded reliever Ramon Ramirez to Boston for Coco Crisp after trading reliever Leo Nunez to Florida for first baseman Mike Jacobs.

What's next? They could look to trade first baseman/DH Billy Butler and outfielder Mark Teahen.

Looking ahead: The Royals have been panned for the Jacobs trade because he posted a .299 on-base percentage this year with Florida. He's limited defensively and has batted just .235 for his career against lefthanded pitchers. He's also one-dimensional, much like Butler.

But the bottom line is they traded a middle reliever in Nunez, at what insiders believe is peak value, for a guy who hit 32 homers last year.

Jacobs and Crisp each made the Royals a little better, and if they can rebuild their bullpen again, they could threaten .500.

Tigers

Key stat: They became the first team to post a losing record (74-88) with a payroll of at least $139 million.

Who's gone? Todd Jones retired. Edgar Renteria and Kenny Rogers are free agents, as is Kyle Farnsworth, who came in a late-season trade with the Yankees for catcher Ivan Rodriguez.

Biggest development: The Tigers' hands are tied with a depleted farm system and almost no payroll flexibility.

What's next? They might have to trade Magglio Ordonez to address their other needs, and there's been talk of swapping bad contracts with Boston, lefty Dontrelle Willis for shortstop Julio Lugo.

Looking ahead: They have pitching issues galore. Willis, Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson are all rotation question marks, and there's no telling what they'll get in the bullpen next year from Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney.

After all their recent spending, they'll likely do their shopping in bargain bins.

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