Go-Go gone-gone

"Kiss it, talk to it, smell, whatever. My first at-bat I talk to it and say, 'Come on, give me something now.' If I get a base hit, the next time I talk to it and I kiss it. I look at the spot where I hit the ball and it smells like fire."

Former Twins CF Carlos Gomez on the antics with his bat

The issue: Gomez's bat rarely had that so-called fire smell. Even so, he'll be missed for a few reasons, none of which have anything to do with the time he tried to turn a ground-rule double into a triple or the make-out session with his bat. Gomez is a top-five defensive center fielder, which was a big deal for a Twins pitching staff that in 2008 gave up more fly balls than any other team in baseball. Having Delmon Young in left field next year for 140-150 games concerns me, aside from his offensive deficiencies.

Smith on Young in a conference call with reporters on Friday afternoon: "Delmon grew up a lot (in 2009). He matured a lot. He became a good teammate. I think people are optimisitc Delmon can blossom in 2010." Consider me in this category: I'll believe it when I see it ... a lot more. Coming up with a fourth outfielder this winter who can relieve Young at times and keep the pressure on -- maybe a free-agent like Andruw Jones or Reed Johnson -- is a necessity, not a luxury.

I'll leave the hardcore UZR/wOBA/BABIP Gomez-J.J. Hardy breakdown to Parker Hageman (overthebaggy.blogspot.com), Aaron Gleeman (aarongleeman.com), Phil Mackey (philmackey.com), and Seth Stohs (sethspeaks.net). Scanning over the fun to read, yet headache inducing complicated numbers at fangraphs.com and other sites, this deal seems to be a win for the Twins. The shortstop market is weak and it's easier to find a good defensive outfielder. I'm not convinced Hardy is a No. 2 hitter -- more so a No. 6 or No. 7 option -- but being able to get a 27-year-old former All-Star at a reasonable price for the next two years minimum for a tantalizer, yet a seemingly career backup is a good move any way you want to spin it.

One other reason it's a win -- Twins general manager Bill Smith's No. 1 offseason goal: Sign soon-to-be MVP Joe Mauer to a long-term deal. Mauer, undoubtedly, will not strongly consider doing that until seeing what other moves Smith makes over the next three-to-four months. Hardy, on the same conference call, said he's known Mauer for a while from playing together on All-Star teams when they were both 15 and 16-years old. According to Hardy, they remain in touch, especially when in the same city. Landing one of Mauer's friends with Hardy's skill-set for a nice late-inning pinch-runner/defensive replacement was a no-brainer. Without analyzing even the simple numbers, I've seen enough of Gomez to be convinced that he'll never fully figure it out at the plate.

Smith took almost four months last offseason to make a move. Since, he's been very aggressive with the Hardy move and the additions in-season of Orlando Cabrera, Carl Pavano, Jon Rauch, and Ron Mahay. This new found approach as he has started the most important four month stretch of his tenure could be a sign. Smith should have payroll flexibility. Maybe he'll utilize it. Wishful thinking on my part would involve signing free-agent second baseman Orlando Hudson for 3-years/$18 million and free-agent starter Rich Harden to an incentive-laden two or three year deal. Manager Ron Gardenhire favorite Nick Punto will play everyday, so he can shift to third base.

107 days until pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers. I can't wait.