WHAT THE TWINS ARE WORKING WITH
Payroll won't be an issue for the Twins this offseason. Thanks to trades of Justin Morneau and Jamey Carroll over the last few weeks, the Twins will finish the regular season with a payroll of around $80 million — if not less. Factor in the expiring contracts for Nick Blackburn ($5.5 million) and Mike Pelfrey ($4 million), the Twins will have financial freedom to address their numerous problem areas.
The problems start with an anemic offense as well as starting pitching, and GM Terry Ryan intends to address both areas during the offseason. The Twins are expected to enter the offseason with about $58.9 million in payroll commitments for 2014, a number that surely will increase during winter months. Here's a look at how the Twins' payroll shapes up for the offseason.
*denotes arbitration estimate
STARTING LINEUP
1. CF Aaron Hicks $500,000
2. 2B Brian Dozier $500,000
3. 1B Joe Mauer $23 million
4. DH Josh Willingham $7 million
5. LF Oswaldo Arcia $500,000