*This Twins offseason is for Butch Huskey, Tony Batista, and every other bargain basement free agent who ever stumbled into the Metrodome on his last legs, cashed a few checks and was never heard from again. The Twins haven't spent extravagantly this offseason, but they also haven't just landed guys closer in age to a Golden Girl than a Gossip Girl. The one true last-gasp guy is a future Hall of Famer with plenty left to offer.

*Even without lavish spending, this offseason is for Twins fans who were skeptical that the Twins would step up their payroll in the new ballpark.

*This offseason is for lineups that have seen the likes of Chad Allen, Matt LeCroy and countless others shoved two or three spots too high because nobody else was good enough. How do you like this lineup against right-handed pitchers: Span; Hudson; Mauer; Morneau; Cuddyer; Kubel; Thome; Hardy; Punto or Harris.

Bret Boone can bat 13th.

*This offseason is for J.J. Hardy, who could lock down the shortstop job for years to come. This offseason is for Jim Thome, who will influence more games than many people might realize. This offseason is for Carl Pavano, who steadied the rotation last year and will hopefully do the same again. And this offseason is for Orlando Hudson, a natural No. 2 hitter and a four-time Gold Glove winner who can jump so high that an umpire's head can fit up his [redacted]. OK, so that's just a nice photographic coincidence. We still say it could come in handy in the ALDS.

*And this offseason is for Minnesota sports fans who, frankly, would be fixating on plenty of negative things right now were it not for the Twins' moves. Seantrel Henderson is slated to leave. The Gophers men's basketball team is a mess. The Vikings' prospects for 2010 are tied directly to the whims of a 40-year-old QB who filled hearts with joy and hope before contributing to another so-close and still fresh playoff moment. But all is not lost. Pitchers and catchers report in a couple of weeks, and this team looks loaded. Scarily loaded. As in, assuming Joe Mauer signs and extension and if the starting pitching comes through, World Series loaded. That's a nice thing to think about right now.