If pitching goes south, blame it on ... Silva?

Fans are right -- the Twins' 2008 pitching staff will be hamstrung because of the deal involving the overpaid former Twins pitcher from Venezuela.

Johan Santana? Nope -- Carlos Silva.

Now that they're facing the ugly reality of piecing together a rotation, the Twins might spend more time internally griping about Silva's contract than the Santana trade.

As it is currently constituted, the Twins' rotation features exactly zero pitchers whom can be counted on to spend the entire season in the majors.

If Opening Day were tomorrow, Scott Baker probably would get the ball. Francisco Liriano has the stuff to be an ace, but he could start the year in the minors, and pitchers coming off Tommy John surgery usually spend a year finding home plate before they return to form.

Boof Bonser, Glen Perkins, Kevin Slowey, Kevin Mulvey, Philip Humber, Nick Blackburn? In 2008, any of them could stick or stink.

The Twins would like to sign a veteran pitcher to eat innings and mentor the kids. This is where Silva comes in and wrecks the Twins' blueprint as surely as a paper shredder.

But, no, the Mariners were willing to pay Silva $12 million a year to win about 12 games a year -- good work if your agent can get it.

What this means is that teams such as the Mariners -- with a new stadium and the ability to market themselves to strange lands such as Japan and California -- must make an awful lot of money.

It also means the Twins become more dependent on young pitching every year, because every year the cost of mediocre veteran pitching goes up.

Today, Kyle Lohse might be the most desirable pitcher on the free agent market, because he's relatively young, healthy, and has a couple of fully functioning limbs. The old saying about overpaid pitchers was that their main qualifications were "lefthanded and breathing." When Lohse becomes the prize free agent, we can eliminate "lefthanded" from that saying.

If you want a veteran pitcher for 2008, you probably have to overpay someone such as Lohse, Josh Fogg, John Thomson or Livan Hernandez, or take a flier on someone such as Bartolo Colon, who might be up to 350 pounds by now.

If the Twins sign a veteran pitcher, they'll almost certainly overpay. If they don't, they could enter the 2008 season with a payroll of about $52 million.

Which brings me to my complaint about the Twins' spending patterns for the past few seasons. I have no problem with a team that has little chance to make the playoffs saving money on its payroll rather than overspending on baseball's garage-sale portion of free agency. But if the Twins are going to save money in down years, they should be more willing to bust their budget when they have a chance to win.

In 2007, the Twins had one of the most talented rosters in franchise history, yet did little to bolster their depth last winter or improve their lineup at the trading deadline.

The Santana trade -- like it or most likely not -- reminds us of the realities of following the Pohlad Twins. They will always be dependent on young pitching. They will need to be good or lucky when making trades. They occasionally will need to regroup and rebuild. They will always be victimized by other team's foolish signings -- like Silva for $48 million.

The Twins, though, have complete control over the fluctuations of their own spending. A payroll of $52 million this year is fine, but it should have been far more than that last year, and it should double by the time they move into the new stadium in 2010.