Offseason issues are fewer for Twins

A year ago, when the Twins' season ended the new general manager of the club, Bill Smith, faced a multitude of problems, including six players eligible for arbitration

He also faced the fact that there was little chance free-agent outfielder Torii Hunter and pitchers Carlos Silva and Johan Santana would return.

And he faced the task of trading Santana and trying to land the proper personnel in return.

Well, the situation at the end of the 2008 season is an altogether different story and a very positive one.

Only two players are eligible for arbitration, and they are Jason Kubel and Matt Guerrier. Neither will be in the position that Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer were in a year ago.

There are four free agents: infielders Nick Punto and Adam Everett and pitchers Dennys Reyes and Eddie Guardado. It's doubtful the Twins will bring Guardado back. Signing Punto and Reyes should not be a problem.

And the biggest plus of all is that after having 30 new players in spring training and not knowing how a lot of holes would be filled, the Twins found players who got them within one loss of winning the division.

Another plus is that Pat Neshek's arm will be healthy and that Cuddyer will have recovered from the injuries that kept him off the field in 2008.

Financially, the club did well with a $58 million payroll and will show perhaps the biggest profit in years after getting another $20 million in revenue-sharing.

If there is a criticism of the management, it's that the team can't afford another offseason of signing free agents who don't produce, as has happened three years in a row.

Certainly, the picture will be a lot brighter than it was in spring training, and with the new ballpark coming soon there should be money to sign a third baseman with power and add some strength to the bullpen.

McKinnie fired up The Vikings coaches and Bryant McKinnie are eager for his return to his practice today after he missed four games because he was suspended by the NFL.

The coaches who made contact with McKinnie on his return Monday were impressed with his attitude and the fact that he realizes that if he wants to continue to play football he can't afford any more behavior contrary to the rules of the Vikings and the NFL.

Meanwhile, the coaches were also very happy with the performance of Artis Hicks at McKinnie's position, and the return of McKinnie gives the team needed depth at offensive tackle.

Defense better. Gophers defensive coordinator Ted Roof believes the team's defense is improving with every game. "We're definitely a work in progress, and I've seen some good things and some things that we've got to continue to work on to try to get corrected," said Roof, whose Gophers play Indiana on Saturday in the Metrodome. "It's not like we've arrived or anything like that. We're a work in progress, and we've got to keep going.

"That's part of it, and you go through some growing pains, but as the season wears on the execution should improve, because they become more experienced and they've seen it before."

Ask the players and they will tell you the complicated defense that was used last year was one they had a hard time learning and executing. Things are different under Roof, and the squad will get better as the season goes along.

Jottings There will not be any alibis from Morneau because he is a class act, but the Twins first baseman had has some serious knee problems the past two weeks and that is one good reason he went into one of the worst slumps of his career. Incidentally, Morneau spent some time in Winthrop, Minn., home of his girlfriend, this summer and he was a big hero as he signed autographs for everybody and made a big contribution to improve the ballpark there.

Joe Mauer, who has won two batting titles in the past three years and is the only American League catcher to have led the league, doesn't have any bonus clauses in his contract for finishing first in batting.

The Twins' attendance for the season was 2,302,431, and the three big games with the White Sox near the end drew 120,952. ...Both the Twins and the Gophers are having extremely good luck selling tickets and boxes in the new stadiums. The Twins have sold 70 percent of 400 Champions Club seats, which are behind home plate and cost $175 to $275 each; 2,900, or 76 percent, of the Legends Club seats priced from $48 to $58; and 50 percent of the 60 available seats priced as high as $200. The Gophers have only 400 public season tickets available.

Carlos Gomez will start playing winter ball in the Dominican in early December. "I learn a lot there; you see a lot of good players," the Twins outfielder said. "Players come from Japan, Mexico, a lot of big-leaguers, and I get to work on it and come here and be a better player." ... Casilla will play in the same league but not on the same team. ... If the Twins are looking for bullpen help for 2009, they might consider signing LaTroy Hawkins, who posted a 0.43 ERA in 21 appearances after joining the Astros.