The Twins have been active this offseason, signing Torii Hunter and Ervin Santana while adding three years to Phil Hughes' contract. After the flurry of activity, General Manager Terry Ryan took time to chat with the Star Tribune's Michael Rand:
Q You've delved more into free agency for pitching than in the past. Are you more comfortable doing that now?
A We're still going to count on these younger kids — certainly Trevor May, Alex Meyer, [J.O.] Berrios and some of the other kids coming up. We can still allow that to happen and that would be well-received up here, but we still need a bridge to get to those guys, and that's the reason we did that. You have comfort in guys that have a track record.
Q Do you need more quality arms these days than you used to?
A Historically, I think it takes quite a few pitchers and I don't think it matters if we're talking about 1990 or 2015. … But if you look at the playoff teams last year, for instance, they had people who were close or ready to go when they had a disappointment, injury or setback. … Alex Meyer [who turns 25 on Jan. 3], it's about his turn. May, it's about his turn. … I would think our pitching, we have [Mike] Pelfrey and [Tommy] Milone and a few other guys in that area, we have a chance to be able to at least have the type of depth you're going to have to have to get through the schedule with consistency and winning games.
Q So we shouldn't take all of these signings as a sign that the progress of these young guys has stalled?
A No, absolutely not. In fact, we're pleased with some of the progress of these guys. We've got some pitching down there, but you get in trouble by relying on a bunch of young guys, certainly all at once. We can pick and choose when these guys get exposure.
Q A lot of teams are looking for a third baseman. Trevor Plouffe made strides last season. You also potentially have Miguel Sano waiting to take over. Is that a spot you could consider a deal?
