With manager coming aboard, who will fill Twins' other holes?

Now that the Twins on the verge of naming Paul Molitor the next manager, the offseason can finally begin.

Yes, the Twins have made some moves since the end of their dreadful 70-92 season. They outrighted a couple players off their 40-man roster and sold Kris Johnson to Japan, but it hasn't felt like an offseason because they've been searching for a new leader for over a month.

After interviewing several candidates — including a trip to California to interview Torey Lovullo a second time — the search should end Tuesday, when the Twins are expected to name Molitor as their replacement for the fired Ron Gardenhire. Fans can start speculating on which roster moves the Twins will make before spring training begins in February.

General Manager Terry Ryan never announced a deadline for naming a manager, but did say "as long as he's in place by the start of free agency."

Free agency begins at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

The Twins' news conference is expected to start at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

What timing.

"I have a pretty good idea of what we want to do," said Ryan, who would not specify which areas he's seeking to upgrade.

Despite obvious needs throughout the pitching staff and a hole in left field, the Twins are expected to be limited in how much they will spend this offseason. That's too bad, because this free agent crop looks to be deeper than last year's.

Last offseason, Ricky Nolasco's four year, $49 million contact was the fourth-largest deal landed by a starting pitcher. This year's class is led by the big three of righthander Max Scherzer, lefthander Jon Lester and righthander James Shields. And righthander Ervin Santana isn't too shabby himself. Japanese righthander Kenta Maeda could be posted by the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, adding more depth to the starting pitching market.

Last year, Japanese righthander Masahiro Tanaka landed a seven-year, $155 million deal from the Yankees. No free agent pitcher should top that this year, but someone could get close.

And there are several solid relievers available who could boost a Twins bullpen that fell apart during the second half of the season. Teams looking for a closer could go after Francisco Rodriguez or David Robertson, both righthanders.

There's plenty of offense available on the market, from designated hitter Victor Martinez to outfielder Nelson Cruz to third baseman Hanley Ramirez. And Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas will impact the market, too.

So the big contract offers will start to fly this week, with the Twins likely examining cheaper alternatives.

At least they finally have their manager.