Strengths:  Uh…well…I hear their ballpark is nice.   Let’s face it, the major league roster of the Minnesota Twins leaves something to be desired.  Joe Mauer is a star, but him moving from catcher to first base makes him not exactly the MVP level player he was just a couple years ago.  Brian Dozier looks to be a legit starting second baseman in MLB, Glen Perkins is a quality closer and could be for years to come, and Trevor Plouffe may not be a long term answer at third, but could be as a utility man.  But not all hope is lost, the Twins prospect list is loaded.  Byron Buxton is baseball’s top prospect, Miguel Sano has as much power as anyone in the minors, Kohl Stewart could be a future front of the rotation guy, as could Alex Meyer as early as 2014.

Weaknesses: The Major League roster.  The Twins don’t have a whole lot of major league talent, and some of the pieces they do have, are guys named Josh Willingham, Kevin Correia, and newly signed Ricky Nolasco, each of whom will be well into their decline before the Twins are relative again. 

Off-Season Needs:  Talent.  The Twins have the top level talent coming up through the minors, but they are probably another two or three years away from their top talent making real impacts at the big league level.   It does not seem the Twins are taking the Houston Astros approach, tanking until the prospects area ready to break out, so they need some cheap talent that can keep them somewhat competitive.

2014 Projection:  A top 5 team….in the 2015 draft.  The Twins are bad, not the worst team in the league but not far off it.  The Twins lost 96 games in 2013 and will probably lose about the same in 2014, but the future is bright.

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