Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Twins are in need of pitching and so far this offseason they have been in connection with quite a few free agent starters. The Twins ranked 29th in Major League Baseball with a 4.55 ERA, 30th in quality starts with 62, and 30th with an opponent’s batting average of .280. Is it any wonder the Twins are scouting the free agent market for pitching help?
Last year, Kevin Correia led the rotation with a 4.18 ERA but was one of three Twins starters, Mike Pelfrey and Scott Diamond being the others, that had 13 losses. Twins starters posted an MLB-worst 5.26 ERA and an MLB-low 871 innings. The Twins need help badly and GM Terry Ryan has already been linked to heavily pursuing Ricky Nolasco. According to some reports the Twins are closing in on a deal while other reports say they are far from it. Regardless, this is exactly what needed to happen. The Twins need to bring a veteran arm, or two, to stabilize the rotation which was among the worst in baseball.
Nolasco is far from an ace but he is within the Twins’ price range. He won’t be cheap but he won’t be as expensive as a Matt Garza who has said he would be open to a reunion with the Twins. That, however, could just be a man who wants to get paid keeping every option open. Nolasco should be much cheaper than Garza but will still come with a hefty price tag. Nolasco also has a few teams bidding on his services, specifically the San Francisco Giants.
The Twins are also pursuing Bronson Arroyo and, depending upon which report you believe, are considered frontrunners for the 37-year-old right-hander’s services.
The rumors are going to be flying around Minnesota as the Twins attempt to improve their rotation. Top pitching prospect Alex Meyer is still probably a year away and the Twins need to do something. Ryan will have his work cut out for him as he tries to add a viable starter at a price within his budget and it remains to be seen if Nolasco or Arroyo fits that description.
Chris is a Senior Writer as well as the Hiring and Recruiting Manager for Rant Sports. Follow Chris on Twitter and “Like” his page on Facebook.
