After nabbing AL Central crowns in 2002, 2003, & 2004, the Minnesota Twins faltered in 2005. They weren’t horrible, but the Chicago White Sox sealed the deal. As a result, some hard decisions were made
on fan favorites during the offseason to re-load for another competitive window.
Let go in free agency were…
- SP Joe Mays (’05: 156 IP, 5.65 ERA—would never fully recover form after Tommy John surgery)
- C Matt LeCroy (Mauer & Redmond eclipsed him behind the dish; bat not good enough for full DH duties)
- 2B Luis Rivas (back injuries had limited Little Luis to 59 G in ‘05)
- P Terry Mulholland (a dark day for some in these parts)
- RF Jacque Jones (still a solid contributor—23 HR—but deemed not worth the free agency raise due him)
Two significant trades were also consecrated…
- Prospects Travis Bowyer & Scott Tyler to the Florida Marlins for 2B Luis Castillo (Rivas replacement)
- RP J.C. Romero to Anaheim Angels for IF Alexi Casilla (versatile speedster Gardy could dream of in 2-hole)
On the flip side of the coin, the FA acquisitions clearly demonstrated a search for some slug…
- DH/RF Ruben Sierra (aging LH vet to fill a hoped-for DH platoon)
- DH/LF Rondell White (the other part of the DH platoon; 123 OPS+ in Detroit in ‘05)
- 3B Tony Batista (popped 32 homers for the Montreal Expos in ‘04; when they folded he played in Japan in ‘05 for some reason until the Twins brought him in with the plan to move Michael Cuddyer to RF)
- RP Dennys Reyes (Romero’s replacement out of the ‘pen)
One could, I suppose, make a fairly compelling case that Twins GM Terry Ryan was still shopping in the scratch-and-dent section of the acquisitions market. Only the Luis Castillo trade featured an incoming talent both proven and in-or-close-to his prime. But at least Ryan was filling up his cart. If the 2006 Twins didn’t capture the Central flag, it wouldn’t be for lack of offseason finagling.
