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February 19, 2012

Thoma: Ryan's route more a reload than a rebuild

By Edward Thoma Free Press Staff Writer

— Last November, when the Twins suddenly reinstated Terry Ryan as general manager, owner CEO Jim Pohlad gave the usual “philosophical differences” rationale for deposing Bill Smith.

He didn’t actually say “philosophical differences.” He said: “The Twins' goal is to get better in 2012 and beyond. Bill was equally motivated to achieve that goal but we differed in the scope and approach that was required.”

Same thing.

This provided an additional question to ask about the team with every move of the offseason: What was the difference between Smith’s idea and what the team is going with?

The only thing we outsiders know for sure is what they’ve done. We don’t know what Smith wanted to do; we don’t even know that Ryan has done exactly what he wanted to do.

What he’s done amounts to a slight trimming of the sails.

Free agent middle-of-the-order bats Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel are gone; they’ve been replaced by Josh Willingham and Ryan Doumit. The differences on the field figure to be slight; the differences in what the ex-Twins will make (some $47 million total over the next three years) and what the new Twins will make ($24 million) is substantial.

Last season the Twins paid two closers almost $19 million and got ERAs of 4.84 (Joe Nathan) and 4.25 (Matt Capps). Nathan’s gone, and while Capps is back, his salary is roughly halved.

Ryan continued a process begun by Smith of using the Twins’ advantageous waiver position to scoop up marginal arms in quantity. There are 33 pitchers in training camp today. That’s a lot of moundsmen for Ron Gardenhire and Rick Anderson to sort through, maybe too many.

There were some payroll additions — raises for the arbitration-eligible, such as Glen Perkins and Francisco Liriano, and a couple of low-level veteran free agents in infielder Jamey Carroll and starter Jason Marquis.

But as a whole, Ryan has taken the payroll down from roughly $113 million to about $98 million.

That’s not a complete rebuilding job. But blowing up the roster and starting over, as Ryan did in the late 1990s, isn’t practical. Not with Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau around. Between no-trade clauses, health unknowns and the sheer amount of money due each, they aren’t going anywhere.

What Ryan hath wrought this winter: An essentially stay-the-course approach, with a payroll in the area where it was supposed to be last season.

Which makes sense to me. If Mauer and Morneau are healthy, the Twins can contend. If they aren’t healthy, the team won’t contend. Ryan has positioned the team to benefit from a rebound by the M&M Boys, without overextending things financially.

What Smith would have done ... we don’t know.



Edward Thoma is a Free Press staff writer. He is at 344-6377 or at ethoma@mankatofreepress.com. He also has a baseball blog at www.mankatofreepress.com.

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