Add a pitcher. Scott Baker (seen above in a picture that’s 14 years old, approximately) is going to miss the 2012 season, and likely will see his Twins career come to an end. He is the latest in a long line of Twins pitching prospects that were horribly mismanaged in their AAA/Major League years. Need a refresher?
Kyle Lohse/Matt Garza – Didn’t get along with Gardenhire/Rick Anderson, were traded.
Kevin Slowey – Should have started, apparently was the only one in the organization who realized it. This makes him a bad person. Let go for pennies on the dollar
Nick Blackburn – Phenomenally mediocre, likely never to be wanted by anyone else, given a long term contract
Francisco Liriano – Nothing but injuries. Bad with this organization’s track record of making good decisions with helping pitchers recover.
And now, Scott Baker, who last year wasn’t going to earn a spot in the rotation despite being the perfect pitcher for Target Field, is done with a tweaked elbow (or so it sounded initially) that has turned into a season ender. And of course, the Twins have no intention of re-signing him next year, because why would you want a fly ball pitcher in a stadium with pitcher friendly dimensions, and rangy outfielders?
Nevertheless, the point remains: the Twins haven’t brought a successful pitcher up entirely through their own system since, I don’t know, Brad Radke? I mean, Garza and Lohse are doing well for themselves, but they aren’t doing that here. It’s been one poor decision after another in starting pitching development.
That said, they drafted Johan Santana in the Rule V draft. They traded for Carl Pavano. They signed Kenny Rogers. They were all, more or less successful in Twins uniforms. It can be done! The Twins can add worthwhile starting pitchers, they just can’t have the taint of development within the organization.
Most importantly, however, they should strike now. I am totally OK with having Liam Hendriks or Anthony Swarzak in the rotation, but not both. The Twins need to keep filling the stadium, else the Pohlads decide to sink less money into it. To get a return on their investment, they need a higher profile starter. If the Pohlads want to keep filling the stadium this year, and give the team hope for next year, they need to make a big free agency (or trade) splash ASAP. I think Roy Oswalt should be able to name his price, and that the Twins should match it. They won’t be paying Baker or Pavano next year, and a long season in the race will be good for the coffers. If the Twins hitting the past two days has taught us anything, it’s that the offense is probably going to be fine.
It’s time to stabilize the rotation, if only for this season.
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