MINNEAPOLIS -- One winter ago, Minnesota Twins owner Jim Pohlad opened up his checkbook as the team signed several free-agent pitchers.
The Twins spent $49 million to ink right-hander Ricky Nolasco to a four-year deal in what was the richest free-agent contract in team history. Minnesota also locked in right-hander Phil Hughes on a three-year, $24 million deal as the Twins attempted to bolster their struggling rotation.
After one season, the Nolasco signing hasn't panned out. The veteran starter was 6-12 with a 5.38 ERA in 27 starts. The Hughes deal, meanwhile, looks to be a bargain at this point. He was easily the Twins' best starting pitcher in 2014 as he bounced back from a disappointing year with the Yankees in 2013.
Now that free agency has begun, teams are slowly starting to sign players to deals in preparation for the 2015 season. The Twins have stood pat in the early stages, but there's no question pitching will likely be an area that Minnesota general manager Terry Ryan hopes to address again this offseason.
"I'm sure Terry will tell you, we're always going to keep our minds open about trying to find ways to improve our roster. Who doesn't do that?" said new Twins manager Paul Molitor, who was hired late last month to replace Ron Gardenhire. "I'm also prepared to look at what we have and say, 'Hey, there's some good things there.'"
Whenever free agency is brought up, the issue of payroll seems to accompany it. For the Twins, the payroll decreased each year from 2011 to 2013 but saw a slight uptick to $85.4 million in 2014, according to Baseball Prospectus.
Minnesota has $59.15 million allocated for six players -- Joe Mauer, Nolasco, Hughes, Kurt Suzuki, Mike Pelfrey and Glen Perkins -- for 2015. Others are eligible for arbitration, so it's hard to completely estimate what the Twins' payroll looks like for next season.
Whatever the payroll is, Ryan expects it will be enough for what he needs in free agency.
"Payroll means a lot to a lot of us. I'll use what I get," Ryan said last month at Molitor's introductory press conference. "We have a lot more revenue in this franchise than we did back in the Metrodome days. It doesn't mean everything, but we will be active in free agency. . . . If there's somebody out there that we think is going to help us, we'll have the ability to go chase that player."
One player the Twins have already reportedly expressed interest in is a familiar name. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported that Minnesota is one of several teams interested in veteran outfielder Torii Hunter. The 39-year-old Hunter has played for Detroit the last two seasons but did spend his first 11 years in the majors with the Twins.
At this point, though, Hunter doesn't seem to make a ton of sense for the Twins. One would think Hunter would prefer to sign with a team that has a chance to get him his first World Series ring, and the rebuilding Twins probably don't fit that description. While Minnesota could use some help in the outfield, Hunter wouldn't be much of an upgrade defensively at this point in his career. What Hunter would bring to the Twins, though, would be a clubhouse presence and veteran leadership that could be valuable on such a young team.
But Minnesota's offense wasn't the problem during the 92-loss season in 2004. The Twins finished seventh in the majors in runs scored. Pitching, meanwhile, was Minnesota's weak spot. The Twins' starting rotation combined for a 5.06 ERA in 2014, easily the worst of any starting staff in baseball.
There are plenty of starting pitchers available on the free-agent market, but Minnesota may have to overspend to lure some of them to a team that has lost 92 or more games for four straight years. It's unlikely that the Twins will be in the mix for any of the top free-agent starters such as Max Scherzer, James Shields or Jon Lester. Instead, Minnesota should have its sights set on pitchers who may not command quite as much money on the market -- names like Brandon McCarthy, Brett Anderson or . . . Francisco Liriano. The Twins haven't reportedly expressed interest in any of those pitchers, but any would potentially be good additions to a struggling pitching staff.
Molitor might not have a ton of input on the free agents the Twins sign this winter. But the first-year manager said he'll do everything he can to get the most out of the 25 players on his roster.
"We lost 92 games last year. I could tell you a lot of things I really liked about that team, from not quitting to being in 95 percent of the games we played," Molitor said. "Guys gained experience. Guys got tired of losing. Guys were learning how to win. There were just a lot of things that I saw that I was encouraged by."
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