Ben Revere

As much as the Twins would LIKE to keep both Ben Revere and Josh Willingham, teams with extra good pitchers (that the Twins want and need) are asking for either Revere or Willingham in exchange.

Revere is still especially vulnerable to trade because of the low cost needed in keeping him.

IF the Twins do trade for another starter, don't be surprised to find out Revere is part of the deal. The Twins need starters more than outfielders and guys with contracts like Justin Moeneau aren't even in the discussion.

Mauer aand Morneau are both anchors at this point weighing down our entire payroll. No one wants to give up anyone good for salaries that high. IF the Twins trade either, it will primarily be to get rid of their salaries, NOT to get anybody good in return. Boston is said to be making regular inquiries about Mauer, but they are only offering low ranked minor leaguers in exchange.

The winter meetings will produce some results in the near future for the Twins. If you have a particular favorite on the roster, don't be too attached to any of them. Gardy was quoted kind of humorously yesterday that they are willing to trade the whole team. The humor was there, but so was the intent.

This upcoming Twins roster could look very different from last year's squad, especially since the Twins have stated that they see Diamond as their number THREE starter. That means they plan on acquiring TWO more starters who are better. Those two starters won't come cheap.

It's possible that we'll try getting a starter via free agency, but the only guy we might be able to afford that way is 35-year-old Ryan Dempster. He'll be looking for a contract in the 3-year, $40 million range.

There are other mid-range starters available who will come cheap. But guys like Shaun Marcum, Joe Blanton, Brett Myers, and John Lannan aren't ONE and TWO starters or better than Diamond. They wouldn't be much different than the starters who were average last season for the Twins.

I'm glad the winter meetings are finally here. And I'm also glad that the Twins realize that who they have right now aren't exactly setting the world on fire.

My one reservation was that the starting five at the END of last season was way better than the starting five at the beginning of last season. I hope they give a couple of them a real chance, along with the already accepted Diamond. Getting other team's rejects isn't going to make us any better either.