The Minnesota Twins sit at 57-75 on the season, 20 games back in the AL Central and in roughly the same place they were one year ago today. Signs were bad early on, when Opening Day starter Vance Worley was demoted to Triple-A after just ten starts, and top prospect Aaron Hicks fell flat as soon as Spring Training gave way to the regular season. With sub-par starting pitching and a serious lack of offensive firepower, the season was essentially over before it started in Minnesota, which is why they have decided to clean house and plan for the future with prospects such as Migueal Sano and Oswaldo Arcia.
The first two names the Twins were rumored to cut ties with, Josh Willingham and Justin Morneau, were not dealt at the July 31 trade deadline due to Willingham's knee injury and Morneau's wretched slump and remaining dues. Now, in the season's final hour, these two Twins could find themselves contributing on contending teams before long.
Willingham signed with Minnesota in 2012 after a 29-home run campaign with the Athletics one year earlier. A late bloomer whose greatest asset is his home run power and whose bugaboo is his propensity for injury, he has provided some pop - and has missed his share of playing time - this season. Willingham hit only .224 from April through June as he struggled through a knee injury, and opted for surgery in early July that eradicated him as an attractive trade-deadline piece. He was placed on waivers and claimed on Wednesday by Baltimore, though the details of the deal have not been finalized.
The Orioles, 6.5 games out of first place in the AL East and 3.5 back of the second Wild Card spot, should benefit from Willingham’s bat in the lineup. They have shuffled a variety of names into the designated hitter slot, and between Nolan Reimold, Chris Dickerson, Danny Valencia and a number of others, have not mustered much production to speak of from the position. Willingham will spell Nate McLouth in the outfield, and can only benefit from hitter-friendly Camden Yards and joining the lineup with the most home runs in baseball. At 34 years old and signed through 2014, Willingham's bat can help the Orioles in both the short and long term, providing he stays healthy.
Editor's Note: Baltimore acquired Michael Morse from Seattle on Friday.
Morneau is the more interesting case - both because of his longevity with the Twins and the uncertainty of his future. He is one of ten players in baseball that have been with their current team for ten years or longer, and from his first full season in 2005 through mid-2010, he seemed to be a perennial 30-homer, 100-RBI guy. A concussion suffered on July 7, 2010 changed the course of his career, leading to significant missed time due to post-concussion symptoms and regression at the plate even when he was deemed healthy.
This season, Morneau has a .261/.318/.425 line to go with 16 home runs, 32 doubles and 73 runs batted in. At this point in his career and without regaining the power he had pre-injury, Morneau is a sub-par big league first baseman. He will be a free agent at the end of the season, and the answer to whether or not the 32-year-old remains in the Twins future plans got a little clearer when he too was placed on waivers - perhaps to test the market. The Pirates, neck-and-neck with St. Louis for the NL Central division title and leading the Wild Card chase have been cited as frontrunners for Morneau. Acquiring Marlon Byrd from the Mets for what is essentially a five-week stint was a clear indicator that the Bucs are playing for 2013, and a trade for Morneau would fit this strategy. Having already cleared waivers, Morneau must be on a new team by September 1 to be eligible for postseason play.