Well, at least that's what I thought. Like much of the country, it's been a little colder than normal in Florida this week. (For those in Minnesota, I already apologize for complaining about weather down here.) I'm taking a couple days off before the players report to do my own training of sorts -- getting my golf swing back in form. But while we count down the days to the first pitchers and catchers workout on Monday, let's dig into this edition of the Twins Inbox.
Alexi Casilla seems to have left the Twins' radar screen. After going to Rochester last year, he hit .340. Although he had a tough return at the end of the year, will the Twins give him a chance this year or are they going to try and package him in a trade?
-- Ross D., Vermillion, S.D.
Casilla's struggles early last season cost him the starting second-base job, and there were musings during the Winter Meetings in December that the Twins were telling other teams that Casilla was available. It seemed to make sense, considering that Casilla is out of options and he's been so inconsistent for the club over the past three seasons.
But Casilla is still on the roster and his success toward the end of the Dominican Winter League has the Twins holding out hope that he can rediscover his 2008 form and give them another viable utility infield option. Casilla batted .344 over the nine-game Dominican League Championship Series, and if Casilla's team, the Gigantes, had defeated Francisco Liriano's Escogido club in the deciding ninth game of that series, the reports were that Casilla likely would have been named MVP of the playoffs. With Orlando Hudson at second base, Casilla will now be battling for one of the bench spots. To earn one, he'll have to show the Twins that he can duplicate his late-winter success.
Have a question about the Twins?  E-mail your query to MLB.com Twins beat reporter Kelly Thesier for possible inclusion in a future Inbox column. Letters may be edited for brevity, length and/or content.
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-- Alex P., St. Louis Park, Minn.
Although Twins manager Ron Gardenhire will try to find ways to integrate Thome into the lineup, and that could mean some DH days for him while Jason Kubel plays the outfield, one thing that he reiterated was that Young is his left fielder. The Twins believe that this will be a big year for Young and he's shown them that he's taken it seriously. The outfielder trimmed down this winter, shedding 29 pounds, and he looks to be in his best shape since arriving in Minnesota. Young's performance in September was an example to the Twins of what he can accomplish. The hope right now is that Young can finally have his breakout season in Minnesota in 2010.
Saying that everyone is at full health, what does the Twins' starting rotation look like?
-- Austin S., Chaska, Minn.
Four of the rotation spots are considered to be locks. Scott Baker, Carl Pavano, Nick Blackburn and Kevin Slowey have all been penciled into the rotation, leaving just the fifth spot up for grabs. The competition for that spot should be interesting -- particularly when you consider the three left-handers in the mix. Liriano is coming off a strong performance in winter ball, and some scouts have compared his stuff this winter to what he possessed back in 2006. Then there is Brian Duensing, who played a significant role in the rotation down the stretch last season for Minnesota. He even started Game 1 of the American League Division Series. And you can't forget about Glen Perkins, who began last season in the rotation and started off strongly with three straight eight-inning outings while allowing less than two earned runs in each of those starts.
There is still some question as to whether Perkins might be traded. Other clubs are expected to be watching Perkins this spring to see if he's completely bounced back from the shoulder problems that bothered him last season. If Liriano or Duensing runs away with the job, then perhaps it could make Perkins expendable. Otherwise, I still think it's too early to tell who has the edge for the job. All of the reports on Liriano seem hopeful that he can rebound, but he'll have to show that he can carry that winter-ball success over to spring for it to really mean anything.
Who are the Twins planning on using as a backup for Denard Span in center field? With Carlos Gomez gone and the club recently losing Jason Pridie through a waiver claim, there doesn't appear to be a clear-cut favorite for the job.
-- Ron S., Manson, Minn.
Pridie had appeared to have a shot at one of the final bench spots before he was claimed by the Mets, but now the Twins will likely go with just four outfielders on their Opening Day roster: Span, Young, Michael Cuddyer and DH Kubel. Cuddyer has played some center field and Gardenhire mentioned during TwinsFest that he would likely have Cuddyer take fly balls out there during spring. But another option could be Nick Punto, who has played the outfield in the past and could take on more of a super utility role this season. If Matt Tolbert makes the team as a utility option off the bench, he could also be an option to use in center field. There certainly appears to be options if Span needs just a short break from center field, but without a clear-cut backup for the spot, the Twins could be seeking help for center field should an injury occur to Span.
Who did the Twins remove from their 40-man roster to make room for the Thome signing?
-- Kevin K., Fargo, N.D.
The Twins tried to clear infielder Steve Tolleson through waivers to open up a spot for Thome, but Tolleson was claimed by the Athletics. Tolleson, 26, had a "breakout" season of sorts in 2008, when he batted .300 with a .382 on-base percentage at Double-A New Britain. But he couldn't quite duplicate the success last season, batting .258 at that level before moving up to Triple-A Rochester, where he hit .270 with six homers in 92 games. The Twins drafted Tolleson as an infielder, but there were some concerns about his defense and he was used in the outfield during parts of the '09 season.
Did Michael Cuddyer win the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award for 2009?
-- Tim Z., Waconia, Minn.
The Comeback Player of the Year Award actually went to Aaron Hill of the Blue Jays, who came back from a terrible concussion he suffered in 2008 to earn his first trip to the All-Star Game this past season. But Cuddyer was considered a strong candidate for the honor, finishing third in the voting behind Hill and second-place honoree Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez. Cuddyer did win the Twins' award for Most Improved Player and joked at this year's Diamond Awards that he hopes to be accepting the same award next year. It certainly would be a difficult task considering he'd have to improve upon his .276 average, 32 home runs and 94 RBIs.
How many of the Twins' Grapefruit League games will be televised this year? Also will the Target Field exhibition games on April 2-3 against the Cardinals be televised?
-- James H., Bemidji, Minn.
Fox Sports North recently released its television schedule for the 2010 season, and both exhibition games will air on the station, as well as two Grapefruit League contests. The two Grapefruit League contests will be the Twins at Philadelphia on Saturday, March 13 (noon CT), and the Twins vs. the Red Sox on Tuesday, March 23 (6 p.m. CT). The April 2 exhibition game is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT and the April 3 game is at 1 p.m. CT. In addition, FS North announced that it will televise 120 of the Twins' regular-season games and all of them will be broadcast this season in high-definition.
When will tickets be available for sale for the Twins' exhibition games with the Cardinals on April 2 and 3?
-- Vince H., Waterloo, Iowa
Those tickets are scheduled to go on sale on Tuesday.
Kelly Thesier is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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