Off-day discussion

There seems to be some discussion that the Twins may attempt to make a move through the waiver wire before the end of the month.

As Joe Christensen from the Star Tribune reported, it does not have to be a sexy addition but rather someone that adds experience and consistency to a Twins pitching staff that has taken a turn for the worse since the All-Star break - posting a 5.98 ERA in 137 innings pitched. Of course the weekend thrashing that the Twins staff took from the Los Angeles Angels will not help, but they have gotten next to nothing from Glen Perkins, Nick Blackburn, R.A. Dickey, and Bobby Keppel during that time period.

Waiver wire deals do happen - albeit the likelihood of finding a number of impact deals is not good. There was the Doyle Alexander for John Smoltz deal that took place back in 1987 (a great year for the Twins) that vaulted the Tigers, who got Alexander, to the top of the AL East after Alexander went 9-0 in 11 starts - and we all know what type of career Smoltz has had.

So it could work...

So who could be available? Well, don't expect the Twins to land Roy Halladay. That is not an option and was never an option despite there being reports that the Twins put a call in to the Blue Jays about Halladay - only to be turned away because they were not a team on Halladay's list.

Gee, go figure.

So who is a legitimate, realistic option? There are a few - names like Doug Davis (3.73 ERA, 4.51 xFIP), Jon Garland (4.42 ERA, 5.02 xFIP), and Kevin Correia (4.75 ERA, 4.27 xFIP) have been dropped as arms that Twins may be interested in. But again, the Twins were said to be interested in the likes of Michael Wuertz, Heath Bell, and Jon Rauch as the July 31st trade deadline approached only to watch that 'interest' go by the wayside.

Again, no one expects the Twins to land a top of the line starter to anchor their rotation for the remainder of the season. However, it is clear that the Twins need help in the rotation and fast. These last three games could have been just a hiccup for the Twins staff as they were very good versus the White Sox during the three-game sweep earlier this past week. Baseball is weird that way.

However, the Twins are headed down a rough and bumpy path. They have a chance; an opportunity to win the AL Central. These opportunities do not present themselves very often, but when they do...you expect the people in charge (ahem, Bill Smith) to do everything in their power to let that opportunity become a reality.

The ball is in your court Bill Smith. Take a shot, you may just end up making a deal that allows us all to look back at and say "that won the 2009 Minnesota Twins the AL Central." Just ask fans of the Detroit Tigers.