Whoa, what an offseason they had up in Minnesota!

Trading away the best pitcher in baseball in Johan Santana, losing the face of the team in Torii Hunter and an inning (and everything else) eater in Silva, and trading a young stud pitching prospect in Matt Garza led to a busy winter for the Twins.

With all of this change, many opportunities have been opened in the lineup. There are also a lot of questions surrounding returning players that struggled last year.

With that, here are five things to watch for this Spring Training.

1. Centerfield

With Torii Hunter leaving via free agency this offseason, a huge hole opened out in the plastic grass of the Metrodome. This will be the most active battle, with four players fighting for the position.

The front-runner right now is Carlos Gomez, one of the players brought in from the Santana trade. He has some MLB experience, playing 58 games last year for the Mets. He possesses incredible speed and is a threat to steal anytime he is on base. He looks to be the centerfielder and lead-off man of the future for the Twins, however, he may benefit from one more year in AAA.

Jason Pridie came to the Twins in the Matt Garza trade and is thought to be the best defensively of the potential centerfielders. He looked very good in AAA ball last year, but only played in 63 games. He will likely spend most of this year in AAA, getting called up for injuries and as a September call-up.

Denard Span was thought to be the future of CF when the Twins drafted him in 2003. He has gone quickly through the minors, though he has never really impressed at any level. He struggled in the first half of last year in AAA before getting hot in the last two months. He will likely split time with Pridie in AAA this year.

Somewhat of a wild card in this whole thing is Craig Monroe. While he has struggled the last couple of years, he has shown that he can hit well at the MLB level. He has some pop in his bat, but he lacks speed. He will get looked at for the CF spot, but will likely platoon the DH spot with Jason Kubel and be a pinch hitter. 

2. Second base

When Luis Castillo was traded last year, the Twins turned to Alexi Casilla to take over at second base. When he struggled in the field and at bat, Nick Punto was moved from third to second. Everyone knows how much Punto struggled at the plate last year.

Brendan Harris came in the Garza trade and is the front-runner right now. Last year in Tampa Bay he split time between second and SS. He looks to take the second base spot for the Twins this year. He has some pop in his bat and plays average defense.

Nick Punto will be making a push for playing time this year with the hopes of an improved offensive output. He is probably the best fielder on the team, but last year he was the worst offensive player in the majors. If he can put together some offense in ST, his defense (along with Gardenhire's admiration) will make a strong case for regular playing time.

Alexi Casilla was supposed to be the answer at second base last year, but struggled mightily in his first taste of the majors. If he can put in a lot of work he may be able to sneak his way onto the team out of ST. There are rumors that he may switch back to SS where he feels more comfortable. He will likely spend most of this season in AAA.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?