Morneau, just one season removed from being the AL MVP, has developed into a powerful run-producing player, something the Twins lacked for a long time even with Hunter in the lineup. Another 30+ homers and 100+ RBI should be in store for Morneau out of the cleanup spot this year.
Cuddyer saw his production drop from the .284/24/109 totals he had in 2006 to .276/18/81 last year. He'll be hitting third this year, but should get his fair share of RBI opportunities with Carlos Gomez and Joe Mauer hitting in front of him.
It's hard to believe that Mauer will be just 25 this coming April. He's one of the top all-around catchers in the game as a guy who can hit for a very high average and get on base a lot while still calling an excellent game for his pitchers.
While his batting average did drop to .293 last year, he still posted an on-base percentage of .382. He'll be hitting second this year and will see a lot more fastballs, so don't be surprised if his batting average jumps back up into the .330s and his OBP rises above .400 like it did in 2006.
Gomez will take his lumps as a rookie leadoff hitter this year but has a very bright future ahead of him. Expect his on-base to be fairly low (currently .302 in spring training), but he shouldn't hit for a terrible average and could steal 50+ bases. This lineup will not go and Gomez goes, but a decent rookie season out of him would be a nice added boost.
The Twins have excellent depth in their lineup after the No. 5 spot.
Jason Kubel will get a lot of time as a DH against righties and could really blossom into a solid offensive threat. He once was regarded as a top offensive prospect before sustaining an injury that cost him all of 2005, but he's still just 25 and still has a lot of room to grow.
Craig Monroe will get his fair share of at-bats as a DH against lefties. His .219 batting average last year was largely due to his inability to hit against righties (BA of .194), but he did hit decently against lefties, hitting at a .271 clip against southpaws.
Mike Lamb will get the majority of starts at third base after coming over from Houston in the offseason. Lamb hit .307 and .289 in his final two seasons with the Astros and is an excellent bat to have at the back end of a lineup.
Brendan Harris, acquired in the Young trade, finally found a starting spot with Tampa Bay last year and hit .286 over 521 at-bats. Harris will see a lot of time at second base this year, but also could fill in at third or short if Lamb or Adam Everett gets injured.
Everett is an excellent defensive shortstop but doesn't provide much in the way of offense. He'll be hitting ninth in this lineup, though, so another .230 season out of him won't really affect this deep lineup that much.
Lineup grade: B+
Bench
Nick Punto is an excellent utility infielder who can play across the diamond and come up with dinky little hits whenever they're needed. If I was to describe a "piranha", it would be Punto: the scrappy, undersized utilityman who has a knack for coming up with a bloop single or swinging bunt that will break your confidence.
If there's such thing as a top-tier backup catcher, it's Mike Redmond. Redmond is a hard-nosed professional and the Twins never miss a beat when he's catching instead of Mauer.
Matt Tolbert will be the Twins' other utility infielder and Monroe and/or Kubel can always fill in somewhere in the outfield if needed.
Bench grade: B+
This is a Twins team that could have easily competed with the likes of Detroit and Cleveland had they held on to Santana. However, the team decided to look to the future by trading him. Don't be surprise if this franchise scratches and claws their way back into contention in 2009.
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