Minnesota Needs Some Free Agent Arms To Keep A.L. Central Crown Within Reach

The Minnesota Twins currently sit just two and a half games back of the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central.

The division figures to—once again—play host to one of the best pennant races in all of baseball with the aforementioned Twins and Tigers vying with the Chicago White Sox for the right to represent the Central in the postseason.

Each of the three teams, however, has their weaknesses as we enter the season’s final two months.

All three attempted to shore up some of those issues at the MLB Trade Deadline last Friday.

The Twins imported Gold Glove shortstop Orlando Cabrera from the Oakland Athletics to improve the middle infield on both sides of the ball.

The Tigers brought in veteran southpaw Jarrod Washburn from the Seattle Mariners to bolster an already-imposing rotation that includes Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson.

The White Sox made arguably the biggest splash at the deadline by acquiring former San Diego Padres’ ace Jake Peavy for a collection of highly-talented young pitchers.

With both Chicago and Detroit adding arms at the Deadline, the Twins find themselves playing catch-up in the pitching department.

The Twins—as evidenced by the horrid series against the Los Angeles Angels—are in dire need of at least one more arm in the bullpen and potentially another starter to take some of the pressure off of the Twins young rotation.

With that in mind, here is a look at six free-agent arms—three starters and three relievers—that could offer the Twins the boost they need to capture the flag in the Central.

Mark Mulder—LHP

Mark Mulder, who underwent rotator cuff surgery in September of 2007, hasn’t had a good season—due to injuries—since 2005. So to say signing him would be a gamble is probably an understatement.

It would also be an understatement to say that a healthy Mark Mulder could merely “help” a team. As he proved in his glory days with Oakland, a healthy Mark Mulder can carry a team.

Mulder, 32, could use a second-half run to the playoffs with the Twins to garner a bigger, better deal in the offseason and the Twins could use Mulder to help mentor their young staff down the stretch and into the playoffs where he has plenty of experience.

Paul Byrd—RHP

Paul Byrd, unlike Mulder, chose to sit out the first-half of this season to spend more time with his family. He assumed that teams in need of an experienced arm would come calling after the All-Star break, thus far no team has.

Byrd, 38, offers a wealth of experience both in the regular season and the playoffs and—perhaps more importantly—he brings with him, a very well-rested arm.

While Byrd will never overpower a lineup with his stuff, he does have the capability to be a quality back end of the rotation starter and eat innings, taking pressure off of the bullpen and the rest of the Twins rotation.

Orlando Hernandez—RHP

Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez burst onto the scene with the Yankees in the late 90s after a tumultuous escape from Cuba.

Hernandez, 43, went onto win 61 games with the Yankees, but is best known for his quirky delivery and domination in the playoffs.

Although he hasn’t pitched in the Major Leagues since 2007, he could still offer a lot to the Twins staff. He can eat up innings and is a dominant postseason presence.

Additionally, “El Duque” already plays the Twins’ style of baseball. He doesn’t overpower hitters, but he doesn’t give up a ton of walks either. He pitches for contact and trusts his defense to back him up.

In his last full season with the New York Mets, Hernandez went 9-5 with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP.

Ricardo Rincón—LHP

Rincón is a left-handed specialist who has spent much of his career working as a top setup man for both the Oakland Athletics and Cleveland Indians.

The southpaw spent most of 2008 playing in the Mexican League before the Mets recalled him for eight games at the end of last season. He has since remained unsigned.

Rincón, 39, would give the Twins another left-hander in the bullpen, thus allowing Brian Duensing to return to the minors for more seasoning. He has also proven capable of holding down the eighth inning in the past and could form a reliable bridge to closer Joe Nathan.

Rincón has a career 3.59 ERA and averages 8.1 K/9, numbers that would make him an ideal addition to a very beleaguered bullpen.

Keith Foulke—RHP

Keith Foulke—he of the 191 career saves—is currently toiling in the Atlantic League pitching for the Newark Bears with one goal in mind, return to the big leagues.

Last year in Oakland the 2004 World Series hero posted an 0-3 record with a 4.06 ERA and one save in 31 appearances.

He turned down numerous minor league offers during the offseason and is now pitching in hopes of catching on with a playoff contender.

Foulke, 36, is no stranger to playing in a pennant race and has been dominant in past postseason performances.

He may not have the overpowering stuff that made him one of baseball’s top closers, but he is a gamer who could fit in nicely at the back-end of the Twins bullpen.

Armando Benítez—RHP

Benítez, much like Foulke, is pitching for the Newark Bears in the Atlantic League with hopes of making it back to the Major Leagues.

Benítez, 36, amassed 289 saves in 15 big league seasons; good enough for 23rd on the all-time list, yet hasn’t been able to find work as a closer since the midpoint of the 2007 season.

As such, he could make a lights out setup man in Minnesota. Benítez still has an electric fastball and can post huge strikeout rates, but has struggled with his control.

A power pitcher like Benítez could from a tough setup combination with hard-throwing southpaw Jose Mijares.

Benítez is a fiery competitor who has excelled in the postseason and could bring a much needed “edge” to the Twins clubhouse.