Twins 2014: Wait 'til Next Year

English: Minneapolis, Minn. (July 17, 2006) - Minnesota Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire the Minnesota Twins vs. Tampa Bay Devil Rays game. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Minnesota Twins will not be worth watching this season.  Maybe in 2015 or '16, who knows.  But not this season.

The baseball experts say this team is a shoo-in for another 90+ loss season.  The Twins have plenty of young talent, but most of those players are simply not ready to make the big move up from the minors.  Until then, the Pohlads have opened up the checkbook to bolster the pitching staff, and they came up with veterans Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes.  They have also kept manager Ron Gardenhire and most of his coaching staff.

Joe Mauer, the Face of the Franchise, is moving to first base in a career-extending move.  Being an MVP catcher has its advantages, but he got knocked in the head once too often, which meant that he was often out on the disabled list with concussion symptoms.  Thus the move to first, where the Twins could use his bat for nearly every game.  Replacing him behind the plate is Kurt Suzuki

The rest of the offense does not inspire confidence, with Brian Dozier, Josh Willingham, Aaron Hicks and others struggling to put runs on the board.  But fear not.  Jason Kubel has returned to the Twins after stints in Arizona and Cleveland, and if he's anywhere near the ballplayer he was in the 2000s, then it's money well spent.  Don't you think?

The upgrade in the pitching staff might mean less need for the bullpen, now led by Glen Perkins as its closer.  But you have to wonder how effective starters Nolasco, Hughes and Mike Pelfrey are going to be against guys who can hit, as opposed to keeping the Twins in the game when their teammates' bats fail them.

Target Field is hosting the MLB All-Star Game this July, and that will be a great chance for folks to see so much talent in one game in one place.   As for the rest of this season, the only talent you're likely to see is the opposition while everyone else in Twins Territory twiddles their thumbs and waits patiently for the Team of the Future.

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Elsewhere in Major League Baseball:

Alex Rodriguez will not be in a New York Yankees uniform this season.  Or maybe ever.

The season has already started with two games in Sydney, Australia between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks, both won by baseball's newest highest-paid team.

Wrigley Field turns 100 this year.  The Chicago Cubs have been waiting longer than that to win a
World Series.

This is the last season for Vin Scully as the voice of the Dodgers.  The last season for Derek Jeter as a Yankee.  And the last season for Bud Selig as baseball's defacto commissioner.

There are new TV deals with ESPN, Fox and TBS.  There will be more games on cable (with the addition of Fox Sports 1) and fewer on broadcast.  But the All-Star Game and World Series will continue to be on Fox.

Our division projections:

American League

East:  Tampa Bay Rays

Central:  Detroit Tigers

West:  Oakland Athletics

Wild Card:  Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians

National League

East:  Atlanta Braves

Central:  St. Louis Cardinals

West:  Los Angeles Dodgers

Wild Card:  Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks