The Twins have been on the hunt for 8th inning setup man this offseason, and signing either of these players to a short term deal should be a welcomed upgrade to the pen. Both are Twins-type signings: past their prime players that management hopes can return to previous form.

But are they really any better than what we already have (Boof Bonser)?

Let’s break down the stats:
Boof Bonser: WHIP: 1.48, Opponents BA: .333, Opponents Slug: .443
Brandon Lyon: WHIP: 1.48, Opponents BA: .335, Opponents Slug: .458
Eric Gagne: WHIP: 1.46, Opponents BA: .335, Opponents Slug: .494

Clearly, Boof does in fact have a slight statistical edge on Lyon and Gagne and all three have been suspect to giving up the long ball rather consistently. However, adding someone who has the upside of either Lyon or Gagne certainly is a plus. Gagne at one point was the top reliever in baseball and actually finished last season up rather well. Lyon also performed exceptionally well as a setup man in 2007, but was shaken in 2008 when given the closing role, something he would not be asked to do with Minnesota.

A move of this nature would be welcomed at this point. It gives the Minnesota fan base new life and shows that management didn’t completely have a stagnant offseason. Both Lyon and Gagne wouldn’t hurt in a short term deal. If they pan out, we have a lethal 1-2 late inning punch combination with Joe Nathan. If they don’t, we could look to deal them at midseason or just eat their contract. Who knows if another Pat Neshek is brewing down on the farm and in worst case Boof isn’t that bad of a replacement.

In other news, the Twins finally inked a two year deal with Jason Kubel this afternoon. This is a great signing that was due to happen. Kubel is entering the prime of his career and nothing indicates that his stats should falter from previous seasons.

The Chicago White Sox added Bartolo Colon this week. He hasn’t had a good season since 2005 and shouldn’t be too much of a factor as he will be battling for a spot in the rotation, but nonetheless he has good potential and if he finds his form, would be dangerous. This is another upside type of signing at little to no cost.

The White Sox also avoided arbitration with closer Bobby Jenks today signing him to a $5.6m extension.

The Colorado Rockies appear not to be extending their contract on Garrett Atkins. The Twins were formerly in talks with the Rockies about acquiring the third basemen and it now seems fairly apparent that they don’t want him. Atkins may not be the strongest candidate as our third base replacement, but he would nonetheless be an upgrade as long as he didn’t cost an arm and a leg.

TwinsFest kicks off this Friday! Look for updates from the action after the weekend.

So what possibly could the Twins be thinking?

Minnesota must not have thought the price of DeRosa or Blake was worth the premium on production of a Buscher/Harris platoon. Crede seems to be too much of a health risk. Beltre and Wigginton seem to be too pricey. Gun-shy from the previous failures of similar signings in Mike Lamb and Adam Everett, it may be the case that the Twins want to play the wait-and-see game, that is, until the midseason trade deadline.

The hope is that someone emerges at the trade deadline that either has a bigger bat or comes at a smaller price. If the Twins are in contention at midseason, they pull the trigger on somebody that helps push them over the hump, knowing that it will be money well spent. If Minnesota is already out of contention by the trade deadline, they wouldn’t have wasted precious dough on someone that probably wouldn’t have made up the difference of them being in or out of playoff contention. At that point, management would probably just wait and see how Danny Valencia has progressed, a third base prospect the organization is pretty excited about.

In other news: Kenshin Kawakami signed a three year deal with the Atlanta Braves. It was wishful thinking that the Twins would pick him up and round out our opening day staff, but it certainly wasn’t a necessity. No rumor on the price tag.

LEN3 reports that the Twins do not seem to be in the running for Joe Crede as his health risk is a factor. Only in the case that Crede “is healthy” and “lets it be known that he’s not afraid of Field Turf for one season” that the Twins would give him a shot. He’s thirty years of age and hasn’t played a full season since 2006, do the math.

In more exciting news, the Twins may take a look at Chad Cordero who played long toss for several teams this week. Cordero missed quite a bit of time after shoulder surgery but certainly could be a nice 8th inning setup man, especially if he returns to a glimmer of his previous form. Currently the Diamondbacks, Brewers, Mets, Rangers, and Tigers seem to be taking a look.

Also, former Twin J.C. Romero got busted for doping. He’s denying it.

Quick AL Central Round Up:

Cleveland signed Carl Pavano to a one year, $1.5 Million deal with $5.3 more in incentives. Seems to be pretty low risk at that price, but again, he’s already guaranteed more than almost our entire staff this season, which is amazing to think about. Couple this with the DeRosa signing and its apparent the Indians are trying to close some much needed gaps from last season.

The White Sox may be looking to deal Jermaine Dye. This would be a huge boost to the rest of the AL Central as Dye always seems to be the toughest out in Chicago.

The Tigers seem to be pretty quiet right now, only eyeing a little relief help.

Kansas City signed utility man Willie Bloomquist to a 2 year, $3 Million dollar deal. Just pointing out that’s less than half the price of Punto.