Kuzul

The Miami Marlins are looking to boost their bullpen with a veteran presence. One pitcher they are looking into signing is former Minnesota Twins reliever Matt Capps, according to Barry Jackson of MiamiHerald.com.The 29-year-old reliever is currently a free agent after the Twins bought out his $6 million option for 2013, as reported by Joe Christensen of StarTribune.com.Capps pitched well when healthy in 2012 but missed several months due to shoulder inflammation.The onetime Pittsburgh Pirates closer was the winning pitcher of the 2010 All-Star Game as a representative of the Washington Nationals. In that same season, he was dealt to the Minnesota Twins in a trade involving catcher Wilson Ramos. He pitched for the Twins in the 2010 Division Series against the New York Yankees.The Marlins will go into the 2013 season with a revamped bullpen following the disastrous season with Heath Bell as closer.Steve Cishek, Dan Jennings and Ryan ...

On Tuesday, Minnesota Twins closer Matt Capps was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of irritation in his rotator cuff. Capps is back on the disabled list just four days after being reinstated.This latest injury could not have come at a worse time for the Minnesota Twins. Minnesota is 15 games under .500 (37-52) and 12 games back of the first place Chicago White Sox. The Twins plan to be sellers come the July 31 trade deadline. Capps was a piece Minnesota hoped to dangle in front of teams looking for bullpen help as a way to replenish its pitching depth.On the season Capps owns a 3.81 ERA, 1.06 WHIP with 18 strikeouts and 14 saves in 28 1/3 innings pitched. Now, Capps isn’t the best relief pitcher on the market. He doesn’t strike out many batters and can be erratic at times. No team would want to acquire ...

When your favorite team stinks, it leads to a heated discussion over who should be the "best of the worst" and be the representative for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.The rule requiring that one player from every team must be in the event has lead to healthy debate and getting somebody like Ron Coomer to rub elbows with people who deserve to be there.With the Minnesota Twins stuck at the bottom of the American League Central with a 24-35 record, the debate has opened as to whom should represent the team in Kansas City on July 10.In my mind, there are three players that have the credentials to be put on the All-Star roster.The first player, and most likely the front-runner, is Josh Willingham. "The Willinghammer" is currently second among American League outfielders in OPS (.969) behind Josh Hamilton. His .289 average is third on the team behind Ben ...

2011 was a season which the Twins and their fans would like to forget sooner rather than later. The team is approaching the start of spring training with a lot of question marks throughout their 25-man roster. Most notably, will the bullpen be better? can Mauer and Morneau regain their MVP form? And most importantly, what are the playoff chances looking like?The following are six bold predictions I have for the Twins in 2012 which will help to answer those questions and more.Begin Slideshow

One of the many questions entering the 2011 season for the Twins was "Will Joe Nathan be ready?" Twins faithful got their answer and that answer is apparently no. The ball club announced that last seasons trade deadline acquisition Matt Capps will take over the closer role while Nathan tries to fully regain his composure. Nathan had two blown save opportunities on Thursday and then again on Saturday which prompted the move. "Until I start getting that back, and I know I will at some time, I don't want to put this team at any risk and cost them ballgames right now," Nathan said. "I just thought it was the right thing to do for the ballclub and myself. Give myself a chance to get out there and still pitch on a consistent basis. Obviously that's what I need to do. Getting away from where every pitch could cost us a game." Capps ...

The Minnesota Twins are coming off a banner season.They won their sixth American League Central title since 2002, opened Target Field, which ESPN named the "best fan experience in all of sports," and set an attendance record of over three million fans.So what will define 2011 for Minnesota Twins fans?Begin Slideshow

The Minnesota Twins clinched the American League Central earlier this week.  Every year, the Twins seem to make the playoffs even if they don't have the best talent. Joe Mauer is the best player and linchpin of this Twins team, but there are many other players you don't know that are crucial to the success of this team. Here are five players who need to have a big postseason for the Twins to have a shot at winning the World Series.Begin Slideshow

For Minnesota, the magic number for clinching the American League Central title (8) is smaller than the Twins' lead in the division (9).Since the All-Star break no one has been better than the Twins this year—and over the past 50 years there are only two teams that have been this good. At 88-58, they are but one half-game from the best record in all of baseball and home-field advantage through the American League Championship Series.The Twins are near the top of the team leader boards for defense, offense and pitching. Their .278 batting average is tied with the Rangers for tops in the league.They have the second-best fielding percentage of .988, behind the Yankees' .989. Their team ERA is 3.77, second only to the Oakland A's at 3.59. Include the inaugural season of Target Field, and all of this points to a potential third World Series championship for the Minnesota Nine.Yet something just doesn't ...

When the Minnesota Twins got Matt Capps in a trade with the Nationals, Twins fans cheered. This ushered in the era of another fantastic arm in the bullpen, a fill-in or replacement for Joe Nathan if he can't return to form, and an upgrade from Jon Rauch. It was a sign from the front office that they are actively trying to win a World Series. All these and more were things you could hear around Minnesota as fans starting dreaming of a deep playoff run. Upon hearing that the Twins traded for Matt Capps, I cringed. I have seen him pitch, and I don't argue that he is a good pitcher or an upgrade from Rauch or any other option the Twins had. Some points made about him I cannot argue; however, there are many that I can. One point is that he is more lucky then dominant. Consider this for a hypothetical situation: a pitcher that throws nothing but ...

The Minnesota Twins appear to be on their way to winning back-to-back division titles and for the first time in two years, not having to go to a game 163. With the Twins sitting comfortably in front of the Chicago White Sox they will have the opportunity to rest pitchers down the stretch and set their rotation however they would like for the postseason.There's a good chance Francisco Liriano will be thrown out in Game 1 against either the Tampa Bay Rays or New York Yankees. The other option would be Carl Pavano, who has been a godsend for the Twins' rotation with the way he eats up innings.The postseason is creeping up closer and closer, which means it's time to grade the pitching staff up to this point. Francisco Liriano—B+It was a tough choice not to give Liriano an A especially seeing how well he's pitched since the All-Star break. ...