As he tours northern Minnesota as part of the 49th annual Twins Winter Caravan, manager Ron Gardenhire hears the same question at every stop: When will you sign a big-name free agent?
Gardenhire, who has taken part in these small-town Q-and-A's since 1991, has a well-practiced answer: We don't need to. And this year -- with one notable exception -- he sounds awfully believable.
"We really like the team we have in place," Gardenhire told a crowd of Twins fans who braved the cold in Alexandria, Minn. "It's a young team that's going to get better every year."
The Twins missed the playoffs by one game in 2008 and did it with a lineup that on most days had no players older than 28 and no one with more than four years of experience.
So a quiet offseason isn't such a bad thing, the manager said.
The Twins have discussed taking a chance on often injured infielder Joe Crede, but any decision will wait until the free agent proves his back no longer is an issue, Gardenhire said.
There is one area, however, that the manager admits could use an upgrade: the bullpen.
Twins' relievers allowed a .257 batting average last year, 10th in the American League, and will be without free agent left-hander Dennys Reyes and injured setup man Pat Neshek next season.
Gardenhire said the Twins have discussed pursuing former closers Brandon Lyon of Arizona and Eric Gagne of Milwaukee, but the free agent market is unusually slow this year.
Still, he said, "There's still time. I really think we'll get something done."
