The Twins really liked what they saw of 26-year old righty starting pitcher Jason Jones so they traded 22-year old righty reliever to the Yankees so that they could keep him. Jones pitched in 7 games (0 starts) this spring for the Twins in which he was 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Jones pitched in 27 games (all starts) last season in AA+AAA ball in which he was 13-8 with a 3.26 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Jones will likely be the first pitcher recalled if the Twins have trouble in the starting rotation due to injuries.

Charles Nolte pitched in 44 games (0 starts) in A-ball last season for the Twins in which he was 4-3 with 1 save, a 2.25 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Nolte whiffed 75 batters in 70.1 innings last season while only allowing 63 hits. Nolte might have a higher ceiling than Jones does but the Twins needed some starting pitching depth.

I’m pretty sure that the Twins will use one of their 4 quality outfielders at DH once in a while in 2009 but for the most part the job will belong to 26-year old lefty swinging Jason Kubel. Kubel played in 141 games for the Twins last season while he was 126 for 463 (.272 avg, .806 OPS) with 74 runs scored, 20 homers and 78 RBIs. The only thing that could derail Kubel from having another solid season in 2009 is his knees which are both pretty much shot.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: B-

The Twins often admired 30-year old righty swinging 3B Joe Crede while he played with the White Sox so they figured he would look mighty good on their team in 2009. He fits the style that the Twins play because he is a good defensive player despite making more errors than usual in 2008. He played in 97 games at 3B for the White Sox in 2008 and he made 20 errors while showing good range. Look for him to cut down on his errors while playing more games for the Twins in 2009. Crede also brings another power bat to the Twins which is needed. He played in 97 games for the White Sox last season and he was 83 for 335 (.248 avg, .774 OPS) with 41 runs scored, 17 homers and 55 RBIs. Look for a lot of homers out of Crede as long as his back doesn’t start barking during the season.

27-year old lefty swinging Brian Buscher just can’t catch a break. He played in the minors for a long time with the Twins before breaking out last season for them. Buscher played in 70 games for the Twins last season and he was 64 for 218 (.294 avg, .730 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 4 homers and 47 RBIs. But, he didn’t play well on defense so that’s probably why he’ll be a bench player for the Twins in 2009. He made 10 errors in only 64 games at 3B for the Twins last season while showing slightly below average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: B

The Twins will likely go with a platoon between 31-year old switch hitting Nick Punto and 28-year old righty swinging Brendan Harris unless Alexei Casilla has a hard time this season at 2B. Punto played in 99 games for the Twins last season and he was 96 for 338 (.284 avg, .726 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 2 homers, 28 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Punto made 8 errors in only 61 games at shortstop last season but he did show outstanding range.

28-year old righty swinging Brendan Harris played in 130 games for the Twins last season and he was 115 for 434 (.265 avg, .721 OPS) with 57 runs scored, 7 homers and 49 RBIs. Harris showed good range last season while making 6 errors in 55 games at shortstop. He’s the better hitter of this pair but Punto is probably the better defender.

Matt Tolbert will likely be in AAA ball when the season starts but if the Twins suffer any injuries he will likely get a call. He played in 14 games at shortstop for the Twins last season and he only made 1 error while showing below average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: C-

The Twins will be without 27-year old righty starter/reliever Boof Bonser for the season after he recently underwent surgery to repair tears in his right labrum and rotator cuff. Bonser pitched in 47 games (12 starts) for the Twins last season and he was 3-7 with a 5.93 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. Bonser has now pitched in 96 games (60 starts) in his major league career and he is 18-25 with a 5.12 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. The Twins won’t likely miss Bonser much in 2009 as he has yet to live up to his ability in the major leagues.