Mijares, Hoey, and Cuddyer.

The Twins non-tendered LH reliever Jose Mijares on Monday and he becomes a free agent. I believe management got tired of dealing with Mijares about his weight, attitude, and inconsistency on the mound. Let's also not forget Mijares reported late for spring training two times in the last three years. He went 0-2 with a 4.59 ERA in 49 IP during the 2011 season. The most troubling statistic was his K/9 ratio fell from 7.7 to 5.5 and his BB/9 numbers went from 2.5 to 5.5. This move was surprising to me because Mijares was only set to make about $1 million in arbitration at the most. However, the team has many LH relief options in the bullpen with Perkins, Duensing, and Scott Diamond.

The Twins placed RH pitcher Jim Hoey on waivers and he was claimed by the Toronto Blue Jays. Hoey was thought to be the key player received from the Orioles in the J.J. Hardy trade in 2010. He struggled in 2011 going 1-2 with a 5.47 ERA in 24.2 IP. Hoey had a 95-96 MPH fastball but never developed a second pitch to go along with it. Considering the offensive season Hardy (30 HRs and 80 RBIs) had in Baltimore it's safe to say this trade was a disaster. The team also optioned new acquired shortstop Pedro Florimon back to Rochester. There are now three open spots on the active 40-man roster with more moves coming.

The Twins are still waiting for Michael Cuddyer to make a decision on the contract offer (3-yrs and $25 million) they made to him last Tuesday at the winter meetings. The only other team in the mix for Cuddyer are the Colorado Rockies but it's uncertain if they have made an official offer. I really have no idea what to expect here or why this is taking so long. Either Cuddyer's agent is trying to drive the price up or he just does not want to come back to Minnesota. His return looks questionable at best right now. Clearly other teams have no interest in paying that much money for a slightly above average corner outfielder. I would like the Twins to sign free agent outfielder Josh Willingham because he is cheaper and a better player. To miss out on both right-handed hitters would be a very tough pill to swallow. Please feel free to leave me any comments because your opinion matter to me.