'08 RAPs: Minnesota Twins

The Twins weren't able to pull off one of their typical come-from-behind runs in 2007. This led to the subtraction of Luis Castillo, Tori Hunter, Matt Garza and of course, Johan Santana from their team. Not only did the Twins lose this solid group of players, they also lost a great general manager in Terry Ryan. Ryan was replaced by Billy Smith, who isn't exactly a fan favorite after the Johan debacle.

Here are Smith's offseason moves:

• Traded pitcher, Johan Santana to the New York Mets for OF Carlos Gomez, and pitchers Kevin Mulvey, Deolis Guerra, and Phil Humber.
• Acquired outfielder Craig Monroe from the Chicago Cubs for a player to be named.
• Acquired OFs Delmon Young and Jason Pridie and IF Brendan Harris from the Tampa Bay Rays for SS Jason Bartlett and pitchers Matt Garza and Eduardo Morlan.
• Agreed to terms with first baseman Justin Morneau on a six-year contract and outfielder Michael Cuddyer on a three-year contract.
• Signed pitcher Livan Hernandez to a one-year contract.

With those moves, here's the team outlook:

Pitching Staff:
SP1: Francisco Liriano
SP2: Livan Hernandez
SP3: Boof Bonser
SP4: Scott Baker
SP5: Kevin Slowey
CL: Joe Nathan
SUM: Pat Neshek/ Juan Rincon

Position Players:
DH: Jason Kubel/Craig Monroe
C: Joe Mauer
1B: Justin Morneau
2B: Alexi Castilla/Nick Punto/Brendon Harris
SS: Nick Punto/Adam Everett
3B: Mike Lamb
LF: Delmon Young
CF: Carlos Gomez
RF: Micheal Cuddyer

Predictions:
Easiest: Liriano will return at top form.
Boldest: Delmon Young will be a problem and get traded at the deadline.
Team MVP/Best Season: Justin Morneau (30-40 HR, 100-115 RBI)
Best Pitcher: Joe Nathan (15 saves, sub 3 ERA; Traded mid-season)
Breakout Player: Carlos Gomez (10-15 HR, +100 RS, 25-35 SB, .285-.295 AVG.)

Stay Tuned: Tommorow I'll be covering the Detroit Tigers