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2005 finish: 83-79, 3^rd place in AL Central

Manager: Ron Gardenhire (5^th season)

Free agents: OF Jacque Jones, RHP Joe Mays, LHP Terry Mulholland

On the block: LHP J.C. Romero, RHP Kyle Lohse, IF Michael Cuddyer, DH Matt LeCroy, IF Luis Rivas

Looking for: Offense is a must, and it can come from almost anywhere — DH, second, third base and the outfield

What’s going on: Jacque Jones will be a hot commodity on the market, and that will make it tough for the Twins to keep him, even with their desperate need to add offense. The payroll should rise a little from the $56-million mark, but $47 million already is committed in 2006 to only 10 players, so no huge salaries can be added. Four players — Torii Hunter ($10.75 million), Johan Santana ($9 million), Brad Radke ($9 million) and Shannon Stewart ($6.5 million) will make $35.25 million, or about 60 percent of the payroll. One free-agent possibility is third baseman Bill Mueller. J.C. Romero has fallen out of favor, and as a lefty with some success in the setup role, is the likeliest to go for a hitter. With Scott Baker and Francisco Liriano ready to step into the rotation, free agent Joe Mays likely won’t be re-signed and Kyle Lohse could be traded. Disappointing Michael Cuddyer and Luis Rivas could be dealt or non-tendered after struggling in 2005. Terry Mulholland probably won’t be back after a subpar season at age 42.

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Tony Gutierrez / AP

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