MVN: Most Valuable Network

The Detroit Tigers went and gave Adam Everett a one-year deal, making it unlikely that they will trade for Jack Wilson. There are still suitors for the Pirates' shortstop out there, and one that I'd like to take a look at is the Minnesota Twins.

The Twins' current shortstop is Brendan Harris, who was an afterthought for the Rays and is really starting in Minnesota because there's nobody else to play regularly (at the MLB or AAA levels). He posted a .269/.721 line last season and is more a utility, Jose Bautista-type than a player you really want out there every day.

Why would the Twins have an interest in Jack? Well, they've had some good young hitting in the form of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, and they now have the young rotation to go with it. Nick Blackburn, Kevin Slowey, Scott Baker, Francisco Liriano and Glen Perkins are all 27 or younger and established as at least solid major leaguers.

That may not be exactly the pitching monopoly that Tampa has, but it's a strong core, and they also possess some depth and youth in the bullpen in the form of Jesse Crain, Bobby Korecky and converted starters Boof Bonser and Philip Humber. If they could upgrade at their one glaring weak spot up the middle on defense, it could mean big things for them.

Who could we turn Jack Wilson into, though? As much as it would seem awesome (like the rumored Matt Joyce), it's too much to ask for Delmon Young.  A more likely option is some minor-league pitching depth and/or talent from a team that has a little bit to spare. Some interesting options include:

Anthony Swarzak
Swarzak, who turned 23 at the end of this past season, comes in at No. 16 in John Sickels' most recent top 20 for the Twins. He started off looking rather terrible at Double-A New Britain, but a late season promotion to Double-A -- while hard to explain based on his performance to that point in the season -- produced surprising results. Swarzak posted a 1.80 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 45 innings with the Red Wings after posting 5.67 and 1.60 a step lower. That could mean nothing or something, but he's a big righty and he's young; perhaps there's a nice low-risk prospect for grabs here.

Kevin Mulvey
Another righty, Mulvey is listed as the Twins' No. 7 prospect by Sickels, and appears as a B- pitcher with "okay stuff, but great command and makeup." He pitched a full season of AAA at age 23 and was solid if anything. A 3.77 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 7.36 K/9 look pretty impressive, and considering his status behind Liriano, Slowey and Perkins (if not Brian Duensing as well) he might be available for the right price.

Tyler Robertson
Much like Jake McGee in Tampa, Robertson is a promising youngster, but had his season shut down early due to an arm injury. He's still listed as a C+ prospect and No. 13 in the system in spite of that, which probably isn't surprising given his 2.72 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 82.2 IP prior to the injury (which drops to 2.38 and 1.26 if you ignore his lone bad start against Dayton). I'd call that rather impressive for a youngster who will just now be turning 21 at Christmas. Given his youth and injury, he might be a buy-low option to bring into the Pirates' system.

Jeff Manship
In spite of the fact that hearing his name immediately reminded me of this character, Manship is another solid option. Listed as No. 18 in the organization, Manship is possibly no more than depth for the organization, though that obviously isn't a bad thing. The 23-year-old righty posted a 2.86 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 13 starts at High-A before struggling to 4.46 and 1.49 in 14 starts at Double-A.