The Twins came just shy of the postseason last year, however made very little moves in the offseason to make the team better. It's clear that they're counting on growth from within to make this team contend in 2009.

Looking to improve this year.

Michael Cuddyer struggled through injuries last season. While he was rehabbing a hand injury, he was struck by a ball and broke his foot. The string of bad luck limited him to just 279 plate appearances, hafter surpassing 600 in each of the previous two years.

Cuddyer is now 30 years old and in the middle of his 3 year/$24 million contract. The big contract will probably buy him some advantage this year when it comes to playing time, but if he doesn't produce there are 3 other capable starters in the outfield in Denard Span, Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young. Cuddyer had a nice spring, hitting .317/358/.583 with 2 homeruns, so it appears that he's healthy and ready to earn his paycheck.

Joe Crede is another guy looking to bounce back from injury troubles. He says his back is fine, but clearly the relatively small 1 year, $2.5 million contract he signed is indication enough that no team was willing to risk big money on it. Crede has been a stellar defensive third baseman, and belted 30 HR in 2006 before injuries began to affect him. The Twins desperately need a quality third baseman, and Crede, about to turn 31, desperately needs a good season to get his career back on track. Crede played in 18 games this spring, but didn't show much at the plate, with a line of .189/.259/.321. There were also indications that his range, although still good, is not what it used to be.

Francisco Liriano was good in his second stint at the major league level last year after losing all of 2007 to Tommy John surgery. Now a full year removed from the recovery, this is the year he's expected to bounce back. Injury to Scott Baker has make Liriano the opening day starter for the first time in his career, something we fully expected in 2006 when he was regularly making fools out of opposing hitters. Liriano needs to prove that he can pitch a full season in the big leagues.

Carlos Gomez can't be faulted for how he plays defense. He showed exceptional range last year along with a better than average arm. He also swiped 33 bases, but was caught 11 times. The Twins are counting on him to show more discipline at the plate. His .295 OBP would not be acceptable if he didn't save so many runs in the field. At just 23 years old and with just one season under his belt, there's still plenty of time for improvement.

Everyone had high hopes for Delmon Young, the former first round pick, but he had a disappointing first season in Minnesota. He's got a stellar arm, but is an otherwise bad outfielder, and has failed to show the power at the plate that many expected. It's clear that he's fallen out of favor with Team management, so he doesn't have much time to turn things around and prove that he can be an elite player. For what it's worth, he had a pretty good spring, hitting .292/.313/.492 with three homers.

Trying to avoid the sophomore slump

Denard Span surprised everyone when he was able to take over RF for Cuddyer last year as well as the leadoff spot in the lineup. Span drew 50 walks in 411 plate appearances last year, which will lock him into the leadoff spot again in 2009. Statistically he had a miserable spring, but still drew walks at a high clip. He's out to prove that 2008 was no fluke.

Nick Blackburn exceeded expectations in 2008, winning 11 games and posting a 4.05 ERA. His xFIP was 4.55, suggesting there was a little luck involved in his ERA, however the Twins are only asking him to be a capable 4th starter, and I don't see any reason he can't live up to those expectations.

Brian Buscher wasn't an everyday player last season, but he put up good numbers in 244 plate appearances. The facts that he can't hit left-handed pitching and plays a poor defensive third base, probably means he'll never be an every day player, but he finds himself in a pretty good situation for 2009. Crede's health will be watched closely, so Buscher figures to get a fair number of starts at third against right-handed pitching, and he'll be called upon from the bench quite often. The fact that he put in 87 innings at 1B this spring indicates that he'll also be Morneau's primary backup.

What do you think? Are there any players that you're watching closely in 2009?