I think this article could go many places but I'm going to try and do my best to keep my eyes on the prize and not rant about the disastrous team currently being put on the field for the Minnesota Twins.

The question is how to fix the Minnesota Twins. Something needs to change so please, as you're reading this, please bear in mind that for this thing to get fixed change needs to occur.

On this current date, May 11th, 2016, the Twins are 8-25. We have the worst team ERA in the AL at 4.72. The second to worst amount of runs scored in the AL at 109 (next to the 108 Tampa has put up). We have the 2nd most errors of all AL teams and our bullpen has blown SEVEN saves. 7!! So it's safe to say every single aspect of the team is just flat out terrible. Let's shake thing up, here's what needs to happen:

Trade Trevor Plouffe

I wrote an article last year (read it here) on why it's time to trade Trevor Plouffe and I still stand by that argument, only a little bit stronger now. All of the reasons are still valid and the signing of Mr. Park has only solidified this needing to happen. Miguel Sano doesn't belong in the outfield, he's a defensive liability and it sure looks like he has A LOT of fun when playing 3rd base. Every point I'm going to make in this article is going to have a direct correlation with improving our defense. Mediocre pitching and great defense was THE foundation for the Twins when were competitive so first and foremost let's get a better defense product out on the field. Trade Plouffe, who is a top 10 third basemen in this league, for a proven bullpen arm. (Remember those 7 blow saves??? Yikes). Now you may say Sano is a downgrade defensively at third but my next point (and simply getting Sano out of RF) makes our team better defensively as a whole.

Bring back up Byron Buxton and Max Kepler

And we instantly have one of the BEST defensive outfields in the league. The season is lost and these two need at bats, so just give it to them. 1,000 major league at bats is what most players need before they settle into the player they are going to become. A better outfield means less errors, more coverage, and help for our terrible pitching staff.

Shop Kyle Gibson, Oswaldo Arcia, and... really anyone else

With the same mindset of giving Buxton and Kepler at bats, Berrios, Duffey, and Trevor May... should be in the rotation. They are the future, are major league ready, so keep them up here. Our rotation may be deep, but it's deep with 4 and 5 starters. I understand Gibson has plenty of upside but we need to open up some rotation slots and he's going to give us the most in return with a trade. Arcia... yeah he MIGHT hit 20-25 homers but he's also another liability in the outfield defensively and he strikes out A LOT. Another guy that I feel has plenty value and other clubs would take a shot on. As far as anyone else... Finding a way to get rid of one of either (Hughes, Santana, or Nolasco) would be a dream. The contract extension for Hughes looks like garbage. We need to make room for the guys that matter, getting rid of any of these would prove to be difficult but would be the right decision for the organization.

Revamp the Bullpen

Through the trade scenarios I painted above and internal promotions. We all saw J.T. Chargois get promoted to AAA, he throws 100, Nick Burdi throws 100, Alex Meyer throws 100, Jake Reed isn't too far away. Let's see them in action, you can't tell me they'd be any worse than our current pen. Bring in a guy or two with proven track records and two of these guys work out we're in a much better situation.

Figure out how to get Trevor May in the rotation

We're wasting what many could argue is our most valuable asset. He has so much talent and knows not only how to get major leaguers out but how to strike them out. This is probably the most difficult to pull off but if they can find a way to get rid of a pitcher or two he should slot right in. It's the future people, not today. This season is lost - let's set ourselves up for success down the road.

There are other minor things that could happen and we still don't have a shortstop either. Maybe Danny Santana can play above average defense there. I don't need homers or doubles from a short stop, I need flawless defense and a .220 average (Cristian Guzman or Luis Rivas ring any bells?).

Long story short... get a better defensive product on the field which will ONLY help our terrible pitching staff (starters and pen). Give the youngsters experience and make some moves on the pitching side of things and set ourselves up for not only next year but the years after that to come.

I encourage you to pick my article apart!