Inbox: Will Twins improve pitching in offseason?

MINNEAPOLIS — With the Indians in the World Series, the Twins are still waiting for Derek Falvey to officially take over as the organization’s chief baseball officer.

Falvey remains Cleveland’s assistant general manager until the World Series concludes, which means Falvey will officially join the Twins at some point next week. Falvey has plenty of work to do, and there are plenty of questions as a result, so let’s get to the Inbox.

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Realistically, how much can the Twins improve the pitching staff this offseason? — Jeff T., Elk River, Minn.

Improving Minnesota’s pitching will be a top priority this offseason, as the Twins finished second to last in the Majors in ERA. Outside of right-hander Ervin Santana, the rotation was a mess, and while there were some bright spots in the bullpen like Brandon Kintzler, Ryan Pressly and Taylor Rogers, there are plenty of question marks there as well, including the health of closer Glen Perkins after his labrum surgery.

The issue is that this is considered a weak free-agent class, especially in regards to starting pitching. So the new front office will likely have to get creative with trades to significantly improve the pitching. Second baseman Brian Dozier is the club’s best trade chip, but he’s become the face of the franchise and would be tough to part with from a marketing and leadership perspective.

Falvey will have some difficult decisions to make, but much of his work with the Indians included helping build their pitching staff, so he does have experience in that realm.

Young development has been frustrating the past few years. Who is positioned to break out in 2017 and who is done? …

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