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[MUSIC PLAYING] DOUG: The Minnesota Twins close out their season this weekend with a three-game series against the Cleveland Indians at the Metrodome. The best the Twins can hope for is a fourth place finish in the American League's Western division. Heading into tonight's game, the team is in fifth place, one game back of Oakland.

What happened to the Twins, who battled for the division pennant nearly down to the wire last year? Well, with us in the studio to help answer that question is Morning Edition baseball analyst Howard Sinker of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Howard, is there a simple answer?

HOWARD SINKER: No.

DOUG: Well, what's the more complicated answer?

HOWARD SINKER: Do we have an hour? Well, I'm going to be writing all about that for Sunday Star and Tribune. So why should I be giving away any of that right now? No, I wouldn't do that to you, Doug. There are just so many things. The pitching that was supposed to be as good as last year's wasn't as good as last year's.

Everyday players in the field who were supposed to be better than last year, weren't better than last year. Kent Hrbek and Tom Brunansky, who are supposed to have the same years as they had last year, didn't have the same years as last year. Everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong for the Minnesota Twins basically and that's why they're in fifth place creating this artificial battle for fourth that means absolutely nothing. It shouldn't mean anything, even to the players because they can't really take a whole lot of consolation in passing Oakland this weekend.

DOUG: Who's going?

HOWARD SINKER: Who's going where?

DOUG: Away from the Twins.

HOWARD SINKER: OK, I thought you were actually asking who's going to be pitching this weekend and I would have shrugged my shoulders. There are a lot of candidates. The Twins, I think realize that, if nothing else, fans and media and even the players want some sign that the team is willing to improve itself.

And the best way you improve yourself to show that you're improving yourself is to make trades. And surprisingly enough, the Twins have a surplus in some areas. There's interest in Mickey Hatcher. There would be some interest in Tim Teufel. They have four catchers who are of Major League ability and one of them, maybe Tim Laudner or Dave Engle, might be dangled as trade bait.

I think even a couple of the pitchers, someone like John Butcher, might be tradable. If the Twins get a comparable pitcher, or what they would hope would be a better pitcher, I would think to replace him. There are very few players right now who the Twins would not consider trading.

DOUG: Twins management is going to work hard though to keep Bert Blyleven.

HOWARD SINKER: If they're not, they're foolish. They gave up four young players to get Blyleven and I'm sure they imagined getting Blyleven for more than a year and a half.

DOUG: What do you make of the talk, though, about Jim Eisenreich maybe coming back to the twins?

HOWARD SINKER: I think it's one of the silliest things I've ever heard. It would be chapter 4 in a book that was very repetitive through the first three chapters. I think, as Twins physician Harvey O'Phelan said Thursday or said Wednesday night, Eisenreich has proven that he can't handle the pressure of being a Major League player, the stress of being a Major League player.

And the Twins are just opening themselves up and probably worse, opening Eisenreich up for more scrutiny that he should get. It would be-- the story has been so sad that it would be a shame to make it any sadder.

DOUG: Ray Miller's position is that solid for next year?

HOWARD SINKER: For now. Miller is having so much to do with the shaping of the Minor League organization right now and even with the shaping of the Major League roster, much more so than Billy Gardner ever did that to cut him out of the picture right now wouldn't be wise. After 1986, if things continue this way, maybe we could manage the team.

DOUG: You mentioned that there was some disappointment in the performance this year of Tom Brunansky and Kent Hrbek. A lot was made of their big buck contracts at the beginning of the season. What are their chances in negotiations this coming year? I realize that they have--

HOWARD SINKER: Well, they have the wonderful security of not having to renegotiate until the end of the decade. Hrbek is signed for four more years. Brunansky is signed for five years, four of them are guaranteed. And I really don't think-- it's easy to say, well, they just signed their big contracts they didn't have anything to work for.

But I'd like to think they have a little bit more pride than that, and I'm sure they would like to think that they just had bad years. They're young guys who the league caught up with them for a while and now the interesting thing will be if they have the intellectual stamina to adjust to what other teams are doing to them this year or have done to them this year.

DOUG: What do you think the fans are going to think about the boost in ticket prices next year?

HOWARD SINKER: The $4 seats are very, very good seats. $4 seats, surprisingly enough, are among-- are better than most of the $8 seats at the Metrodome. And if I'd been getting away with sitting in those on a general admission basis and I suddenly found that they were $6 in reserved, I'd be angry.

DOUG: Well, thanks for joining us this morning. Howard sinker is the Morning Edition baseball analyst.

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