I've often felt that Minnesota Twins outfielder Michael Cuddyer has been unappreciated. His teammates Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer get all the attention (well, as much attention as the Twins get anyway), while he puts up solid numbers every season and gets no real fanfare. Plus, besides his bat, the guy is pretty good out there in the field and he has a cannon for an arm.

It's got to be pretty frustrating for Cuddyer, but probably not as frustrating as the 2008 campaign has been for him. Injuries have kept him sidelined the majority of the season, and now when he was so close to getting back on the field for Minnesota, he goes and breaks his hand while rehabbing in Rochester.

What happened? Well, I'll let Michael tell you. From Buster Olney's blog:

"I don't know if this season can get any more frustrating on a personal level. The play happened last night while I was rehabbing in Rochester. I was on first base after a walk when Garrett Jones hit a fastball off of Ross Ohlendorf. I jumped, but apparently not high enough and the ball hit the top of my foot, cracking the second metatarsal. I am not sure of a time frame for the injury, but they say typically four weeks or so is pretty normal for something like this. So hopefully I will still be able to get back and give a boost as the beginning to middle of September and pennant race is in full go. The thing that frustrates me the most is that I really pride myself in preparing to play a full season, but no matter what you do you can't prepare for a dislocated finger, torn ligaments and a broken bone! Like I said, though, the goal for me is to get myself ready to help us in some capacity in September."

There are a lot of people who felt the Twins should have made a move before yesterday's deadline, myself being one of them, but instead the Twins decided to stand pat with what they have. It's a move that may hurt them now that they've lost second baseman and team spark plug Alexi Casilla could miss the rest of the season.

Still, sometimes it's not the trades that you make as much as it is the players you get back from the disabled list. Of course, Francisco Liriano has been off the disabled list for a while and blowing hitters away in Triple-A, but the team has just now decided to call him up. Though that does mean they have to make room for him, and that's why the team designated both Livan Hernandez and Craig Monroe for assignment.

Hernandez is 10-8 with a 5.48 ERA in 23 starts and has allowed 199 hits in 139 2/3 innings. He pitched poorly in his last start against Chicago on Wednesday and gave up five runs in the first two innings of his previous start against Cleveland.

Left-handed pitcher Francisco Liriano, a sensation in 2006 before an arm injury knocked him out of action for more than a year, will take his spot in the rotation. Randy Ruiz, a 30-year-old career minor-leaguer, can play first base and right field. But he will likely be used as a right-handed designated and pinch hitter.

Minnesota Twins second baseman Alexi Casilla has been somewhat of an unsung hero for the surprising Twins this season. He didn't play his first game of the season for Minnesota until May 11th, but since joining the team Casilla is hitting .323/.360/.438 with 38 runs driven in. Another player who's been performing well but under the radar in Minnesota is starter Glen Perkins.

Much like Casilla, Perkins didn't start his season with the Twins until May 10th, but has gone 7-3 in 15 starts since. Still, neither had the best time in New York as the Twins were just swept by the Yankees in the Bronx, but Perkins' memory of things seems to be a bit tainted.

During the fifth inning of yesterday's game, the Yankees had runners on first and second with one out and Jose Molina at the plate. Molina hit a ground ball to Brendan Harris at third and after Harris threw to Casilla at second, Alexi started walking slowly to the dugout. He'd completely forgotten that he had only made the second out of the inning, and never threw to first to complete the double play.

Needless to say, Perkins wasn't very happy about it and yelled at Alexi while on the field. It didn't help matters at all a few pitches later when Justin Christian lined a two-run double down the left field line to break up a scoreless tie.

You'd think a guy hitting .205 with a .552 OPS in September might head into the winter worried about his starting job. Not so fast, says Ron Gardenhire, who recently said he's leaning toward moving Nick Punto from third base to second, despite the fact that his performance at the plate this year suggests that he'd struggle against the local American Legion team that plays down the street. From La Velle E. Neal's blog on the Star-Tribune:

" We already know what we've got with Nick,'' Gardy said. "We know we've got a player. And (Alexi Casilla) has all the tools in the world. Nothing's a given. You have to go out and play. But if we were to start right now I would say Nick would have a head up on him, believe me there. I know what he can do, catch the ball and make all the plays. So he's got a lead going into spring training, as far as I'm concerned.

"I hope he comes out and has a good spring. I like him in my lineup, somewhere. He makes things exciting. But he's got to play. Got to come back and rebound, we all know that.''

Honestly, I think this is an outstanding decision. Of course, I say that as a Tigers fan and not someone looking out for the Twins' best interest. Because otherwise, I'd think that it's because the Twins know what they have in Punto that they'd be willing to give Casilla a chance, not the other way around. Granted, Casilla hasn't hit much better in limited big-league action this year, but he's only 22 years old and has a career .298 average in the minors.

But hey, everyone knows baseball isn't won with numbers like hits and runs and outs! No, it's won with grit and hustle and heart. And who has more than Little Nick Punto?

Obviously during the course of a baseball season, you have to try new things. It's even more important to change things up when your original plan isn't working. As a result you end up with some wild and crazy ideas, like the one the St. Cloud Times columnist Mick Hatten has for Ron Gardenhire.

Why not bat Joe Mauer at the top of the order?

This next move is going to sound radical: Have Joe Mauer lead off.

Why? Perhaps all these sabermaticians are warping my mind, but why not have the guy with the best on-base percentage on the team bat lead off?

On the Twins roster, Mauer's .396 on-base percentage is the best on the team - by 40 points.

...

If Mauer is regressing into a nonpower hitter, this team needs a lead-off hitter. Remember Hall of Famer Wade Boggs? For those of you not old enough to remember him, Boggs was a slow-footed third baseman and contact hitter extraordinaire.

Boggs had one season in which he had a slugging percentage of better than .490 (.443 for his career). But Boggs' career on-base percentage was .415. Like Mauer, he took a LOT of pitches. If Mauer wants to watch strike one and strike two go right down the middle of the plate, it's a lot easier to take if he's leading off.

If Mauer (.463 career slugging percentage) is turning into the next Boggs, he should lead off like Boggs did for the majority of his career.

The Phillies are on a tear, and just got Tadahito Iguchi to fill in for Chase Utley. The Braves just added Mark Teixeira to their lineup. The Mets have to make a move, and it appears they're on the verge of doing so.

The Mets are close to acquiring second baseman Luis Castillo from the Twins for two minor leaguers, according to major-league sources.

Castillo would replace Jose Valentin, who recently suffered a season-ending broken shin when he fouled a pitch off his leg.

Now while this trade may not solve all of the Mets problems, having Luis Castillo teamed up with Jose Reyes atop of their order, it will lead to a lot of runs.

As for the Twins, if there were any questions remaining on how they were going to treat the rest of this season, I think this provides the answer. For now they'll fill the spot with Nick Punto and Jeff Cirillo, and could be interested in Morgan Ensberg at third base.

With Castillo being a free agent at the end of the season, it was unlikely he'd have stayed in Minnesota considering they have bigger fish to fry in Justin Morneau and Johan Santana. There's also Alexi Casilla down at Triple-A who's just waiting to take over the second base position in Minnesota.

Previously at FanHouse:
Report: Braves Land Teixeira
Phillies Trade For Iguchi to Replace Utley
What the Mark Teixeira Trade Means for Your Favorite Team
The Teixeira Trade Signals a Seller's Market