Don't have much time to go into it, but in case you haven't heard, Twins GM Terry Ryan is stepping down after this season. There'll be an official press conference this afternoon to announce it, and as of yet, no word is given on why the 52 year old Ryan is stepping down after 12 seasons on the job. Long time assistant GM Bill Smith, who I've never heard of, takes over.
Obviously, if you're a Twins fan, you owe any and all success the Twinkies have had in the last dozen years to Ryan. This could easily have been the Pirates, Royals, or Devil Rays, but Ryan has kept them competitive on the tightest of budgets. His legacy will always be the AJ for Liriano, Boof and Joe Nathan trade, as well as drafting Joe Mauer when most everyone, including geniuses like me, thought he was crazy for not taking USC ace Mark Prior #1. I didn't agree with all his moves, or maybe the lack-there-of, since I thought he overvalued his prospects at times and wouldn't trade them for ready-now pieces, but how much of that has to do with owner Carl Pohlad not wanting to take on more salary we'll never know.
Regardless, this is a huge loss for a Twins team that is facing a major crossroads this winter with pending free agency and/or extensions needed for Johan Santana, Justin Morneau, Torii Hunter, Joe Nathan, and Mike Cuddyer. Ryan is/was one of baseball's best executives, and this is a huge loss for Minnesota.
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