Ron Gardenhire and his staff have named the fifth starter for the 2011 pitching rotation. It comes as no surprise that it will be Scott Baker over Kevin Slowey.

Slowey will head to the bullpen and become a relief pitcher to start the season. But I ask myself what is the point of that? We already have Glen Perkins in the bullpen, and he is a former starter as well. There is no need to keep Slowey at this point and therefore I would like to see the Twins trade him.

Most Twins fans know that we have top pitching prospect Kyle Gibson waiting in the minors and it's been reported that he will be ready to step into the rotation any time after June 1st (June 1st because the Twins can avoid arbitration with Gibson for an extra year). Yes I know injuries occur during the season, but with a bullpen that is in question, why not trade Slowey to a team that is looking for a 3-5 guy in their rotation.

In return the Twins can nab a veteran bullpen arm, and help get to Capps and Nathan in the eighth and ninth innings. Having two starters in the bullpen doesn't make me feel too comfortable about the situation because not all starters transition well into that roll.

So for the sake of us fans, hopefully the Twins do the right thing and trade Slowey.

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