Souhan; Twins New Shortstop Is Solid on Defense [PODCAST]

The Twins agreed to sign free agent shortstop Andrelton Simmons to a 1-year contract worth an estimated worth $10.5 Million.  Star Tribune Sports columnist Jim Souhan joined me on WJON today.  He says this signing allows the Twins to improve their defense at shortstop and at 2nd base with Jorge Polanco moving to that position.  He says Luis Arraez moves to a super utility position where he could play 2nd or 3rd base and the outfield. Jim says the Twins are still looking to re-sign Nelson Cruz and expect Josh Donaldson to be healthy enough to handle the bulk of the starts at 3rd base.

The Minnesota Wild lost 2-1 to the L.A. Kings Tuesday night.  Jim says the Wild just haven't gotten enough production from their top two lines.  He says Joel Erickson-Ek should move from the 3rd line to either of the top 2 lines.  Souhan says General Manager Bill Guerin is saying all the things to expect from a GM but his moves made in the off-season just haven't panned out yet.

The Vikings have some salary cap concerns which could cause them to lose a player they want to keep.  Jim says tight end Kyle Rudolph won't likely be back and the team will have a tough decision to make on left tackle Reilly Reiff due to his salary cap number.

The Timberwolves play tonight at Golden State against the Warriors.  Jim says point guard Ricky Rubio just hasn't improved his shooting and his percentage from 3-point range has been terrible.  Jim suggests that Rubio should have spent an offseason working on his shot.