The Twins have big holes in their minor-league system, no doubt. One thing really hurting them is their lack of major league ready position prospects. This has been well-documented.

Now, for some good news: They might have another star catcher on the horizon in 20-year-old Wilson Ramos.

I started paying attention to Ramos, when La Velle listed him at No. 8 on the season ending list of the Twins’ Top 10 prospects. The reviews keep getting better. The other day, a prominent agent compared Ramos to a young Pudge Rodriguez defensively.

Then, I found some eye-popping numbers from Ramos in the recently completed Parallel League in Venezuela. In 29 games, Ramos batted .410/.442/.886 with 13 home runs and 38 RBI. The Parallel League is the feeder league for the Venezuelan winter league, and the caliber is about that of rookie ball here in the States.

Anyway, after handling himself very well as a 19-year-old for Class A Beloit last summer, Ramos tore ligaments in his right thumb on Aug. 28, so he wasn’t available for the team’s playoff run. But it sounds like he’s got a good chance of starting this year at Class A Fort Myers.

For loyal readers who can remember my fixation with Jeff Manship last year, I think we’ve found the early favorite for my frequent in-season updates on a prominent prospect.

Two experts from Baseball America told the Boston Herald the best reported offer on the table for Johan Santana is Boston’s offer of Jon Lester, Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie and Justin Masterson.

[John] Manuel prefers the Red Sox’ offer topped by lefty Jon Lester and center fielder Coco Crisp because he thinks Lester can be a middle-of-the-rotation starter and that the other offer features the Sox selling “high” with outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury.

“If they thought Jed Lowrie (.393 combined on-base percentage in Double A and Triple A last year) could be a major league shortstop, the Twins have to make that deal,” Manuel said. “The Twins are holding out for more offense. … None of these offers fit the Twins’ needs.”

Jim Callis, executive editor of Baseball America, said that even if the Yankees were to include right-hander Ian Kennedy in their offer or the Mets were to include hitting phenom Fernando Martinez, neither team’s package would be better than the Lester-Crisp package (Callis’ first choice) or the Ellsbury (No. 2 for Callis) offer.

Callis goes on to say, “If the Twins wanted to roll the dice, the Mets’ offer (with Martinez) could be the best deal.” But both Callis and Manuel agreed that the Twins would be taking a leap of faith by taking it because the players are so green.

Martinez and Deolis Guerra are years from reaching the majors. And even though the others are more advanced, Carlos Gomez, Phil Humber and Kevin Mulvey remain unproven at the big league level.

Meanwhile, amid the circus of on-again, off-again Yankee rumblings yesterday, I wrote about the possibility of the Twins overplaying their hand.

Johnny Podres was the Twins pitching coach from 1981 through 1985. He taught Frank Viola the changeup. He’s best remembered, of course, for pitching the Brooklyn Dodgers to their one and only World Series title, in 1955. Podres died Sunday at the age of 75.

For more on The Pod, here’s a 1993 Patrick Reusse column, which ran shortly after the deaths of Podres’ former Dodgers teammates, Roy Campanella and Don Drysdale. My favorite parts are italicized.

Most of the time, John Podres looks away when he is talking to you. He stares toward the floor and provides emphasis by gesturing with his ever-present Winston. When asked for a remembrance, Podres will look toward the ceiling and pat his stomach with his left hand.

“We had been trying to finish off Elston Howard with fastballs,” said Podres, looking upward and patting. “I could tell that Ellie was getting there on time, that he was on my fastball. It was the only pitch all day when I shook off Campy. He wanted another fastball, but I shook him off and we went with the changeup.”

The Yankees’ Howard rapped the changeup to shortstop. Pee Wee Reese fielded the ball and threw it across the diamond for the last out in Game 7 of the 1955 World Series. “I jumped in the air once,” Podres said. “I jumped again. When I came down the second time, it was in Campy’s arms. That’s the picture you always see . . . me in Campy’s bearhug.”

It was the first and only time the Dodgers from Brooklyn won a World Series. Roy Campanella and the other great Dodgers had tired of losing to the Yankees, and then Podres came along to change the outcome. Podres, just turned 23, beat the Yankees with two complete games in the ‘55 Series, allowing one run in 18 innings.

“I was a 20-year-old kid when I came to Brooklyn in ‘53, and Campy led me around,” Podres said. “Before he gave me the sign for the pitch, he would give me the location. All I did was try to get the pitch Campy wanted in the area he wanted it.”

Three years later, Podres was missing from the Dodgers’ pitching staff because of Navy duty. So Campanella was given another kid pitcher - 19-year-old Don Drysdale - to break into the big leagues.

“I didn’t meet Don Drysdale until the spring of 1957,” Podres said. “We had that one season when we both pitched to Campy in Brooklyn, and that was it.”

The Dodgers announced late in the ‘57 season they were moving to Los Angeles. Campanella never made it as a player. He was paralyzed in a car accident after the last season in Brooklyn.

On June 26, Campanella, 71, died of a heart attack. Podres was saddened by the loss of the man who taught him how to pitch to big league hitters. Five days later, Drysdale, 56, was found dead in a Montreal hotel room after an apparent heart attack. Podres was shocked by the death of one of his closest friends.

“Curt Schilling was in the clubhouse and he heard the announcer say that Don Drysdale had died,” Podres said. “He came down to the dugout and told us. It didn’t register with me. I said, `Oh, Don Drysdale,’ and then it hit me.”

Podres’ natural look is sad-eyed. There have been some tears in those eyes over the last couple of weeks, as tragedy has continued to follow the last group of Brooklyn Dodgers.

It started with Campanella’s car accident. Jackie Robinson, Gil Hodges and Junior Gilliam all died early. Now Drysdale.

Friday, Podres was asked how long he had been back on the cigarettes. “I had the bypass surgery in ‘86,” he said. “I quit ‘em for a couple of years. I guess I missed the coughing.”

Podres spent five seasons - 1981 through 1985 - as the Twins’ pitching coach. He had health problems and gave up alcohol, which was quite an accomplishment for a guy who was working with pitchers such as Terry Felton, John Pacella and Pete Filson. Felton was 0-13 when Anthony Young still was in high school.

Podres made it back to the big leagues as a coach with Philadelphia in 1991. “Nick Leyva hired me, but I didn’t work for him too long,” Podres said. “He was fired after 13 games. Luckily for me, they brought in Jimmy Fregosi.”

Fregosi is an admirer of Podres’ ability to straighten out pitchers and, if necessary, teach them the famous Podres changeup.

Minnesotans can admire Podres’ work from a distance, simply from the results he has received with David West (2.85 ERA, .212 opponents batting average) as a setup man for closer Mitch Williams.

“The first time West pitched for us, Fregosi brought him in to face a couple of lefthanded hitters,” Podres said. “He was screwing around. I told him, `Let the ball go. Be aggressive. If you get lit up going after hitters, I’ll never get on you about it.’ Since then, Westie has been great. He doesn’t get the hitters out every time, but he goes after them.”

And Williams . . . the Wild Thing? “It’s out of my hands,” Podres said.

Johnny first became a pitching coach in 1969, when the San Diego Padres told him it was time to retire. He was sent to Walla Walla, Wash., to coach the rookie leaguers. His toughest decision would be sorting through 15 prospects and separating the starters and relievers.

This was the solution: Podres assembled the pitchers and said, “How many of you like to go out three nights out of four, have a few beers, stay up late and perhaps meet some young ladies?”

Several of the pitching prospects raised their hands. “OK, you guys are starters,” Podres said. “You milkshake drinkers are the relievers. You have to be ready to pitch every day. You need your sleep.”

No one ever accused Drysdale and Podres of being milkshake drinkers. “Yeah, we had some good times,” Johnny said, smiling.

It will be a sad time in Los Angeles on Monday, when a memorial service is held for Drysdale. The other Campy-trained kid from Brooklyn, Johnny Podres, will be there. “I’m leaving for L.A. Sunday night,” said Podres, his sad eyes looking sadder. “Big D. It’s hard to believe.”

The Cardinals and Blue Jays swapped former All-Star third basemen this weekend — Scott Rolen for Troy Glaus — and the Braves agreed to trade for Oakland center fielder Mark Kotsay, (both moves are pending physicals).

But the Twins still have Johan Santana. I spoke to GM Bill Smith a couple times this weekend, and as usual, he was putting in long hours in his office. But I didn’t hear much buzz on the Santana front.

In a sign of the times, as the Twins winter caravan began today, the team took two promotional videos: One with Santana and one without him.

The Twins have signed former Montreal Expos starting pitcher Zach Day to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training. An announcement is expected today.

Day, 29, who had rotator cuff surgery in June 2006, made nine starts last year for Class AAA Omaha (Royals), going 1-1 with a 3.93 ERA.

The righthander will have a chance to make the Twins’ rotation this spring but might need to start the year at Class AAA Rochester. He was signed as veteran insurance, as the Twins continue to explore trade options for Johan Santana.

Day went 18-19 for the Expos from 2002 to 2004. After that franchise moved to Washington, he pitched 12 games for the Nationals in 2005 before getting traded to Colorado. He rejoined the Nationals after being waived by the Rockies in April 2006. Last year, he signed a minor-league deal with the Royals.

The Twins had a scout watch Day pitch in workouts in Cincinnati this fall, and Day’s shoulder was back to about 85 percent full strength. Day expects to be back to 100 percent by the start of spring training.

Update: Day was one of 17 non-roster players the Twins invited to spring camp today. They also just announced the signing of lefthander Randy Keisler to a minor-league deal. Keisler made four appearances, including three starts, for the Cardinals last year, going 0-0 with a 5.19 ERA.