No fancy preliminaries this week. Let's get right to the mailbag.

Colby L. asks: I heard a rumor recently that Major League Baseball will contract the Twins, even if they do get a new stadium. Can this possibly be true?

I heard similar rumors last week, and there was a brief note in Baseball Weekly that mentioned this.

Both houses of the Minnesota legislature have passed stadium bills now. The bills are different and a compromise must be worked out, but it seems a better than 50/50 bet that some sort of new stadium financing bill will be passed by the end of the session. The team is playing well early, and with a strong farm system girding the major-league roster, the Twins are poised for long-term success. If the Twins do get a new stadium, all excuses for contracting them will be gone. Or are they?

Expressed in dollars and cents, it all makes perfect sense. I think it is clear now that the contraction threat was a ploy to gain leverage in the labor negotiations. They can't let the threat go right now, even if there is no possible way to pull it off, because that would ruin the bluff. The key at this point is the arbitration/grievance procedure about contraction. If the arbitrator rules in favor of the players, then the chance of contraction happening is essentially zero. If he rules in favor of the owners, well, all bets are off then.

It is certainly possible that the Twins could be contracted, even with a new stadium, if the arbitrator rules for the owners. The plan would probably be to kill the Twins and Expos, then eventually move another team (the Marlins?) to Minnesota to take advantage of the new stadium. You'd probably see a Cleveland Browns type situation, with the new Minnesota team taking on the team records and history of the old Twins franchise. But for genuine Twins fans, the continuity of team history would be disrupted, not to mention the cruelty inherent in dismantling an organization that is beginning to thrive again. Of course, Commissioner Bud doesn't care about that, nor about the hundreds of employees who would lose their jobs.

I have to admit, I felt a little bit abused when Selig didn't call me to complain about the columns I wrote ripping the contraction scheme last winter. I'm small-potatoes, of course, but he called other columnists in person to complain, some who have fewer readers than I do. So, Mr. Commissioner, why don't you give me a call? I think your contraction scheme is an evil, transparent attempt to extort new stadiums and scare the union. It is designed to line the pockets of the owners at the expense of the average baseball employee, and will dash the hopes and dreams of tens of thousands of fans.

Try to convince me it isn't.

Sarah J. writes: Who is this John Ennis guy who started for the Braves on Wednesday night?

He's a good young pitcher, that's what he is, even if he hasn't received the attention of other Braves prospects. Ennis was drafted in the 14th round in 1998, out of high school in Panorama City, California. His velocity has picked up since he signed, as he now throws in the 89-93 mph range. He uses a curve, slider, and changeup, and all of his pitches are major-league average or a bit better. His control record in the minors is good. He went 6-8 with a 3.58 ERA and fine 144/45 K/BB ratio last year at Class A Myrtle Beach.

He's strong at 6-5, 225, and looks to be fairly durable if he isn't abused. I think he could make a very fine middle-of-the-rotation guy, not an ace, but someone who does his job and does it well. He has just one start in Double-A to his credit, so I wouldn't expect great things until he gets more experience, but he is someone to tuck away on a reserve roster in a fantasy league.

Ryan O. writes: I'm wondering what you think of the Marlins moving Miguel Cabrera to third base, and what you think that does to his standing among major-league prospects as a whole. Do you still see him as top 100?

The concern for Cabrera at shortstop was that he'd grow too big for the position. His speed and range were below average, so the move to third makes sense. He can really use his strong arm there, and so far the transition has gone well. He hasn't made an error in his first four games for Class A Jupiter.

It is the development of his bat that bears close watching. He has tremendous raw power, and started to tap into that last year, hitting seven homers and 19 doubles in 110 games. This year he has two homers and two doubles already. Also promising is his strike zone judgment. He is not a wild swinger, but he does need to show more patience after drawing 37 walks in 462 plate appearances last year. This year he already has six walks in 35 plate appearances. If he keeps that up, his numbers will increase dramatically across the board.

Cabrera was untouched by the recent Age-Gate scandal, so he apparently really does turn 19 next week. Given his youth, physical talent, and improving hitting skills, I see no reason not to be optimistic. I ranked him as the No. 29 prospect in baseball in my book this year. Right now he's in the Top 20, and if he continues to improve he'll be in the Top 10 by the end of the year.

John Sickels is the author of the 2002 STATS Minor League Scouting Notebook. He is currently writing a biography of Bob Feller. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with his wife, son, and two cats. You can send John questions or comments at JASickels@aol.com, or you can visit his homepage at hometown.aol.com/jasickels/page1.html.