Francisco Liriano's agent has asked the players union to investigate whether the Twins are keeping Liriano in the minors to keep him from qualifying for arbitration.

As a legal/procedural matter, this is nothing. As the link above notes, even if Liriano were called up today, he'd be unlikely to qualify for Super Two status. One would be hard put to raise a legitimate argument that Liriano had established that he was ready to be called up a month ago, over even a week ago.

It is significant in this manner: It's an indication that he's unhappy with the organization. Long-term, that can be costly.

The obvious way to alleviate his displeasure is to negotiate a long-term deal, as (for example) Tampa Bay did with Evan Longoria about a week after they called him up to the majors. But the Twins are unlikely to do such a thing at this point for a variety of reasons, one of which — it seems from this vantage point — being a certain suspicion about Liriano's work habits. Then, too, the organization has to wonder about his durability.

I wonder sometimes, as well, about the communications between the Twins management and Liriano. The whole business two years ago over whether there was a "pop" in his elbow when he was injured — the sound being an indication of ligament damage — wound up shrouded in language issues. The Twins have no native Spanish speakers on their major league coaching staff.

Arbitration aside, there are sound reasons for the Twins to continue to protect Liriano by keeping him in the minors. It is becoming increasingly difficult to justify in the short-term; there's no serious doubt that Liriano can help the major-league team, and the major-league team comes out of the All-Star break today with a realistic shot at the playoffs.

But I'll wait for Monday's print column to examine the Twins' options.