ALEXANDRIA, Minn. -- The Twins Winter Caravan often is the time when fans get to inquire about the players the team has added during the offseason and the changes that have been made to the club's roster.

But in an offseason that has been even quieter than normal for the Twins, the club's transactions have been limited. With it already mid-January, Minnesota currently possesses a nearly identical roster to the one it had at the end of the 2008 season.

So as manager Ron Gardenhire headed out on the northwest leg of this year's Winter Caravan with hitting coach Joe Vavra and pitcher Glen Perkins on Monday, he expected fans to have some questions about the lack of transactions by the club's front office.

It didn't take long for those questions to be posed. During a lunchtime stop at the 12-Mile Tavern in Swanville, Minn., the manager received inquiries as to which players the Twins still might target for their roster. And the topic of the Twins' lack of moves was raised again during the night's Hot Stove event at the Holiday Inn in Alexandria.

Gardenhire's message to fans was that while very little has occurred in terms of moves this offseason, the front office has been making attempts to acquire players. And he reminded fans that, like him, they have to try to be patient about it -- even if it's not always easy.

"I know that a lot of fans sometimes get upset over that patience [by the front office], because they want to see something happen right away," Gardenhire said. "But have a little patience here. Our front office has been pretty good at their jobs over the years. And even as the manager, I get antsy, sure. When you start hearing names and start talking about certain people, you get antsy, thinking, 'Are we going to do it?' But I'm just going to tell myself, just like everybody else, to have patience and let's see what happens."

With the free-agent market starting to dwindle and Spring Training only about a month away, the concern from Twins fans for the team to get something done appears to be growing.

But Gardenhire feels that in a year in which activity on the free-agent market was slow to heat up, there still is time for the team to add players to its roster.

"It used to be if you didn't have it done before the first of the year, you were kind of left out there because all the great players were gone and there wasn't much left on the market," Gardenhire said. "Nowadays there are still players out there and still trades that can be made, even during Spring Training. We saw that last year with the Johan [Santana] trade in late January. You just keep working on them and don't panic."

Although nothing appears imminent in regards to moves by the Twins, Gardenhire mentioned the names of a few free-agent players who the Twins have contacted recently. Among them were third baseman Joe Crede and relief pitchers Brandon Lyon and Eric Gagne.

The Minnesota front office has appeared to be a little hesitant in its pursuit of Crede, considering the back problems that have hampered him in recent seasons. Gardenhire brought up that issue, telling the fans that the team is trying to make sure Crede is healthy before they really explore what it might take to sign him. Right now the team is planning on using a platoon of Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris at third base, and Gardenhire said that if that's the case, it's all right by him.

The Twins went into the offseason looking for a power bat to add to their infield, and Gardenhire acknowledged the team still would like to do that if it finds the right match. But the manager seems to believe the Twins have a better chance at addressing another need before the start of Spring Training: their bullpen.

"I really think before it's all said and done that we'll get something done and we'll have another reliever come in," Gardenhire said. "There are still some guys out there. But we also have some people coming up through our system and some people we signed [to Minor League deals] that can help out. I feel very confident that we are going to find some help for our bullpen. That was very important from the start, and our guys are working really hard at that."

Although the focus of a lot of questions from fans on Monday centered on what the Twins still may need, Gardenhire also spent a lot of time at each stop talking about the team he's currently set to field for 2009. The skipper feels good about returning a young ballclub that lost the American League Central title in a one-game tiebreaker with the White Sox in '08, and he feels that experience is something the group can only build upon next season.

"Knowing that we aren't coming into camp with 30 new people, like last year, that's nice," Gardenhire said. "I am really proud of these guys and what they accomplished. It was really disappointing at the end for all of us -- our fans and everybody -- because we were so close. ... It left a bitter feeling with everybody when you lose a 1-0 game. To know that's how close we were, we felt we should have been there [in the playoffs]. But I think that actually adds on for this next year because it gives you the confidence that you know you can do it."