"Twins GM Terry Ryan was prepared to be asked about Matt Capps. He knows what stirs in fans when the name Matt Capps is uttered. Inevitably, someone was going to ask about Matt Capps.

Halfway through his telephone chat with season ticket holders and group organizers on Thursday, it happened.

"Are you going to re-sign Matt Capps?" the fan asked, "and if so, why, with his dismal record last year?" Ryan responded: "I was wondering when this one was coming."

Ryan faced the fans on Thursday during an hour-long session during which he fielded questions on many topics. This one was about Capps, who posted a 4.25 ERA and saved only 15 games because he was given, then lost, the closer's role during last season.

The Twins, however, admired how Capps fought through injuries and are willing to bring him back to prove he can be a top closer.

"He had a very good year in 2010," Ryan said. "Relievers very often have those cycles. One year on, one year off. We lived it with Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier. We had it with LaTroy Hawkins, Eddie Guardado. In our organization, we believe Matt Capps will bounce back."

At one point, moderator Dick Bremer announced that more than 3,000 people were listening to the chat. Ryan kept fielding questions.

One fan wanted a big-picture look at the team. "What lessons were learned in the 1990s that hopefully keeps this [losing] cycle to one or two or three years of a downturn?" he asked.

Ryan hopes the downturn doesn't go past one year.

"We did have some successful drafts," Ryan said. "We did have a pretty good flow. We usually had pretty good depth. We had some things to work with. We lost a Torii Hunter and a Johan Santana, and we still found a way to win. Most of it came from within."