Saturday afternoon linkage..

• Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) notes that the Twins finally got Clete Thomas, years after they drafted him but were unable to sign him.  Minnesota claimed Thomas off of waivers from the Tigers earlier today. 
• Matt Klaassen of Fangraphs examines whether Johnny Damon is worth it for the Indians.
• Nationals manager Davey Johnson pushed for major changes to the bench this year and is happy with the outcome, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson.  This year's bench is clicking so far with the likes of Chad Tracy, Xavier Nady, and Mark DeRosa.
• The Rays signed Dominican shortstop Christian Toribio for $65K, according to a press release from the Dominican Prospect League.  The DPL categorizes Toribio as an above average runner and a solid defender with enough arm strength and range to stick at the position.

The Twins have claimed Clete Thomas off waivers from the Tigers, reports MLB.com's Jason Beck (on Twitter). The team confirmed the move and announced that they've placed Scott Baker on the 60-day DL to open a 40-man roster spot. Detroit designated Thomas for assignment earlier this week. 

Thomas, 28, has appeared in three games this season. He has a .253/.336/.391 line in 443 MLB plate appearances, most of which came during the 2008-09 campaigns. Thomas played for Triple-A Toledo last year, posting a .251/.314/.401 line in 406 plate appearances while playing all three outfield positions.

Things are looking good on the South Side of Chicago as the White Sox find themselves on a three-game winning streak.  They'll look to make it four straight tomorrow afternoon when they take on the Tigers at home.  More on the White Sox and other items out of the Central divisions..

• White Sox GM Ken Williams termed the club's quiet hot stove season as "boring," writes Scott Merkin of MLB.com.  "At the same time we were confident in our young players," the GM said. "We were still feeling around that veteran deal, something that could bring it all together. It was just different. Not as active. My phone bill was lower."
• Some were skeptical this offseason when the Twins gave 38-year-old Jamey Carroll a two-year deal to be their everyday shortstop.  Rob Neyer of SBNation looked at other players who went from utility roles to starting jobs so late in their career and was unable to find a true comparable.  Carroll's contract guarantees him $6.75MM with a third year vesting option worth $2MM if he gets to 400 plate appearances in 2013.
• The Brewers reinstated right-hander Mark Rogers from the restricted list, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.  Milwaukee will assign the 26-year-old to Triple-A.

The Braves played their first ever game in Atlanta on this date in 1966. The contest featured two home runs from Joe Torre, but the Pirates won 3-2. Here are today's links...

• Ian Kinsler recently signed an extension with the Rangers, even though he was already under team control through 2013. How about Dustin Pedroia, who’s under contract through 2014 with an $11MM club option for for 2015? Pedroia tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he wants to stay in Boston and play for the Red Sox. His agent, Seth Levinson, says "Dustin's value far transcends his statistics."
• Manager Jim Leyland said the Tigers were "quietly interested" in Fernando Rodney before he signed with the Rays, MLB.com's Jason Beck reports. The former Tigers reliever has yet to allow a baserunner in four outings with his new club.
• Former Expos GM Omar Minaya explained to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the deal that sent Brandon Phillips, Cliff Lee and Grady Sizemore to Cleveland occurred under highly unusual circumstances. “Long-term, we were going to be contracted,” he said. “And if you were going to be contracted, the No. 1 priority was to be as competitive as you can.” Minaya, now the Padres’ senior VP of baseball operations, and Mark Shapiro of the Indians completed the fateful Bartolo Colon trade ten years ago.
• Jim Bowden of ESPN.com couldn’t find any GMs interested in trading for Justin Morneau. The Twins first baseman earns $14MM per season in 2012 and 2013, but Bowden wonders if the Rangers or Yankees could show interest later this summer.

Angels right-hander Michael Kohn will have Tommy John surgery tomorrow and will miss the season according to Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). Here are some assorted links for Wednesday...

• The Rangers recently met with Mike Moye, agent for Josh Hamilton, but the two sides didn't get too deep into contract extension talks according to Jeff Wilson of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
• The Twins hope to replace Scott Baker internally, but there's a chance he might not pitch for them again according to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger (Twitter links). Baker will miss the year with elbow surgery and the team holds a $9MM option for next season.
• Talks between the Reds and Brandon Phillips about a contract extension started last March according to ESPN's Jim Bowden. Phillips' agreed to a new deal this week.
• The Tigers have some hope that Victor Martinez will return late this season, according to Tom Gage of the Detroit News (Twitter links). The switch-hitting DH didn't need ACL reconstruction on his injured knee, and may return before the season's up. The Tigers won't know whether Martinez can play until they get MRI results in July.
• Tom Krasovic of Inside the Padres reports that Padres owner John Moores initially sought $600MM for the team in 2008 and explains why it may sell for more this time around. The Padres are up for sale again, Moores announced yesterday.
• Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has the year-by-year breakdown for Ian Kinsler’s recent contract extension (Twitter link). The Rangers have a $10MM option for 2018 with a $5MM buyout.
• Jim Callis of Baseball America reports that most teams believe Georgia high school outfielder Byron Buxton is the best prospect available in this year's amateur draft. There's a growing sense the Astros don't want to make a risky pick, yet there's no obvious second choice behind Buxton.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

The Twins have announced that right-hander Scott Baker will miss the 2012 season to undergo and recover from elbow surgery, MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger reports (Twitter links). The operation will repair Baker's flexor pronator tendon and rehab will take six months. Fortunately for Baker, his ulnar collateral ligament is fine.

Baker, 30, also dealt with elbow problems in 2010-11. The Twins shut him down during Spring Training and he left a minor league game after feeling discomfort last week, according to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Baker pitched 134 2/3 innings last year, posting a 3.14 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9. The Twins have a $9.25MM club option for his services in 2013 under an extension signed before the 2009 season. They may face a difficult decision this fall, when they have to exercise the option or let Baker walk.

Terry Ryan returned as Twins GM, attempting to keep his team afloat by dabbling in the middle of the free agent pool.

Major League Signings

• Josh Willingham, LF: three years, $21MM.
• Jamey Carroll, SS: two years, $6.75MM.  Includes $2MM club/player option for 2014 with a potential $250K buyout.
• Matt Capps, RP: one year, $4.75MM.  Includes $6MM club option for 2013 with a $250K buyout.
• Ryan Doumit, DH: one year, $3MM.
• Jason Marquis, SP: one year, $3MM.
• Joel Zumaya, RP: one year, $850K.  Released.
• Total spend: $39.35MM.

Draft picks gained: #32 and #72 for Michael Cuddyer, #42 for Jason Kubel

International Signings

• P Mauricio Silva ($370K)

Notable Minor League Signings

• J.R. Towles, Brian Dinkelman, Jared Burton, Wilkin Ramirez, Phil Dumatrait, P.J. Walters, Rene Rivera, Sean Burroughs, Daryl Thompson, Casey Fien, Luke French, Esmerling Vasquez

Extensions

• Glen Perkins, RP: three years, $10.3MM.  Includes club option for 2016.

Trades and Claims

• Acquired RP Daniel Turpen from Rockies for SP Kevin Slowey.
• Claimed RP Jeff Gray off waivers from Mariners.
• Claimed SP Matt Maloney off waivers from Reds.
• Claimed SS Pedro Florimon off waivers from Orioles.
• Claimed OF Darin Mastroianni off waivers from Blue Jays.
• Acquired 1B Matt Rizzotti from Phillies for cash considerations.

Notable Losses

• Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, Joe Nathan, Jose Mijares, Kevin Slowey, Matt Tolbert 

Bill Smith's Twins teams had success in 2009-10, winning two division titles.  However, Smith's 2011 club produced disastrous results, and the Twins decided to reinstate longtime GM Terry Ryan to clean up the mess.  Ryan had a decent amount of money to spend on a team with many needs, and his solution was to sign veteran free agents.

Re-signing Cuddyer was the Twins' number one offseason priority, assistant GM Rob Antony told Jesse Lund in February.  The Twins appeared to top out around three years and $25MM, but the Rockies went $5MM beyond that.  The Twins also failed to find common ground with Kubel, who seemed to prefer a more hitter-friendly ballpark.  Ultimately, Ryan was able to sign Willingham for less than he offered Cuddyer.  Both 33-year-olds have defensive shortcomings, and Willingham is the better hitter.  He's also, however, more prone to injury.

The Twins ranked Delmon Young below Cuddyer and Kubel, so they traded him to the Tigers in August rather than non-tender him.  Perhaps the range of right field contributor Ben Revere and center fielder Denard Span will limit the damage caused by Willingham's defense in left. 

The signing of Doumit generally compensates for the loss of Kubel, at a lower salary.  Like Willingham, Doumit has durability and defense issues.  Doumit will spend time at right field, catcher, designated hitter, and first base.  He's best-served as a designated hitter, but with Justin Morneau now set to spend more of his time at DH than first, the Twins will deal with more Doumit defense.  Another part of the domino effect of Morneau at DH means semi-regular at-bats for former first-rounder Chris Parmelee, which is not justified by his work last year in the 24-year-old's second try at Double-A.

Patching a team through free agency is always difficult, but Ryan was at least able to keep the offense in a similar place for less money by replacing Cuddyer and Kubel with Willingham and Doumit.  Carroll could add an OBP boost from shortstop, a position for which Twins hitters posted a .292 OBP in 2011.  Tsuyoshi Nishioka's role with the 2012 Twins will be eliminated or greatly reduced, and their middle infield will be better for it.  The best hope for the Twins' offense lies in incumbents, as Joe Mauer and Morneau must stay healthy and productive to compensate for below-average hitting at left field and third base.

If you think the three new Twins position players are solid but unspectacular, the pitching additions are something less than that.  The Twins had the league's worst bullpen in 2011, and Ryan remedied that by retaining Capps at an above-market price.  Joel Zumaya was a decent bullpen flyer, but he went down for Tommy John surgery in March and has been released.  Capps has always had a low strikeout rate for a late-inning reliever, and that dipped to just 4.66 per nine in 2011.  It was time for a change, especially with Capps wanting $4.75MM.  Capps being the team's only real bullpen signing is particularly baffling, especially with Nathan leaving.  Ryan did sign Perkins for the long-term, potentially securing three free agent seasons on the hope that last year's breakout was legitimate.

The Twins were unable to put aside their differences with Slowey, trading him to the Rockies prior to the non-tender deadline.  Marquis was the team's sole rotation addition.  An NL lifer, Marquis is a back-end innings guy in the best case.  The team will pray that Francisco Liriano and Scott Baker can stay healthy and pitch at the front end.

Ryan's first offseason back was a safe one, in that the Twins didn't make any aggressive signings or trades.  Once again, the team's fortunes will rest on a handful of key players who have had trouble staying on the field in recent years. 

The latest minor moves from around MLB...

• The Astros released first baseman Jimmy Van Ostrand and right-hander Lance Pendleton, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com tweets.
• The Brewers released catcher Mike Rivera, according to the team (via media relations director Mike Vassallo on Twitter). The 35-year-old appeared in one game with the 2011 Brewers and has experience in nine MLB seasons.
• The Yankees announced that they released Russell Branyan from his minor league contract and re-signed him to a new one. The Yankees appear to save $100K with the maneuver. 
• The Blue Jays acquired right-hander Ryota Igarashi from the Pirates for cash considerations or a player to be named later, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports (Twitter links). Davidi suggests the Blue Jays will likely assign Igarashi to Triple-A. The 32-year-old appeared in 45 games for the 2011 Mets, posting a 4.66 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 6.5 BB/9 in 38 2/3 innings.
• The Phillies announced that they traded minor league first baseman Matt Rizzotti to the Twins for cash considerations today. The 26-year-old spent the 2011 season at Double-A Reading and posted a .295/.392/.511 line with 24 home runs, 34 doubles and 79 walks in 587 plate appearances. 

11:51am: The Twins have to pay Zumaya his full $850K salary because he was injured prior to the start of the season, reports Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter). GM Terry Ryan confirmed this to Twins reporters at camp.

7:41am: The Twins announced that they have officially released right-hander Joel Zumaya (Twitter link). Zumaya will miss the 2012 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow. The move creates 40-man roster space for the Twins.

The Twins signed Zumaya to a low-risk Major League deal that would have guaranteed him $850K for making Minnesota's Opening Day roster. The hard-throwing 27-year-old hasn't pitched in the Major Leagues since June of 2010, but has a career 3.05 ERA with a 9.0 K/9 and 4.9 BB/9 in 209 2/3 innings.

The Twins are coming off the second-losingest season since moving to Minnesota in 1961, in part because they only got 21 starts out of Scott Baker. The right-hander has been a stabilizing force in their rotation over the last half-decade, though he's now entering what might be the most important season of his career.

Performance has never been an issue for the 30-year-old Baker. He's consistently pitched to a 3.98 ERA with 7.4 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, and a 34.1% ground ball rate since breaking into the big leagues full-time in 2007. Brandon Warne of FanGraphs argued last month that Baker is one of the most underrated pitchers in the game, noting that his fastball command allows his otherwise nondescript stuff to play up. Like I said, his problem hasn't been performance. It's been staying on the field.

Baker has visited the DL in three of the last four seasons, and in that fourth year he missed most of September with an injury but remained active due to expanded rosters. He's dealt with a groin strain (2008), shoulder stiffness (2009), elbow soreness (2010), and a flexor strain (twice in 2011). Sure enough, elbow tendinitis has limited Baker in Spring Training this year. In his first start back this week, he allowed seven runs in 2 2/3 innings.

The Twins hold a $9.25MM club option for Baker's services next year with no buyout. He's a prime midseason trade candidate if they fall out of the race again, but another injury-riddled campaign could ruin Baker's trade value and prompt the team to cut ties with him after the season. If the Twins' longest-tenured starting pitcher can avoid the DL and pitch like his usual self this summer, Minnesota will have no qualms with bringing him back at that price in 2013.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.