Don’t forget the infield
The Twins started the off season making a bold move with the trade of Carlos Gomez for JJ Hardy.
The trade made so much sense for several reasons. The Twins need a good hitting defensive short stop, Hardy is friends with Joe Mauer, it gives Denard Span a chance to stay in one position, and Gomez gets to go to a team where he can start.
“You can observe a lot just by watching.” -Yogi Berra
The trade also helps focus a light on some issues the Twins have going into 2010.
Orlando Cabrera
Ron Gardenhire has expressed to the media that he would like to re-sign Cabrera and move him to second base. He would then move Nick Punto to third base.
Picking up Orlando Cabrera late last year was not my favorite move, but it ended up proving to be a good one for the Twins. I am willing to take my lumps and admit that without his presence in the line up, that the Twins would have had a much harder time taking the Central Division Championship. That doesn’t mean he should get a blank check for 2010.
Orlando Cabrera moving to second is the only place on the field he still has a chance to be successful defensively. The type A free agent is unable to play short stop with his aging 35 year old body. Last season he had to overcome a slow start with the bat. After moving to Minnesota from the Oakland Athletics, Cabrera picked himself up on offense, but his numbers are still those of a below average short stop.
Gardenhire sees Cabrera hitting in the two hole in 2010, but Cabrera has struggled in his career to get on base, as his .322 career on-base percentage .
Unless Cabrera comes with an extremely small price tag, the Twins should politely decline re-signing him and look to either keep Punto at second or upgrade.
Joe Crede
Crede offers another option at third if he can be signed to another contract that incentive based like this years. The 31 year old third baseman could hold onto the 3rd base position long enough for Triple A prospect Danny Valencia is ready. The problem is he has a back injury that keeps reoccurring. Crede is a gamble, but one that can pay off with his power at the plate and good defense. 2010 will get Crede off the hard concrete of the Metrodome and onto the dirt and grass of Target Field, which could also help keep his back healthy.
Options at 2nd
The Twins already have about $80 million in salary tied up for next year and that is without any new signings. The dream list of infielders would include players like Chone Figgins from LAA, Adrian Beltre from Seattle, Placido Polanco from Detroit, and Orlando Hudson from LA.
The fact is that we are talking about the Minnesota Twins, and I highly doubt that they will sign any Type A free agent at this juncture. So just who might the Twins sign as a free agent and or trade for?
My short list of affordable “Twin Friendly” players are as follows.
Felipe Lopez: Turning 30 in 2010, Lopez could be very attractive considering he hit .310 last year with a .383 OBP, 88 runs, nine homers and 57 RBIs. Lopez split his time between Arizona and Milwaukee last year. Lopez had an OPS of .855 as a Brewer in the second half of the year.
Jamey Carrol: The Cleveland second basemen could be a good pick up. His numbers are consistently good and his OBP has been over .360 for the last seven years.
Luis Castillo: Rumored to be on the trading block as part of a three player deal going to Chicago for Milton Bradley. This trade is a long shot, but means the Mets are willing to deal him. Castillo hit .302 last year and had an OBP of .387. Castillo was traded to save $2 million on the roster and the pickup of catcher Drew Butera and OF Dustin Martin are just making there way to Triple A Rochester this last year.
Adam Kennedy: Had a big-time resurgence after being traded to Oakland. The 34 year old Kennedy hit .289 with 11 homers and 63 RBIs in 529 at-bats in 2009, the most at-bats he’s had since 2000. He’s a solid defender at second base and has tried third base where he struggled a bit in the field while trying out for the first time in his career.
I knowing pitching needs to come first at this point, but there is an opportunity for the Twins to look at shoring up the infield this year. There are several options and at this time the worse case scenario is Punto at second base and Harris at third base, leaving the Twins without a legit bat in the two spot of the line up.
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