Jacque In; Pridie Out

The Twins dipped into their past on Tuesday, signing outfielder Jacque Jones to a minor league contract containing an invite to spring training.

A second-round pick by the Twins in the 1996 draft, Jones spent seven seasons in Minnesota between 1999 and 2005. He was part of the core group of youngsters given the chance to play every day in 1999 by manager Tom Kelly, joining Torii Hunter, Cristian Guzman, A.J. Pierzynski, Doug Mientkiewicz, and Corey Koskie. Jones was a popular mainstay in the team which broke the string of eight-consecutive losing seasons in 2001 and then won back-to-back-to-back AL Central Division titles from 2002 to 2004.

Jones batted .279/.327/.455 in his seven seasons in Minnesota with 189 doubles, 132 HR, and 476 RBI in just under 3,800 plate appearances. His finest season was 2002, when he batted .300/.341/.511 with 37 doubles, 27 HR, and 85 RBI.  He left as a free agent after the 2005 season and signed a free agent deal with the Chicago Cubs. His first season in Chicago was productive (.285/.334/.499), but he soon fell out of favor after a largely unproductive 2007 campaign, and was traded in the off-season to the Detroit Tigers. Jones spent a month of the 2008 season with the Tigers and was released after hitting just .165/.244/.253 in 90 plate appearances, and was picked up by the Florida Marlins. Things did not go well in FLA, either, as Jones hit just .108/.227/.108 in 44 plate appearances and did not play the rest of the season.

He signed with the Reds last spring but did not make the club out of spring training. Jones worked out the rest of the 2009 season but did not play baseball. He received a loud ovation when he appeared to throw out the first pitch of the Twins/Tigers' tiebreaker game last season and went to the winter meetings in December in hopes of a comeback.

The move is a no-risk one for the Twins. Jones has essentially no shot at making the club out of spring training. The team is set at the outfield position, with the exception of fifth outfielder (more on that later), and Jones has agreed to accept an assignment to Rochester if he fails to make the club. Once he gets some PAs down on the farm and gets his timing back, he would be an option should the Twins run into injuries.

The fifth outfielder roster spot is open, and it has one less contender today after the New York Mets claimed outfielder Jason Pridie on waivers. The speedy Pridie was acquired by the Twins in the Garza/Bartlett/Young deal prior to the 2008 season and he spent virtually all his time in Rochester. He made six plate appearances for the Twins over two seasons, recording no hits and picking up one walk. In the minors, Pridie hit .265/.295/.382 last season, and was in the mix for a spot on the final roster this spring, mostly because he could run and was good in the outfield. However, he appeared to be regressing at the plate and was very disappointing in Rochester in 2009.

The Mets plucked him on waivers after the Twins removed him from the 40-man roster to make room for newly-signed Orlando Hudson. With Pridie gone, candidates for the fifth outfielder spot include Rene Tosoni from the minors, or Matt Tolbert and Nick Punto off the current roster. We'll have to see how it shakes out, but losing Pridie won't keep many in Twins Territory up at night.

Educate Yourself on Twins' Minor League Prospects

Spring training is just around the corner and it's time to think about Twins baseball and the 2010 season. Although there are seemingly few jobs open this year on the current roster, injuries and trades happen and the Twins often dig into the minor leagues to fill spots on the Major League roster.

To be prepared for these moves, I strongly suggest you pick up a copy of the Minnesota Twins 2010 Prospect Handbook. Compiled by Seth Stohs, linked here often, especially when talking about Twins' minor league prospects, the handbook is jam-packed with information about the players populating the Twins' minor league affiliates. The 2010 version has over 120 pages of solid information, including some of the following (thanks for providing highlights, Seth):

• Foreword by Kelly Thesier
• Over 150 Twins minor league profiles
• In-depth statistics and splits
• Scouting reports from several people in, around, and outside the Twins' organization
• Top 5 Prospects from the Twins DSL Team
• Twins as Players in the International Markets
• Twins in the AFL
• Interview with Jeff Manship: Big Leaguer
• Profile of Danny Valencia: On the Cusp
• 2009 Draft and Derek McCallum Q&A
• SethSpeaks Top 30 Twins Prospect lists, 2006-2010
• Top 10 Twins prospect lists from several minor league experts and some of your favorite Twins bloggers

Seth provides a ton of great content to fans of Twins Territory throughout the season. Do yourselves a favor and buy this book - like I did - and get prepared for the upcoming season.

Twins Bring "O-Dawg" Into the Mix

Many Twins' fans' prayers were answered late Thursday night when it was announced that they signed free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson to a one-year, $5M free agent contract.

The 32-year-old Hudson is an eight-year MLB veteran who spent last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, batting .283/.357/.417 in 631 plate appearances with 35 doubles, 9 HR, and 62 RBI. He also won his fourth Gold Glove award, despite recording an UZR/150 of -3.7. After starting out last off-season seeking at least a three-year deal, the free agent market for his services dried up and he signed a one-year deal with LA for $3M. The events played out similarly this off-season, although he will make more money with the Twins.

For his career, Hudson is a .282/.348/.431 hitter and has won four Gold Gloves at second base, where he has recorded a career UZR/150 of 2.6.

Hudson's signing solidifies the lineup both offensively and defensively. His defense at second base is solid, although ESPN's Keith Law thinks it is over-rated, and the UZR/150 suggests the same. Still, he is as good as option defensively as the Twins currently have and he'll do well catching the ball. At the plate, he is superior to internal options Nick Punto, Alexi Casilla, or Matt Tolbert, and is a good #2 hitter to add to a potent lineup.

If the Twins started the season today, here is their probable batting order:

1. Denard Span, CF
2. Orlando Hudson, 2B
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Jason Kubel, DH
6. Michael Cuddyer, RF
7. Delmon Young, LF
8. J.J. Hardy, SS
9. Nick Punto/Danny Valencia/Luke Hughes/Brendan Harris/Matt Tolbert, 3B

That's as good a lineup as the Twins have fielded in many years, and Buster Olney said the same a few days ago when Hudson's signing was speculated.

The Twins are likely done in the free agent marketplace, and rightfully so. They have an open spot at third base (as evidenced above), but are fine with any of the internal options listed. The same is true with the fifth starter's position, where internal candidates Brian Duensing, Francisco Liriano, Glen Perkins, and Jeff Manship are all in the mix and each would be adequate. The Twins' payroll will be at least $96M on opening day - a team record - and surely to go up once the Joe Mauer extension is announced.

The Mauer extension would be a perfect cap to a good week for the Twins, who spent money responsibly to add the perfect compliment to an already good lineup.

Mauer Agrees to 10-Year Extension, Sources (But, Wait!)

WCCO is citing sources saying the Twins have agreed with Joe Mauer on a 10-year extension Monday. Details are sketchy and developing and we'll be sure to have much more analysis as it emeges.

However, ESPN's Buster Olney cites multiple sources of his own saying that the report is NOT accurate.

Obviously, things appear to be moving on this one, and we'll keep an eye on the blotter this afternoon.

Are the Twins Done? - Tolleson Update

UPDATE, 12:52pm Monday - MLB Trade Rumors is reporting that the Oakland Athletics claimed Twins' minor league infielder Steven Tolleson off waivers, meaning that the Twins gave his spot on the 40-man roster to newly-signed Jim Thome. Tolleson was expected to be potentially in the mix for an appearance in Minnesota this year and was ranked by Aaron Gleeman as the Twins' 37th-ranked prospect in his post just this morning.

With TwinsFest in the rear view mirror, spring training is right around the corner. It's always nice to think about baseball in the depths of winter here in Minnesota, especially with the knowledge that pitchers and catchers report for duty in a few short weeks.

With that said, the off-season still moves on and the Minnesota Twins still have some perceived holes in their lineup. Jim Thome was signed last week to bolster a weak bench and provide some late-inning pop in a pinch-hitting role. The Twins got him for an affordable price ($1.5M plus incentives) and are assured to break camp with a payroll of at least $90M in their inaugural season at Target Field.

Still, one cannot help but think that the Twins may be done with free agent signings this winter. There are still huge question marks at third base and second base, as well as the absence of a true #2 hitter in the order. It's almost certain that Nick Punto will be penciled in as the starter at either second or third base, regardless of whether the Twins bring in a free agent or not. As I've stated here and elsewhere many times, I'm fine with that, provided that Matt Tolbert is not the starting third baseman and Punto starts at second, as the team did so effectively down the stretch last season when everyone was playing out of his mind.

The obvious choices at second base are the usual suspects: Orlando Hudson and Felipe Lopez. Both are still out there and apparently both still making multi-year demands. Hudson's reported contract demands were somewhere in the three year, $9M range, which seems reasonable, other than the fact that he is already 32 years old and no team wants to go that deep with Hudson. The Twins should try to split the distance with the O-Dog, and offer him two years at $6M plus an option for a third. That would seem a reasonable price to pay for a Gold Glove second baseman who can hit a little. The article linked above mentions the Twins as a possible fit, but to my knowledge, no discussions have occurred between the Twins and Hudson's representatives.

Lopez is in a similar position. He is coming off a fine season in 2009 where he made $3.5M between the Diamondbacks and Brewers. He is more versatile than Hudson in that he has experience at second, short, third, and the outfield. Still, he is still hunting for a job. The Twins have not been mentioned in the Lopez discussions, but he seemingly would be a good and affordable fit for the team at second base.

Of course, the Twins' could choose to stand pat and try to fill the third base position internally. Minor league prospects Luke Hughes and Danny Valencia will both be in big league camp this spring with chances to win the job. Tolbert is in the mix at third, and the Twins still have Alexi Casilla at second base. Giving the job to either of those guys is not likely to excite Twins Territory, especially if the team decides not to pursue Hudson, Lopez, or someone like Adam Kennedy. Hughes and Valencia are going to have to hit their way onto the team this spring, and manager Ron Gardenhire is not going to hand either of them the job if neither one proves he can catch the ball at third.

The Twins are in a somewhat enviable position this winter. They are set in the starting rotation (with a plethora of candidates to fill the fifth starter's spot), around the diamond (except at second and third), in the outfield, the bench, and the bullpen. One hopes that either Hudson or Lopez finds his way onto the roster this spring, or that either Hughes or Valencia hits .500 this spring to force the Twins' hand.

With a payroll of $90M, the prospects of the Twins digging deep to sign a free agent to play either second or third base seem remote. That may prove to be enough this season to win the AL Central, but won't likely translate to post-season success.

The Baseball Bucket List

Like many passionate baseball fans, a goal of mine is to visit all 30 MLB stadiums. This is one of the many facets of baseball which makes the game special. As nice as it would be to be able to say one has visited all 30 NHL arenas, the bottom line is that they are not all that dissimilar these days. The dimensions are all the same, the interiors and exteriors of the buildings are similar, and the days of the unique old barns like the Boston Garden, Buffalo Auditorium, Maple Leaf Gardens, Montreal Forum, and Chicago Stadium are long gone. Can anyone name one unique quality which distinguishes the Sommet Center, Bank Atlantic Center, or the HSBC Arena?

Baseball's ballparks, however, remain unique in American folklore. Yes, the wave of new stadiums which began with new Comiskey Park in Chicago, was perfected by Camden Yards in Baltimore, and continues with Target Field this season, is helping to level out the landscape somewhat. However, the parks are all unique, with different dimensions, quirks, and character.

Target Field's opening this spring will mark the Twins' third ballpark in 30 seasons, and the Twins will become the only non-re-located club to lay claim to three parks in 30 seasons. I was fortunate enough to catch a few games at Met Stadium in my youth and caught hundreds at the Dome along the way. So, in a shameless shout out to my good fortune, plus the benefit of having grown up with a baseball-crazy father and a very understanding mother, I decided to track my progress of visiting all 30 MLB teams' stadiums. We'll start with the American League today and finish with the NL at a later date, and will update this as more are visited. I realize this will be a self-centered post and that I will use the noun "I" a lot, but please indulge me.

• Baltimore - Although Camden Yards opened in 1992 and I actually lived in Washington, DC (40 miles away) for awhile, my first visit to Baltimore came in the summer of 2007. We caught an Orioles/Angels game on a glorious Sunday afternoon in Baltimore and found seats down the third base line in the shade. After a while, I took a stroll around the park and found a standing area overlooking the visitors' bullpen in left-center field which offered a perfect view of the field while being in the sun. Needless to say, I called by buddies and we stood for the remainder of the game. The food is tremendous. The sightlines are perfect. The people are friendly. The atmosphere is spectacular. I came to Camden Yards with sky-high expectations and the park exceeded them. It is as great as advertised. I paid a return visit in 2009 just to test my initial experience and it passed with flying colors again. Do yourself a favor and go!
• Boston - My only visit to Fenway was in 1990. The Sox were in a pennant race and played the Baltimore Orioles in a late-summer matchup. We sat down the third base line right behind an obstruction, yet I remember sitting next to a guy with a thick New England accent who really knew the game of baseball. The Fenway Franks which I had heard so much about were simply awful and the place was generally crowded, inefficient, and rather rotten. New ownership has dumped millions into improving the old place, which is starting its 98th season hosting Red Sox games in 2010, but in 1990 it was run-down. Those who have visited recently also say that the younger generation of Red Sox fans have pushed out guys like the gentleman I sat next to and the place is a place to be seen rather than to watch a ball game. That's a shame. Of course, my absolute hatred of the Red Sox probably diminished my rating of Fenway as well.
• Chicago White Sox - My folks and I visited old Comiskey Park in the late summer of 1989. The place was unkempt and in its penultimate season of hosting White Sox baseball, as the Sox prepared to move across the street for the 1991 season. We settled into great box seats right above the first base dugout, sampled the outstanding food, and watched an awful White Sox team get beat by the eventual World Series champion Oakland Athletics. Old Comiskey Park was and is my favorite ballpark. It oozed baseball tradition and was just a trap of history. The place was run-down to say the least, but it was just so cozy inside and a fabulous place. I caught my first game in the new park in 1991 and returned in 1992, 1994, and 2002. The new park gets a bad rap because it was the last of the dinosaur age of cookie-cutter parks built in the 70s and 80s. However, it was a baseball park first and foremost, and the South Side of Chicago has always been a place where baseball is serious business, unlike their neighbors to the north. The food at New Comiskey rivals the old place, and any place which features Nancy Faust on the organ gets positive points. I have yet to visit US Cellular Field and witness the renovations, but I can only imagine how much better and more intimate the place looks than when it opened.
• Cleveland - I first visited Jacobs Field in 2005, and suffered through a two-hour rain delay. That was fine, as I was able to sample the ballpark fare, and test how many foods could be improved by adding Cleveland Stadium mustard. The answer was 201. The Jake is a nice, intimate place whose opening coincided with the Indians' renaissance. The Tribe struggled last season and the attendance has dwindled in Cleveland's struggling economy, but the Jake is a wonderful place to watch a ball game.
• Detroit - I went to Detroit on the same trip in which I checked out Cleveland in 2005 and managed to see the Twins in a day-night doubleheader at Comerica Park. The experience was ok. The park is nice; the neighborhood sucks. The people were wonderful; the food sucked. It was kind of a contradictory place for me, and I really wished I had been able to see a game at old Tiger Stadium.  
• Kansas City - Our family first visited Royals Stadium on a stifling hot July afternoon in 1985. I distinctly remember the crown scoreboard, the piping hot Astroturf, and the Royals sandals I received as a giveaway. Since it was my first non-Minnesota MLB experience, I remember the visit very well. I managed to catch another game in 1997 after the place had been renamed Kauffman Stadium and had the turf replaced by natural grass. The grass made the place look glorious, and I've been able to go back at least a dozen times since - never to see the Twins, I might add. I am hoping to get down there again this spring to see the newly-renovated Kauffman Stadium, but all my experiences have been wonderful to date.
• Los Angeles Angels - I drove by the place back in the fall of 2006 on my family's way to see an Anaheim Ducks game. Angel Stadium is definitely on my short list.
• Minnesota - Duh

• New York Yankees - My first visit to Yankee Stadium came in 2002 and it was an almost cult-like experience for me. As someone who grew up a Yankee (and Twins) fan, visiting the place I saw so many times on TV as a kid left an incredible impression on me. Although the park was rebuilt and lacked the character of the version which hosted Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Yogi Berra, and Mickey Mantle, the field was still the one in which those greats graced once upon a time. In return visits over the years, the place got better and better. At one point in a 2007 game, my friends and I were sitting a few rows off the field down the right field line when one of my friends - making his first visit to the Stadium - pointed to the field and said, "Babe Ruth stood right there!" I went to two games during the final year of the Stadium with my dad, brother, and my oldest son in May of 2008, each of whom was making his first visit. What an incredible experience for three generations of Pietrzaks - passionate baseball fans all. I was fortunate enough to catch the final game in the old yard in September of that season and one cannot put into words the emotions of that night. For someone with absolutely no ties to New York other than Yankee fandom, it was an incredible night. I stood silently for over an hour after the game ended and just soaked it in. My dad, brother, and I trekked to New Yankee Stadium this past season and the park is a showplace and will serve the Yanks well for many years to come. However, it just wasn't the same.
• Oakland - Haven't seen a game there but I snuck in to catch a glimpse in March of 2000. I don't think I'm missing too much. It would have been a nice place to watch a game before Mount Davis obstructed the view of the Oakland Hills.

• Seattle - Safeco Field is one place in which I would really love to get to soon. I was in Seattle in the fall of 2006 and never saw the sun for three days. Every review I have read about Safeco is glowing and I cannot wait to get out there.
• Tampa Bay - Never been, but my brother has and said it really sucks.
• Texas - My first visit to the Metroplex was in 1992 and I caught a game in the giant kiln known as Arlington Stadium. The place sure held the heat well, and it was mostly forgettable - except for the excellent nachos. My first visit to the Ballpark in Arlington in 1997 was much better, and my three subsequent visits (most recently in 2005) have been wonderful. The Ballpark is a giant place, but feels cozy inside. The food is great too, as one would expect in a great food town. D/FW gets a bad reputation of a place to be avoided in the summer heat, but do make a point of visiting this fine baseball park.
• Toronto - I have never been to Toronto, but I would love to go - to a hockey game. For some reason, my oldest son thinks we're going to go to a game in Toronto this summer, mostly because he wants to get a passport.

So, in the American League, I have visited nine teams' parks out of 14 clubs; not a bad start! If I had to rank the top three places I have been able to visit, I'd go this way:

1. Old Comiskey Park
2. Oriole Park at Camden Yards
3. Old Yankee Stadium

Curious as to your thoughts..... 

Twins Sign Thome, But Why?

The StarTribune's Joe Christensen reported last Friday that the Twins were interested in signing free agent Jim Thome. Although Joe C. was able to dispel rumors circulating via a Chicago radio station that the signing was to be concluded last Friday, the deal did not go down. However, the Twins' interest appears real, so real that they signed him Tuesday to a one-year, $1.5M deal. The question I have is "why?"

The left-handed hitting DH will turn 40 during the season and is a veteran of 19 MLB seasons. Thome is a career .277/.404/.557 hitter with 564 HR and 1,565 RBI in 9,463 plate appearances. He hit .249/.372/.493 with 23 HR and 74 RBI for the White Sox last season before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for the stretch drive. Used as a pinch hitter 17 times with the Dodgers, Thome went 4-17 with 3 RBI and 7 strikeouts.

Thome's days in the field are over, as the big slugger's last appearance in a position other than DH came in 2007 when he played but one game at first base for the White Sox. The Twins are set at first base with Justin Morneau and have Jason Kubel established as the team's everyday DH. With an already crowded outfield with Delmon Young, Denard Span, and Michael Cuddyer manning the starting spots, Kubel would be able to fill in for either of the corner spots, and someone like Thome would then serve as the DH. However, Thome's primary role would be as a potent option off the bench. The Twins don't have much in the form of options off the bench (Brendan Harris is the most serviceable option which comes to mind) and Thome would definitely bolster that situation. However, if he takes any at bats away from Kubel, the signing would be misguided. Kubel is a superior hitter at this stage of his career and is 12 years younger. The team's third-best hitter behind Joe Mauer and Morneau, Kubel came into his own in 2009, batting .300/.369/.539 with 35 doubles, 28 HR, and 103 RBI in 578 plate appearances.

Thome made $13M last season in Chicago, serving out the option year of a six-year deal he signed with Philadelphia in the winter of 2002.

The Twins have already been willing to spend $5M on Jarrod Washburn this winter, only to be rebuffed. However, it would be far better to have seen them use that money toward a deal for either Orlando Hudson or Felipe Lopez which would fill a gap in the lineup with a far younger player. Realizing I am continuing to beat a dead horse on the Hudson/Lopez situation, signing either of those is a far better option for this team right now. Of course, giving Thome $1.5M doesn't preclude signing the aforementioned players and it certainly makes more sense to toss a one-year reasonable deal toward Thome than it does to give $5M to Washburn. 

Thome is clearly one of the game's all-time great guys and has been a productive player for a long time. His career will likely lead to induction in Cooperstown one day. However, he is clearly on the downward slope of his career and would be a misguided use of money which could be better utilized on a player of more pressing need. If he is truly a bench player and does not grab plate appearances which would otherwise be given to Kubel, then this is fine. As Aaron Gleeman points out, however, if Thome gets DH PAs, and Kubel gets LF appearances otherwise given to Young, then I'm really on board. However, that seems unlikely at this point.