Twins 3rd base options

[Scott K]

With the Twins filling holes in their infield this offseason with Hudson, and Hardy, their is still a big question mark at 3rd base. The Twins have a few inside options to fill 3rd.

1. Punto

2. Harris

3. Velencia

4. A platoon of the three above

There are some decent available free agents out there yet. Some that may come at a very good bargain, for a few different reasons, injury prone, attitude, old, poor defense, ect.

5. Crede

6. Russell Branyan

7. Felipe Lopez

8. Mike Lowell

9. Hank Blalock

I think anyone on this list could be had for 4 million or less, with a few good gambles for even league minimum, or a minor league contract.

Although I dont think the Twins will sign a free agent to fill 3rd, and think they are content with Harris and Punto, and with hopes Velencia will step up mid season.

I would like to have Lopez, but he would be the most expensive option, so I highly doubt he is even an option. My second choice would be to bring Crede back on a minor league contract, or a 1 million dollar base with insentitives. The Twins wouldnt be out much then, and they could fall back on to Punto, or Harris if he gets injured. The same could be said of Russell Branyan, and he could also relieve Justin at 1st base.

I know, I am asking to much of the Twins, and should be satisfied with what we have, but I always want more, and realize we have needs with pitching as well. I just think even though Crede or Branyan are injury prone, they would be worth the gamble for the little amount of money it would take to get them here.

I just get excited seeing this line up, and then wondering why a power spot such as 3rd base should be batting 9th in the line up.

1 Denard Span CF

2 Orlando Hudson 2B

3 Joe Mauer C

4 Justin Morneau 1B

5 Michael Cuddyer RF

6 Jason Kubel/Jim Thome DH

7 Delmon Young LF

8 J.J. Hardy SS

9 Brendan Harris/Nick Punto 3B

Just think if you added Crede or Branyan to this spot. That would put Hardy in the 9th spot with a good potential of producing 20 + homers. With every player on the team capable of hitting 20+ homers. I dont know to many teams that wouldnt fear a line up like this.

1 Denard Span CF

2 Orlando Hudson 2B

3 Joe Mauer C

4 Justin Morneau 1B

5 Michael Cuddyer RF

6 Jason Kubel/Jim Thome DH

7 Crede or Branyan 3B

8 Delmon Young LF

9 J.J. Hardy SS

[jeepster]

I think Harris will get most of the play at thrid, Velencia isnt ready yet and you cant rely on Crede being healthy.

[PierBridge]

We'll be fine either way.

Being it's an even year "2010" we can only hope Punto has the same fantastic years he had in the 2006 and 2008 seasons.

Other wise Harris will have to do, he does have some talents particularly hitting.

Go Twins!

[PierBridge]

Also I don't expect any monies to be spent on a 3rd basemen certainly not 4 million that's not going to happen as we have already spent more than we should have and are strapped now and still in need of some pitching.

We'll have to make do as we sit.

[mrklean]

haha very tru only even years, for as much as the twins have done this off season i am some what happy they can always trade play during the season the twins seem like a second half team most years so lets way and see what these guys do

[First Ice-Mike]

Neither Span or Hudson will ever hit 20 homeruns in a season. Still - the Twins do have a heckuva lineup.

FI

[blue_healer_guy]

hopefully not punto, he should play twice a week at other spots. Cant stand to see that facial after a called 3rd strike.

[Scott K]

Quote:

Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that Felipe Lopez will make a $1.75 million base salary in his new one-year contract with the Cardinals.

The contract includes some performance incentives, but Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak found quite the bargain here. Lopez, 29, made $3.5 million last season and he figured to earn much more after batting .310/.383/.427 with nine home runs and 57 RBI. While he missed out on the big contract, and even fired agent Scott Boras this winter, he'll have a great chance to win in St. Louis.

Could the Twins not have swung this? He would have sealed up our infield, and also have a .300+ batter!

[PierBridge]

He's a .269 career hitter. Last year was his only 300 season out of 3. Does sound like a pretty good deal at 1.75 though.

[Scott K]

His down side is he has a head case, and maybe he just doesnt fit into anyones clubhouse, including ours. I just think, compared to Punto, he is a very good option.

[knoppers]

why not move cuddyer back to third, then we can play both kubel and young in the outfield, and thome can DH.

[jwmiller33]

i'm excited to have neshek back this year!!! hopefully he can return and be the elite 8th inning specialist... if he can do that, he will do wonders for out bullpen

[Scott K]

why not move cuddyer back to third, then we can play both kubel and young in the outfield, and thome can DH.

I like this idea, and have wonderd the same thing. I am sure they will try to put him there a few games to see how it works out, but if they dont, there has to be a reason.

[Juneau4]

Cuddyer doesn't want to play 3rd and when he has his offensive numbers have gone way down.

[Coach1310]

why not move cuddyer back to third, then we can play both kubel and young in the outfield, and thome can DH.

It won't happen for lots of reasons. #1. Cuddy is a pretty good defensive right fielder. It will be interesting to watch him play without the baggy in right this year though. #2. IF you move Cuddy to 3rd, you are defensively weak at 3 positions... 3rd, LF and RF. Leaving it as is, you aren't defensively weak anywhere. Yeah, you have a weak spot in the order with Harris/Punto/Valencia, but that is only 1 weak spot in a very solid lineup.

[Scott K]

I wouldnt want it to be a permenat position for him, just one when we need some extra offense, and we could have Thome, Kubel, Cuddy, and Young in, all at the same time. But like I said, if they dont do it, there has to be a good reason they dont!

[knoppers]

Originally Posted By: knoppers

why not move cuddyer back to third, then we can play both kubel and young in the outfield, and thome can DH.

It won't happen for lots of reasons. #1. Cuddy is a pretty good defensive right fielder. It will be interesting to watch him play without the baggy in right this year though. #2. IF you move Cuddy to 3rd, you are defensively weak at 3 positions... 3rd, LF and RF. Leaving it as is, you aren't defensively weak anywhere. Yeah, you have a weak spot in the order with Harris/Punto/Valencia, but that is only 1 weak spot in a very solid lineup.

very good points, you also would lose cuddyers great arm in right field. young has dropped 29 pounds coming into spring training, so he could be a sleeper coming into the season. thome may not get in too much, but pinch hitting, becuase you have to have kubels bat in every day.

[bgreen82]

i'd love to see harris at 3rd full time. if he were to be our 9th in the order thats pretty darn good as he can put up .275 with possible 10 hr and 50-75 rbis.

[bgreen82]

plus he has a rocket arm in the infield.

[mr_jman]

Either can do the job and both will make plays at 3rd defensively. Asking or expecting the #9 guy in the lineup to be a huge producer is kind of a shot in the dark. Think of it this way... If the most we have to complain about offensively is a below average #9 hitter, then I think we are alright!

The lineup is pretty stacked and even if that position gets out 7 or 8 out of 10 times, if they move runners over (Punto is an above average bunter!) and have productive at bats then it really wont be a terrible loss because we have a very very dangerous top and middle lineup! Plus in key game situations you could always sub Thome in to hit and then put Harris or Punto back in the field. It still works out well!

[greebs]

Cuddyer doesn't want to play 3rd and when he has his offensive numbers have gone way down.

...not to mention, he didn't do too well there defensively. keep him in rf and occasionally 1b where's he's comfortable. picking up hudson for 2b was sufficient and allows them to not need as much production out of the 3b position.

[Dahitman44]

Velencia --

We have been hearing baout this guy for years. The Twins tend to move their future stars slowly but Danny-Boy is at the point of becoming a suspect and not a prospect.

He is 26 and while that is not OLD for a prospect that is getting a little long in the tooth. He needs to take some big steps and take the position away from those two platoon jokers.

That or tear up AAA so they have to bring him up when Punto is batting .155 on May 30.