Kuzul

In this day and age, everyone always mentions who has cheated the game of baseball rather than those who followed the rules.

Understandable as it might be, some of these tainted sluggers probably made others succumb to their lowliness by peer pressuring them into trying it.

Nowadays all we hear about are the users, and often times we do not recognize those who have never been mentioned in the steroid talks.

Since I put “cleanest” and “active” in the slideshow’s title, you will obviously not see the likes of Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz or Miguel Tejeda.

Hope you enjoy this and I would love some constructive feedback!

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When defining this offseason, I think we will define it as a player’s market. We have seen aces, pseudo aces, mediocre bullpen guys, and not quite superstars get paid like superstars.

It seems like everyone at every position has made out this offseason. Every position, that is, except DH.

With a renewed emphasis on speed and defense that has taken place over the past couple of seasons in baseball, DH’s are no longer getting the love they used to.

DH’s like Manny Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero and Jim Thome have had a hard time finding jobs this winter because no teams want to meet their contract demands. Thome is a great example of the declining DH market.

Thome was reportedly said to be seeking around $8 million a year. Instead, he had to settle for $3 million.

Thome re-signed with the Minnesota Twins on Friday as the two sides agreed to a one-year, $3 million contract. The 40-year-old can also earn incentives based on plate appearances.

The Twins took advantage of the down DH market and Thome’s love of Minnesota (he supposedly took less money to play with the Twins) to get a tremendous bargain. I don’t think there is anyone who can say anything bad about this signing even if they tried.

Thome hit .283/.412./.627 with 25 HR’s in 108 games. He absolutely crushed right-handed pitching to the tune of a .302/.455/.698 with 19 HR’s. Even if Thome produces something slightly less than what he did last year, this will still be a steal for the Twins.

And I think the Twins needed Thome back. They have taken a little bit of a beating this offseason, losing Orlando Hudson, J.J. Hardy, Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier, and potentially Brian Fuentes and Jon Rauch. They could also lose Carl Pavano too, but he is expected to re-sign any day now.

Bringing Thome back not only gives the Twins a serious presence in the middle of their lineup, but he is a solid clubhouse guy, and gives the Twins fan base a little sense that they are still in it to win it. Great re-signing by the Twins.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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Jim Thome came to an agreement to return to the Minnesota Twins for another season, Friday. The slugger agreed to a one-year, $3 million contract which is double what he made in his first season with Minnesota.

Thome played a vital role last year with the Twins and was thrust into a starting role because of a season-ending injury to Justin Morneau. Originally, Thome was brought to the Twin Cities to be a left-handed pinch hitter off the bench, and to have spot duty as the team’s designated hitter.

Instead, Thome ended up being a a key contributor to the Twins throughout the season and made the most out of the increased playing time. Thome hit a staggering 25 home runs in just 276 plate appearances, drove in 59 runs and hit a respectable .283, the highest batting average he’s finished with since 2006.

The 40-year-old was simply terrific last season, but with Morneau set to return from a concussion where does Thome fit with this year’s club? That’s an interesting question, to say the least.

When Morneau went down it forced a domino effect on the starting lineup. Starting right fielder Michael Cuddyer took Morneau’s spot at first while DH Jason Kubel moved out to RF, leaving Thome the DH spot. The problem with getting Thome significant at-bats is Kubel.

Kubel is also a left-hander, who has power and is best suited for the DH role. Last season, Kubel finished with 21 home runs, a .249 batting average and 92 RBI. The Twins are high on Kubel even though he hit seven fewer home runs and his average dropped .51 points from two seasons ago.

It’s never a bad problem to have two left-handed power hitters that you can always rely on in the DH spot, but it does cause Ron Gardenhire to make a tough choice every night. With the Twins’ roster as is, Thome’s role isn’t set in stone; all the Twins knew is that they had to have the guy back, so they brought him back. Even if that meant overpaying for his services a little bit.

There are also some other things that need to be taken into consideration when looking at Thome’s role. For one, last season he stayed relatively healthy minus some back troubles towards the end of the season, will he be able to do it again? Secondly, there’s just no way he replicates last year’s production. Finally, he’s just 11 home runs shy of 600.

So while Thome has an aging body working against him and Kubel—a younger, similar player fighting for at bats—he’s going to get enough opportunities to reach the milestone 600 home runs.  

Thome wasn’t just brought back to contribute on the field, either. The veteran is a fan favorite and a clubhouse leader who the younger players look up to. How great would it be to go to the ballpark every day and get tips from one of the greatest sluggers of all time?

When last season ended and Thome announced his intentions of playing another season it was widely believed he would return to the Twins. After some flirtation with the Texas Rangers, he ultimately turned down a more lucrative offer to remain in Minnesota.

It’s a good fit for both sides as Thome looks to join the 600 club. This will likely be the slugger’s last season and when he leaves the game, he will certainly be missed. For Twins fans, they’ll have the luxury of knowing that they’ll get to see more massive homers and possibly a piece of history, too.

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Spring training is getting closer. Top players have switched teams and fans patiently wait for America’s favorite past time to get started. 

There’s a lot of buzz going on right now as some recent deals have occurred. Clubs are signing key players and some are losing them.

Let’s take a look in to how these deals affect certain teams. As well as the latest rumors in the Major League Baseball world.

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After much speculation on whether or not the Minnesota Twins would bring back designated hitter Jim Thome for a second season, it appears that a resolution has finally been reached.

ESPN.com’s Buster Olney is reporting that the Twins and Thome have agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth $3 million.

The deal is far less than some (myself included) had thought it would cost to retain Thome after his productive campaign in 2010 yielded a .283 batting average with 25 homers and 59 RBI in 276 at-bats.

With the increased interest from teams such as the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, it was thought that Thome’s price would surge beyond what the Twins were willing to offer the 40 year old.

Thome did achieve a certain bond with his new team in 2010, emerging as a clubhouse leader and mentor to many of the young Twins.

The deal comes amidst news that the team has also shown interest in free agent Manny Ramirez. With this move it appears that the team will pass on Ramirez. However, there is still speculation that the team would like to have a powerful right-handed bat available and may still consider additional options.

The most obvious next step for the Twins would be to agree to terms with free agent pitcher Carl Pavano, whom the team has been in talks with for months.

It was anticipated that a deal for Pavano would have been completed by now, but with the emergence of interest in Thome from other teams, it appears that the Twins were forced to divert attention towards locking down their slugger for another year.

The deal comes as welcomed news to Twins fans, who have been forced to wonder whether or not the team would be making moves to keep pace with the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers, as both teams have spent much of the offseason revamping their lineups in an effort to overtake the Twins for the AL Central crown in 2011.

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Before the 2010 season began, the Minnesota Twins took a conservative approach when signing Jim Thome to a one year $1.5 million contract. After all, it would be hard to conceive a scenario where a team would pay anywhere near the $13 million that Thome was paid in 2009.

Thome would outperform his contract by leaps and bounds in 2010 as the slugger batted .283, slugged .627 and hit 25 home runs while driving in 59 runs.

His season started off relatively slow, as he was a part-time designated hitter and occasional pinch-hitter. However, he was thrown into an everyday role at the mid-point of the season when first baseman Justin Morneau was lost to a concussion, shifting right fielder Michael Cuddyer to first base and Jason Kubel to a permanent role in the outfield.

Thome provided the Twins with a much needed power boost as he got more opportunities, electrifying the pitcher friendly Target Field with his mammoth blasts.

Combine Thome’s production with the clubhouse leadership that he provided throughout the season and it would seem like a no-brainer that the Twins would re-sign him for another season.

To this point, however, the buzz on Thome has been relatively non-existent. Much as is the case with the ongoing negotiations revolving around starting pitcher Carl Pavano, it appears that part of the delay has to do with the length of the contract.

It appears that Thome would like a two year contract if possible, a goal that might be out of reach as Thome would be 42 in the second year of such a deal.

Whether or not the Twins thought they’d have the luxury of taking their time in signing Thome, it would appear that their window of opportunity may be closing. Just this afternoon Buster Olney of ESPN.com reported that the Texas Rangers are actively working on acquiring the services of Thome.

Some media reports have placed the amount that Thome would command for a one year deal in the neighborhood of $8 million, an amount that may be too high for Texas given the fact that the Rangers have already pegged Michael Young as their designated hitter for the upcoming season.

The Twins hit 142 home runs as a team in 2010, putting them ninth in the American League in that category. The team could make up for the loss of Thome’s productivity with a healthy return from Justin Morneau, but it’s anybody’s guess as to whether or not he’ll be the same slugger when he comes back.

The Twins did pick up the 2011 option on Jason Kubel, a move that could indicate that the team is in no rush to overpay for Thome. But given the team’s success in utilizing both Thome and Kubel in 2010, any reasonable package to keep the fan favorite in Minnesota should be strongly considered.

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The Designated Hitter—home of the offensively talented and the defensively challenged players. By not having to play the field many players have been able to prolong, or even make, a career through offensive contributions alone. 

American League teams use the DH position for a variety of different reasons: from protecting a player’s health to finding a role for an aging player and everything in between. Despite the variety of reasons a particular player is used as a DH most of these players have a common trait—they can all hit but, usually, they are also a major liability in the field. 

Unfortunately, NL teams are not afforded this luxury; since there is no DH in the National League every player in the lineup must be on the field (so instead of a DH, who takes the place of the pitcher, in the NL, the pitcher must hit for himself). Because of this, NL teams must be more judicious in deciding which players to carry on their 25-man roster. 

Even if a player can undoubtedly contribute offensively he may not make a NL team because he will either not get many at bats (if he is used solely a pinch-hitter so to avoid him playing the field) or he becomes a major weakness in a team’s defense (if he is put in the field—either as a starter or to play more than a few innings…Pat Burrell started for the Giants in 2010 but when the Giants had a lead past the sixth inning Burrell would usually be pulled from the game for a defensive upgrade).

While some NL teams opt to have these type of players on their roster (Prince Fielder of the Brewers and Pat Burrell of the Giants, for example) most of these type of players are found in the American League. 

To help us look at fielding abilities, I use the sabermetric stat of Range Factor Per Nine Innings (I use this stat, rather than Range Factor Per Games so playing nine innings versus playing one inning is waited more equal). 

Let’s take a look at some American League players who could not, and should not, play for a National League team because their poor defensive would hurt the team more than their offense would help. 

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I thought I’d take a look at which players had the best decade in several key areas of the game. I don’t really care who hit the most homers or had the highest batting average.

While those statistics are useful, they are talked about a bit too much at the expense of some others. So let’s take a look at some other things.

Note: my decade doesn’t include 2000.

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While most of the winter’s biggest prizes have been snatched up (Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford to name a couple) and delivered as early Christmas presents to franchises, there still remains a solid group of free agents who can impact the upcoming season for many prospective teams. In the spirit of the New Year, let’s countdown from the Type Bs to Type As remaining on the Free Agent landscape and where they will land in 2011:

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The New York Yankees have made small signings this year, especially after they missed out on the Cliff Lee Sweepstakes.

Players include Russell Martin, Luis Vizcaino, and Pedro Feliciano.

And if you look at it in a positive way, this is still a similar lineup compared to the 2010 team when they reached the American League Championship Series.

Adding to that, there is money that can be spent on even more signings, which can be critical.

But for now, here is the projected lineup and starting rotation of the New York Yankees, for the 2011 season.

Please read this Joe Girardi. Please.

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