Article: Twins Will Seek Competition For Trevor Plouffe

I don't understand why Eric Chavez would sign with the Twins. Hasn't he been on the verge of retirement for a while? His body breaks down with regular playing time. He seems willing to come cheaply with the understanding that he will be a part-time player and he will have a shot at a ring.

What about Youkilis or Izturis? Youkilis could be a right-handed bat at 1b (not that we need more 1b options), and Izturis could also cover SS and 2b, two spots where we are pretty uncomfortably thin.

Really it's too bad Parmelee is left-handed, if he could bounce between 1b, 3b, and outfield it would make our lineup a lot more flexible

I doubt the Twins will pursue an over-the-hill veteran to compete with Plouffe. Rule out Chavez and Inge. I doubt they go with a righthanded hitter also. I mentioned Jack Hannahan in another thread--he hits lefty, has the rep as a good defender, I'm sure he's available for next to nothing and has a Minnesota connection. The only real drawback is that he's basically a one-position player.

I'd be more inclined to believe Chavez' power was due to playing in a hitters park playing for a team that preaches agressive swings and being the percieved weak link in a frightening lineup and thus seeing a ton of hittable pitches.

Maicer Izturis is 32 and can probably be had for relatively inexpensive (possibly a cheap incentive heavy deal). He can cover 2b, 3b, SS, switch hits, not the greatest power but he's got a bit of speed. Might not be the best available competition at 3b, but could also be competition at in the middle where we have no clear starters.

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Originally Posted by mike wants wins

I do jot understand the interest in Inge. A platoon would be great, if they can find a cheap way to do it, and carry less pitching.

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A platoon is not in the cards. Offense isn't Plouffe's issue in the mind of TR , it's his defense more than anything else. So finding a good fielding player who can start for stretches that is inexpensive is the idea. Inge fits that to a T and he could be the third string catcher to boot. That opens up a spot on the roster for another player so there's more benefit.

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Originally Posted by notoriousgod71

I'm thinking Brian Buscher!

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We could call the resulting platoon "Plu-sher."

Eh, Nick?

I don't know if I'm a fan of bringing in a slick-fielding no-hit 3b with VP. Sounds like a guy that will end up stealing a lot of at bats from Plouffe. I think they have some back-up options now, and a guy like Burroughs that can be stashed in AAA is the way to go. I don't see Plouffe failing enough to be replaced during the season though. He might not play well enough to be considered a long-term option, but I don't see him putting up less than a .700 OPS while playing acceptable defense.

This is the same staff that thinks Hardy us not a good defender, correct? If they bring in a no hit fielding specialist, you know Gardy will play him. Ugh.

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Originally Posted by gunnarthor

Not sure I can agree with this, "The bad news is that the Twins are going to be hedging their bets this offseason." It seems pretty smart for the Twins to not assume the 27 year old Plouffe will suddenly become a solid MLer. He has some pop but his defense was horrible.

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I read it as meaning "bad news" from Plouffe's standpoint (in that his job isn't necessarily safe).

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Originally Posted by notoriousgod71

I'm thinking Brian Buscher!

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While I would love to see a Brevor Plouscher platoon, there's no replacing the Harrischer.

I would invest one more year in Plouffe. The reward of finding a contributing player with several years of team control is worth the risk that they will struggle in their first 1000 plate appearances.

The Twins already have an aging offense. Signing decline phase players like many suggested in this thread will only add to the cycle of mediocrity.

Thanks for asking TR about Mauer at 3rd. I think that makes the most sense personally (him platooning/putting pressure on Plouffe). I really hope Plouffe does some sort offseason 12 hour a day in a baseball cave learning how to play amazing defense thing though. I understand it's a long season, and you want some time to chill, but he could make some really good money down the road, if he fine tunes his skills.

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Originally Posted by spideyo

Maicer Izturis is 32 and can probably be had for relatively inexpensive (possibly a cheap incentive heavy deal)

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I doubt he'd sign an incentive-laden deal. Those usually only go to guys coming off major injuries, and Izturis has played 100-plus games in each of the last two years which ain't bad for a utility guy.

With that said, I actually find him pretty intriguing, especially if he can hack it at shortstop.