Twins/Mariners Rumors Won’t Go Away

Posted by John on February 3, 2009 under John | Read the First Comment

The little rumbles of a Minnesota/Seattle trade just won’t seem to go away. I can’t really say the rumors are gaining steam, but they certainly haven’t disappeared as Joe C. continues to talk about a rumored deal with the Mariners.

A report from Seattle-Post Intelligencer says the two teams recently discussed a deal that would included Delmon Young of the Twins going to Seattle for pitcher Jarrod Washburn and catcher Jeff Clement.

My first reaction… I hope there is another deal in the works as a result of this rumor. It’s no secret the Twins are interested in Washburn as they tried to acquire him last August. But Washburn has a $10.35 million salary this year and last time I checked the Twins have five starting pitchers that are already better than Washburn. I understand the point of adding a veteran to the staff, but a veteran at $10 million when in this market a player like Adam Dunn can be had for roughly $8 million.

Clearly, Bill Smith is still trying to move Delmon Young and clear up the clutter in the outfield but I still believe Young should only be moved if a direct need is filled for the Twins. That’s where the Jeff Clement part of the rumor gets interesting. Clement, from Marshalltown, Iowa, is a former #1 draft pick with lots of promise and potential. He has posted some pretty ridiculous numbers in his minor league career but struggled to settle in at the Major League level last year when called up.

Without having to mention, we know the Twins are set at catcher and even have a good prospect coming up in Wilson Ramos. I’m not even going to believe that this rumor is to bring in a catcher in case Mauer leaves the Twins as a free agent in a couple years, so instead I’m hoping some other team is interested in Clement and the Twins are hoping to spin-off the young catcher.

Smith has less than two weeks to go before spring training starts and it is unlikely that “Mr. No” will make any moves. But if this rumor becomes reality, I sure hope 1) the Mariners are paying part of Washburn’s salary and 2) Clement could be traded on for a legitimate thirdbaseman.

Otherwise, if Smith is getting the itch to do something I suggest instead using that $10.35 million to sign a star like Adam Dunn or Orlando Hudson to put us over the top. Who cares if we have too many outfielders or infielders, it’s never a problem to have too many players who can hit!

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